Hainan people

The Hainan people ( Hái-nâm nâng), or Hainam people is a term referring to the residents of Hainan, the southernmost and smallest Chinese province. The term can be used to refer to all residents and of Hainan island. Hainam Min speakers often refer to their dialect as Qiongwen to distinguish themselves from other groups of Hainan such as the Cantonese, Tanka, Hlai, Miao etc.

Hainan Han people, who today form the majority population of the island, trace their origins to Han immigrants and exiles from Fujian and Guangdong province. By and large, they were not voluntary colonists, but were acting on government orders to populate the sparsely populated island. By contrast, the Lingaoese, Hlai, Tanka migrated to the island much earlier and are regarded as part of the Nanyue or Baiyue peoples.

Starting from the Song dynasty, Han settlers from Fujian and Guangdong began settling in the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan island, displacing Nanyue aborigines such as Hlai, who moved to mountain areas. Important areas of settlement by immigrants from Fujian include the areas in and around Haikou, Wenchang, Qionghai, and Wanning. Relations between the Han and Hlai were tense and often erupted into bloody war, with the consequence that the imperial government deported thousands of Miao tribespeople (themselves captured and spared rebels from Guangxi and Guizhou), who were then tasked with protecting the Han colonists and acting as mediators between the Han and the Li peoples.

In the main, Haikou samples showed that Hainanese Han cluster most closely with Singapore Chinese and Taiwan Han. However, other studies show that Hainanese genetically cluster closely with Guangxi and Guangdong Han Chinese. Like Fujian and Guangdong provinces, Hainan has been a source for emigration. Towards the turn of the 20th century, many Hainanese migrated to various Southeast Asian nations, where they worked as cooks, restaurateurs, coffee shop owners, clothes makers, sailors and hoteliers, filling niches left unoccupied by previous groups of immigrants from China. The Hainanese were particularly successful in Thailand, where a large number of tycoons trace Hainanese origin, and in Cambodia, where they controlled the hotel and restaurant trade. They also formed a substantial proportion of Chinese communities in Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore and Malaysia. The outbreak of war with Japan prompted the departures of 33,000 persons in 1936 and 44,000 in 1937 from Hainan.

Overseas Hainanese have been a significant and particularly active source of remittances to China. This was done through specialized banks called "letter offices" (55 such banks were counted in 1937). The donations of overseas Hainanese helped to build schools, libraries and hospitals not just in their ancestral towns and villages, but also in Haikou, the provincial capital. Overseas Hainanese introduced rubber, pepper, pineapple, cocoa, palm oil and lemon grass to Hainan Island and ensured its commercial production there.

Main cities of Hainan island

Garrison and Prison Island for Exiles and Political Criminals
Hainan was traditionally regarded as a malaria-infested backwater and unfit for human habitation and was therefore used as a place of exile, and not the tropical paradise it is considered to be today. It acquired a reputation as a place of exile for political prisoners and fallen ministers and literati, the most notable of whom was Su Dong Po, who made funeral preparations prior to his relocation to Hainan. When he arrived, Su Dong Po expressed dismay at the hardscrabble living conditions and dietary practices of fellow Han Chinese he found stationed on the island and is credited for introducing improvements to the lifestyle of the inhabitants. Other important figures included Li Gang, the Chancellor of the Song dynasty, who belonged to a pro-war faction of the Song court. During the political purges that followed the fall of Jingkang in 1127 AD, the factional infighting between ministerial factions came to a head, and it was during this period that Hainan acquired a reputation as a place for exiled literati and political opponents.

It was during this tumultous period that Han immigration from southern mainland China to Hainan island intensified and during which the island became known as a place for banished ministers and statesmen.

In characterizing the Hainanese, Benjamin Couch observes: "the early settlers were exiles, banished from their homelands, to which they ever hoped to return. They were not voluntary colonists, nor were they all criminals and outlaws, but the vassals of a despotic government, who obeying the orders of the emperor, left their homes in the more congenial region about Fukien [Fujian], to occupy and develop the sparsely peopled territory south of the sea."

