Baiyue

Quick Facts: Who was Baiyue?

Subject:

Baiyue

Known for:

Ancient ethnic groups inhabiting southern China and northern Vietnam, known for maritime skills.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Baiyue, Hundred Yue, or simply Yue, were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of southern China and northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, body tattoos, fine swords, and naval prowess. During the Warring States period, the word "Yue" referred to the state of Yue in Zhejiang. The later kingdoms of Minyue in Fujian and Nanyue in Guangdong were both considered Yue states. During the Zhou and Han dynasties, the Yue lived in a vast territory from Jiangsu to Yunnan, while Barlow (1997:2) indicates that the Luoyue occupied the southwest Guangxi and northern Vietnam.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The Book of Han describes the various Yue tribes and peoples that can be found from the regions of Kuaiji to Jiaozhi. The Yue tribes were gradually assimilated into Chinese culture as the Han empire expanded into what is now southern China and northern Vietnam. Many modern southern Chinese languages bear traces of substrate languages originally spoken by the ancient Yue. Variations of the name are still used for the name of modern Vietnam, in Zhejiang-related names including Yue opera, the Yue Chinese language, and in the abbreviation for Guangdong. The modern term "Yue" (Chinese: 越; pinyin: Yuè; Cantonese Jyutping: Jyut6; Vietnamese: Việt; Early Middle Chinese: Wuat) comes from Old Chinese *ɢʷat.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

It was first written using the pictograph 戉 for an axe (a homophone), in oracle bone and bronze inscriptions of the late Shang dynasty (c. 1200 BC), and later as 越. At that time it referred to a people or chieftain to the northwest of the Shang. In the early 8th century BC, a tribe on the middle Yangtze were called the Yangyue, a term later used for peoples further south. Between the 7th and 4th centuries BC "Yue" referred to the state of Yue in the lower Yangtze basin and its people. According to Ye Wenxian, as cited by Wan, the ethnonym of the Yuefang in northwestern China is not associated with that of the Baiyue in southeastern China.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1997: 1997 Milestone — During the Zhou and Han dynasties, the Yue lived in a vast territory from Jiangsu to Yunnan, while Barlow (1997:2) indicates that the Luoyue occupied the southwest Guangxi and northern Vietnam.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Baiyue

True or False: “The term 'Yue' was exclusively used by the Shang dynasty to refer to people in the lower Yangtze basin.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The pictograph for 'Yue' first appeared in oracle bone inscriptions of the late Shang dynasty (c. 1200 BC), but it initially referred to a person or chieftain northwest of the Shang.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Baiyue