Sui people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (430,000 (est.)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| China: Guizhou, Guangxi; Vietnam | |
| Languages | |
| Mandarin Chinese, Sui | |
| Religion | |
| Animism, Buddhism, Taoism |
The Sui people (Chinese: 水族; pinyin: Shuǐzú; autonym: ai33 sui33), also spelled as Shui people, are an ethnic group living mostly in Guizhou Province, China. They are counted as one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China.
The Sui are descended from the ancient Baiyue peoples, who had inhabited southern China before the Han dynasty (Wei 2003:viii). The name "Sui," which means "water" in Chinese, was adopted during the Ming Dynasty.
Today, 93% of all Sui people (322,000 individuals) reside in Guizhou, China, with about half of them living in Sandu Shui Autonomous County. To the south, 10,000 Sui live around Yingdong village in Rongshui County, Guangxi (Edmondson 2008). Small pockets of Sui people also live in Fuyang and Yiliang Counties, Yunnan. Additionally, there are 120 Sui living in Hồng Quang District, Tuyên Quang Province, northern Vietnam who are the descendants of Sui people who had left Sandu County 8 generations ago (Wei 2003:vii).
The Sui are organized around family clans. Villages usually have a few hundred inhabitants, most of whom have the same family name (Wei 2003:ix).
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