Hokchia

Fuzhounese people

福州人 福州儂 (Hók-ciŭ-nè̤ng) 十邑儂
Hockchew women in Bible Women's Training School during a women's class in Fuzhou, 1873.
Total population
~10,000,000
Regions with significant populations
China (Mindong Region)  Taiwan  United States (New York City)  Malaysia (Sibu)
Languages
Fuzhou dialect and Fuqing dialect
Religion
Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism and Chinese folk religions (including Taoism, Confucianism, ancestral worship and others), with many non religious. Minority: Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Fuzhou Americans, Putian people, Hoklo people, Northern Min speakers, Ancient Minyue people† and other Han Chinese

The people of Fuzhou (Chinese: 福州人; Foochow Romanized: Hók-ciŭ-nè̤ng), also known as Fuzhounese, Foochowese, Hokchew, Hokchia, Hokchiu, Sei Ay people (十邑人), Eastern Min or Mindong usually refers to people who originate from Fuzhou region and the Mindong region, adjacent Gutian County, Pingnan County, in Fujian province of China and in the Matsu Islands of Taiwan (Republic of China). Fuzhounese are Han Chinese people and are a part of Min-speaking group, who speaks Eastern Min or specifically Fuzhou dialect. There is also a significant overseas Foochowese population, particularly distributed in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, United States (Fuzhou Americans), Japan, United Kingdom, etc.

Despite their small population size, Fuzhounese people have produced a considerable number of achievements in the science field, such as Zhang Yuzhe (the father of modern Chinese astronomy), Guo Kexin (the main pioneer of electron microscopy of China), Chih-Tang Sah, Hsien Wu, Guo Kexin and Min Zhuo.

Fuzhou dialect is a tonal language that has extensive sandhi rules in the initials, rimes, and tones. These complicated rules make Fuzhou dialect one of the most difficult Chinese varieties.