The Han Chinese of North Korea

Table of Contents

1. Background information:2

History4

Homeland And Location5

Language5

Folklore5

Religion6

Major Holidays7

Passage Rites7

Interpersonal Relations8

Living Conditions9

Family Life10

Clothing10

Food11

Education11

Cultural Heritage12

Work13

Sports13

Entertainment And Recreation14

Folk Art, Hobbies, And Crafts14

Social Issues14

Gender Issues15

2. A Survey Of Missions Work15

3. Proposed Strategy17

Mission18

Missionary Strategy.18

Missionary Preparation19

Missionary Attitude.19

Missionary Strategy Development.20

A potential Missionary Strategy21

Endnotes22

The Han Chinese of North Korea

1. Background information:

There are approximately 20,000 Han Chinese living in North Korea. Hans are basically chinese people who constitute 92% of the population of China. It is generally believed that the Han are of Mongol origin, but some Chinese historians argue that they are indigenous to China. Such is their domination of Chinese culture that the Chinese word for a person from China translates as 'Man of Han'. The Han take their name from the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). China's second imperial dynasty, the Han established what have come to be regarded as the fundamental characteristics of Chinese civilization, in particular the fusion of Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist teachings that remains influential in modern China.

Population pressure among the Han, who now number over 1 billion people, has forced large numbers to migrate into areas such as the Mongol and Uighur Autonomous Regions. These migrations have led to ethnic tensions between Han Chinese and the resident populations who fear an associated loss of land and weakening of their traditional cultures. Today, because of the huge geographic region covered by the Han, there is a considerable amount of linguistic diversity among them.

[Han]

[North Korea]

History

The fore-fathers of the Han lived in the basin of the lower and middle reaches of the “Yellow River”. During long centuries of conflict, contact, and adjustment with the national tribes, in that area, Hans made a community called “Huaxia”, which increased regularly to regions alongside the “Yangzi River”.

Homeland And Location

The Han in China are over 1.2 billion. Hans are mostly focused in large river valleys and cities where farming is most blooming. A big population of Hans have shifted their dwelling overseas as overseas Chinese or foreign citizens of Chinese origin. Most of them live in Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and North America.

Language

Frequently, Han language is also called Chinese. It has been accepted by UN as an official international language. Though there are 07 dialects, the written script, devised more than 3000 years ago, is well-matched with all of them.

Folklore

Han's antique books has many folklore which have been additionally improved by myths among the people. According to them, Huang Di was the legendary ancestor of the Han people; Shennong, the god of herbs; Yu drained the flood; Cangjie created Han characters; “Pangu” is the god who built the planet; Suirenshi invented the method to produce fire; Ji, the god of all crops; and “Nüwa”, the goddess who fashioned human beings. The “Sanhaijing”, a book written 2000 years ago, records geographical features of faraway, places, the folk customs, and legends, blending fancy and fact together.

Religion

As the notion of patriarchal clan is intensely fixed in Han's culture, the permanence of patrilineal family is a subject of main significance, having a huge ...