Manchu people, with a population of 10,682,263 (in 2000), are mainly distributed in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in northeastern China, of which Liaoning has the most Manchus.

At the end of the 16th century, with the appearance of Nurhachi, a great leader of Nuchen and being considered as the founder of Qing Dynasty, the tribes of Nuchen were unified and a new nationality Manchu came into being, consisting of Nuchens, Hans, Mongolians and Koreans. Then they moved southward and invaded China, overthrowing the former Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and establishing the Qing Dynasty in 1644. With the founding of the Qing Dynasty in 1644, the Manchu reached its golden age.

tobacco and apple. They also raise tussah silkworms. For some Manchu people, living in remote mountainous areas, gathering ginseng, mushroom and edible fungus makes an important sideline.

As an ethnic group originally living in forests and mountains in northeast China, Manchu people excelled in archery and horsemanship. Children were taught the swan-hunting art with wooden bows and arrows at six or seven, and teenagers learned to ride on horseback in full hunting gear, racing through forests and mountains. Women, as well as men, were skilled equestrians.
The Manchus have different beliefs. Most of the Manchus believe in Shamanism. Thinking that there are many gods commanding the world, they also worship the Big Dipper, their ancestors and nature such as forests and mountains.

The traditional costumes of a Manchu man are a narrow-cuffed short jacket over a long gown with a belt at the waist to facilitate horse-riding and hunting. Manchu women used to wear loose-bodied Cheongsams and embroidered shoes or pattens. In past times, Manchu men wore their hair long. They braided their hair and let the braids droop behind their heads. Women coiled their hair on top of their heads and wore earrings and headgear.

Manchu women didn’t need to suffer from footbinding. Manchus is striped-pants in formality. In the past days, the junior would send their formal regards to the eldership

every day. In greeting their superiors, men were required to extend their left hand to the knee and idle the right hand while scraping a bow, and women would squat with both hands on the knees. Embracing the waist and touching faces were regarded as the necessary behaviors when relatives or friends met. Kowtow is one of the formal salutes of Manchu. On the occasions of a wedding ceremony, funeral or facing emperor or officials, kowtow would be sent.

Manchu and Han basically share the same festivals and holidays, although there are still some differences in respect to celebrating ceremonies. The Manchus like to eat millet. Their festivals were traditionally celebrated with dumplings, and, on New Year’s Eve, with a treat of stewed meat. Boiled and roast pork and Manchu-style cookies were table delicacies. As a kind of royal food, the Manchu snack “Saqima”, a kind of candied fritter has been welcomed by other nationalities. Regarding taboos, killing and eating dog meat is forbidden to Manchus.