Putian people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Above 5,000,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Puxian Min, Mandarin, and Min Nan | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Traditional Chinese religion or Atheism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Min Nan speaking peoples - Foochow people, Hoklo people, Teochew people, Hainanese people |
The Putian Han or Putian people (Chinese: 莆田人, pinyin: Pútiánrén; Puxian Min: 莆仙儂, Hinghwa Romanized: Pó-sing-náng) are Han Chinese people from Putian, part of Fujian Province, China. They speak Puxian Min, a Min language. Min is one of the Sinitic languages.
They may also be referred to as Xinghua. Hing Hua district was carved out from Quanzhou district during the Song dynasty and was given the name HingHua. Hinghua people originated from Henan province and migrated to the present Putian many years ago. Henghua people were said to be mostly in charge of religious affair during that era, and migrated to Fujian after the civil war.
They are referred to as Henghua in Malaysia.[1]
Today, there are significantly large Henghua diaspora communities throughout Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia where they can be found in cities such as Kuala Terengganu and Kuching. In Indonesia, most Henghua live in Java and since long have been known for their businesses that mainly related with bicycle and transportation vehicles.
Notable people
- Mazu: Chinese goddess
- Cai Xiang: Chinese calligrapher, poet, scholar and official
- Chen Wenlong: a general of Southern Song Dynasty.
- John Sung: Christian evangelist
- Ng Teng Fong: richest person in Singapore.
- Mochtar Riady: Founder, Lippo Group, Indonesia
- Sukanto Tanoto: Founder, Raja Garuda Mas International (now Royal Golden Eagle), Indonesia
- James Riady: Son of Mochtar Riady; Deputy chairman, Lippo Group, Indonesia
- Che Yin Wong (黄志贤, 1959−): Businessman and philanthropist, Hong Kong;[2] Founder and chairman of Kong Fung International Group