Pingdi in China

The Pingdi have only been reported in China
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The numerous Yao groups in China have splintered into their present divisions after centuries of forced migration. One historian notes, "The Yao were a very large component in the Man or Southern Barbarian tribes, pushed southwestwards over millennia by the Chinese. In fact the term Man is sometimes still used to refer to the Yao."

In the 1990 national census, about half of the Pingdi were included under the Yao nationality, while the other half were included under Han Chinese. It appears the Pingdi speakers are a complicated mixture of Yao people who became Sinicized and, on the other hand, Han Chinese people who became "minoritized." Although those Pingdi who have been counted as Yao speak a Chinese language, one study of the Yao states that even though "they have many branches, with different names, languages, customs, and economy, they preserve their common psychological quality which holds their ethnic group together."


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Pingdi area is rarely visited by outsiders. As a result, they have minimal interaction with other people groups. The majority of Pingdi are farmers engaged in rice cultivation.


The mountainous area where the Pingdi are located is rarely visited by outsiders. As a result, the Pingdi have minimal interaction with other people groups who might share the gospel.
What Are Their Beliefs?

Many Yao groups have a legend of a great flood. "Because the flood overflowed up to the sky for seven days and seven nights, on earth there were no people left except for Fuxi and his younger sister. Begging a Chinese tree to be their go-between, they became husband and wife. They gave birth to a lump of flesh, which they cut into 360 pieces and scattered around. Those pieces scattered in the green mountains changed into the Yao, the others became the Chinese people."

In the ancient past the Yao had a legend of a Creator god. The Yao claim, "Ages ago ... before we crossed the sea, we worshipped someone called Tin Zay, who lives in heaven and is a holy god." For centuries the Pingdi have lived and died without any knowledge of Christ and without a strong church in their midst. Although there is a Yao New Testament available in the Iu Mien language, the Pingdi speak a different language from Iu Mien.


What Are Their Needs?

The Pingdi people need to submit to Jesus Christ so they can experience the abundant life he offers in John 10:10.


Prayer Points

Pray for the spiritual blindness and bondage to the evil one to be removed so they can understand and respond to Christ.

Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love.

Pray that the Pingdi people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.


Scripture Prayers for the Pingdi in China.


References

Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Pingdi
People Name in Country Pingdi
Pronunciation PING-dee
Alternate Names Pingdi Yao; Pingding; Piongtoajeu; Piongtuojo
Population this Country 1,340,000
Population all Countries 1,340,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 27
People ID 18653
ROP3 Code 114275
ROP25 Code 306722
ROP25 Name Yao (Pingdi)
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country More than one million speakers of the Pingdi language live in the mountainous area where Hunan, Guangxi, and Guangdong provinces meet. The geographical center of the Pingdi is Lipu Township in northern Guangxi. The Pingdi live at the summits of high, remote mountains, which are divided by numerous streams and river valleys. "It is recorded in history that this distressful people, subject to endless bullying and humiliation, unable to settle down on the plains, had to bury themselves in the remotest mountains."   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country More than one million speakers of the Pingdi language live in the mountainous area where Hunan, Guangxi, and Guangdong provinces meet. The geographical center of the Pingdi is Lipu Township in northern Guangxi. The Pingdi live at the summits of high, remote mountains, which are divided by numerous streams and river valleys. "It is recorded in history that this distressful people, subject to endless bullying and humiliation, unable to settle down on the plains, had to bury themselves in the remotest mountains.".   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Map of Pingdi in China Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.04 %)
0.10 %
Ethnic Religions
93.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
6.90 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Chinese, Xiang (1,340,000 speakers)
Language Code hsn   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Chinese, Xiang (1,340,000 speakers)
Language Code hsn   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Chinese, Xiang

Primary Language:  Chinese, Xiang

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1999-2001)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Chinese, Xiang Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Anonymous 
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



Joshua Project logo    Joshua Project    Copyright © 2024