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 The
18,700 people of this very small ethnic minority live in compact
communities primarily in the three islands of Wanwei, Wutou and
Shanxin in the Fangcheng Multi-ethnic Autonomous County, the Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region, near the Sino-Vietnamese border. About
one quarter of them live among the Han and Zhuang ethnic groups
in nearby counties and towns.
The Jings live
in a subtropical area with plenty of rainfall and rich mineral
resources. The Beibu Gulf to its south is an ideal fishing ground.
Of the more than 700 species of fish found there, over 200 are
of great economic value and high yields. Pearls, sea horses
and sea otters which grow in abundance are prized for their
medicinal value. Seawater from the Beibu Gulf is good for salt
making. The main crops there are rice, sweet potato, peanut,
taro and millet, and sub-tropical fruits like papaya, banana
and longan are also plentiful. Mineral deposits include iron,
monazite, titanium, magnetite and silica. The large tracts of
mangroves growing in marshy land along the coast are a rich
source of tannin, an essential raw material for the tanning
industry.
The Jing people
had their own script which was called Zinan. Created on the
basis of the script of the Han people towards the end of the
13th century, it was found in old song books and religious scriptures.
Most Jings read and write in the Han script because they have
lived with Hans for a long time. They speak the Cantonese dialect.
The ancestors
of the Jings emigrated from Viet Nam to China in the early 16th
century and first settled on the three uninhabited lands since
the neighborhood had been populated by people of Han and Zhuang
ethnic group. Shoulder to shoulder with the Hans and Zhuangs
there, they developed the border areas together and sealed close
relations in their joint endeavors over the centuries.
Jing people
like antiphonal songs which are melodious and lyrical. Their
traditional instruments include the two-stringed fiddle, flute,
drum, gong and the single-stringed fiddle, a unique musical
instrument of the ethnic group. Folk stories and legends abound.
Their favorite dances feature lanterns, fancy colored sticks,
embroidery and dragons.
Jing costume
is simple and practical. Traditionally, women wear tight-fitting,
collarless short blouses buttoned in front plus a diamond-shaped
top apron and broad black or brown trousers. When going out,
they would put on a light colored gown with narrow sleeves.
They also like earrings. Men wear long jackets reaching down
to the knees and girdles. Now most people dress themselves like
their Han neighbors though a few elderly women retain their
tradition and a few young women coil their hair and dye their
teeth black.
Many Jings are
believers of Buddhism or Taoism, with a few followers of Catholicism.
They also celebrate the Lunar New Year--Spring Festival -- and
the Pure Brightness Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the
Mid-Autumn Festival like the Hans.
Fish sauce is
a favorite condiment the Jing people use in cooking, and a cake
prepared with glutinous rice mixed with sesame is a great delicacy
for them.
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