History and Ethnic group of Fujian
History
Fujian province’s boundaries were established during the Nan Song dynasty (1127 – 1279), when it became an important shipbuilding and commercial centre for overseas and coastal trade. It declined when the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) banned maritime commerce. Its coastal cities were occupied by the Japanese in 1939 – 45 during World War II, and the 3rd Field Army took control of the province in 1949.
Ethnic group
Han Chinese makes up most of the population. Hakka, a Han Chinese people with its own distinct identity, live in the southwestern parts of the province. The She, scattered over mountainous regions in the north, is the largest minority ethnic group of the province.
Many ethnic Chinese around the world, especially Southeast Asia, trace their ancestry to Southern Fujian (Min Nan). Descendants of Southern Fujian emigrants make up the majority of the majority ethnic Chinese population of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. Fujian, especially Fuzhou, is also the major source of undocumented Chinese American aliens residing in the United States. In some villages, a stay within the United States is considered a rite of passage.
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