ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN"XIA FANG PEOPLE"IN VIETNAM AND"YUNNAN PEOPLE"IN MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA
The"Xiafang People"is a scattered group from Yunnan,China,who migrated to northern Vietnam towards at around the end of the Qing Dynasty.Today,they have established themselves over six to seven generations and are recognized by the Vietnamese government as part of the Chinese community.Throughout their integration into local Vietnamese society,the"Xiafang People"have steadfastly preserved traditional Han Chinese customs.They communicate in the Yunnan Chinese dialect and continue the practice of recording genealogies in Chinese characters.Their history spread from mouth to mouth still maintains a connection to and identification with their ancestral homeland in China.Research on the"Xiafang People"in Vietnam has been scant,with only a few scholars from China and abroad exploring the basic characteristics of this group.This paper examines the historical origins and current situations of the"Xiafang People"and analyzes their relationship with the"Yunnan People"in main-land Southeast Asia,believing that the"Xiafang People"form an integral part of the broader"Yunnan People"in the region.