Manchuria

Manchuria (Manchu: Manju, {{zh-stp |s=满洲 |t=滿洲 |p=Mǎnzhōu}}) is name given to a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria either falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is divided between China and Russia.

Culture

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The concept of "Northeast China" is important in the way Northeastern Chinese view themselves. People from Northeast China usually define themselves as "Northeasterners" first and then by province (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang). This stands in contrast with the rest of China, where people usually identify themselves first and foremost by province.

Related Topics:
Liaoning - Jilin - Heilongjiang

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This self-concept exists in part because Northeast China is culturally homogeneous — Northeasterners have a sense that they are similar to each other, and different from the rest of China. This is because most people in Northeast China are descended from relatively recent immigrants, who left their homes in the late 19th or early 20th century to trailblaze a new life in Manchuria, which was relatively empty at the time. Also, provincial boundaries in the Northeast have been more temporary than in other parts of China, thus giving little time for provincial identities or cultural contrasts to take hold. Most other provincial boundaries were fixed during the Ming dynasty, while those in Northeast China were first drawn in the late 19th century and have been changed numerous times since then.

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In general, the culture of Northeast China takes its elements from the cultures of north China (especially Shandong, where most of the Han Chinese migration into Manchuria originated), the native Tungus peoples and its own innovations. Traces of Russian and Japanese influence are also seen in the culture of Manchuria, especially the architecture and cuisine.

Related Topics:
Shandong - Han Chinese

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People from Northeast China speak northeastern varieties of Mandarin Chinese, known collectively as Dongbeihua, or the Northeast China dialect. This dialect is very similar to the Beijing dialect, upon which standard Chinese (Putonghua) is based, and some Northeasterners claim to speak a more pure form of Mandarin than those in China's capital.

Related Topics:
Mandarin - Chinese - Northeast China dialect - Beijing dialect - Putonghua

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However, Dongbeihua also retains elements from native Tungus languages, Japanese and Russian: there are enough differences to give the dialect its own distinctive flavour, one that is frequently exploited by television shows and so forth to bring across a "northeasterner stereotype", for comedic purposes. Ethnic Manchus speak Chinese, and the Manchu language is almost extinct. Ethnic Koreans and Mongols tend to be bilingual in both their own languages (Korean language and Mongol language) and the Chinese language.

Related Topics:
Manchus - Manchu language - Koreans - Mongols - Korean language - Mongol language - Chinese language

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The cuisine of Manchuria reflects the region's ethnic diversity. Native Manchu, Korean, Northern Chinese, Russian and Japanese cooking styles all find their traces in Manchurian cooking. One of the distinguished characters of the cuisine is the use of uncooked fresh vegetables. In almost every other region of China, vegetables are cooked thoroughly before being eaten. Northeast China is also distinguished by the popularity of extremely strong distilled spirits, known collectively as baijiu or shaojiu.

Related Topics:
Cuisine of Manchuria - Baijiu - Shaojiu

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Errenzhuan, Yang-ge and Jiju are popular forms of traditional entertainment in Northeast China.

Related Topics:
Errenzhuan - Yang-ge - Jiju

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Because of its climatic conditions, Northeast China is the base for China's winter sports. Ice hockey and skating athletes often come from or were educated in Northeast China.

Related Topics:
Winter sports - Ice hockey - Skating

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The title of this article does not imply any official position by Wikipedia on the correct name of this region.

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