Relationship between the Han Chinese immigrants and the aboriginal Li peoples
Han Chinese presence on Hainan Island led to friction with Li aborigines (a Tai-Kradai group related to the Lao of Siam and Laos) from the beginning. After its incorporation into China during the Han dynasty in 110 BC, Han colonisation was fairly constant throughout the following two millenia, especially from Putian city of central Fujian and from of Guangdong. The Li fiercely resisted Sinicization more fiercely than the Taiwanese aborigines and they were ultimately defeated and driven into the mountainous areas of central and southwest Hainan. They subsisted by engaging in barter trade with the Han Chinese, who had settled on Hainan's coastal regions, trading in mountain produce.

The aboriginal Li women were known to practice a form of sorcery that involved keeping specters in subjection. This art was transmitted by their ancestors. It is reported that the art was so secretive that the Li witches would rather be beaten to death by magistrates than to betray one another. These specters would be used to kill enemies and had a great effect among the Li people themselves. According to Han Chinese records, these spells seemed to work only on Li but had no effect on the Han Chinese of the island whatsoever.

Imported Miao tribes
Han Chinese colonists and Han Chinese Hakka immigrants on Hainan Island faced regular attacks from Li aboriginal peoples, who resisted Sinicization. In order to protect the Han Chinese population on the island, Chinese kings regularly deported "successive detachments of mountaineers" from Guangxi and Guizhou known as the Miao to protect Han chinese colonists. The Miao tribesmen were tasked with warding off attacks by Li aborigines on the Han Chinese, and to act as mediators between the Han and Li peoples.

Han Chinese genealogical traditions
Genealogical studies of zupu (clan genealogies) indicate that numerous Hainanese descended from Jinshi (metropolitan scholars) and merchants and colonists from Putian city.

Jinshi degree holders
Hainamese can often stress their cultural achievements - during the imperial era, the island produced five times the number of elite degree holders in the Imperial examinations than the national average. Imperial records such as the Records of the Qiongzhou government ("琼州府志") show that the surnames or clan names producing the greatest number of jinshi holders from Hainan island are Wang (Wong, 王), Chen (Tan, 陈), and Lin (Lim, 林). These same records also pay special attention to a single family, surnamed Zhou (Chew, 周 ) from Wenshan village, that managed to produce 3 jinshi holders during the Ming dynasty, likely the largest number from a single family in Chinese history.

Famous Persons
Like other Chinese dialect groups outside of mainland China, individuals of Hainanese Han descent have also become prominent politicians, businesspersons and entertainers.

In Thailand, prominent individuals of Hainamese Han ancestry include the Thailand Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn and Prime Minister Pote Sarasin, Bank of Bangkok President Boonchu Rojanastien, singer Nichkhun of 2PM, media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, the politically influential Sarasin family, as well as two of the wealthiest business families, the Chirathivats and the Yoovidhyas.

In Hong Kong, prominent individuals of Hainan ancestry include Chan Sing, one of the "villain" movie stars that dotted the Hong Kong movie industry and Alex Fong (born Fu Li, 17 March 1963, Macau).

In Laos, former deputy prime minister Somsavat Lengsavad is also of Hainanese descent.

In Singapore, notable politicians and statesmen include the current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, as well as former education minister Lee Chiaw Meng, Cedric Foo, Chin Harn Tong and Mah Bow Tan. In the area of entertainment, Singapore model-turned-photographer and influencer Tan Chuando, known for his good looks and extremely youthful appearance, is of Hainanese Han descent as was the bartender who invented the world-famous Singapore Sling at the renowned Singapore Raffles Hotel, Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon.

In Malaysia, notable Hainanese Han businesspersons and philanthropists include famous Malaccan Pang Chin Hin, the founder of popular snack brand Mamee. Former PM Abdullah Badawi is of Hainanese descent, although he comes from the minority Cham-Utsul community, a non-Han ethnic group.

 Politicians 

Identity
The administration of the island was handled by Guangdong for most of its history, and investment in infrastructure was negligible during the imperial era. Hainanese are conscious of their distance from the mainland and mainstream China, and sensitive to the historical perception of the island as a remote and barbaric backwater, a place of exile for criminals and political malcontents. In reply, the Hainanese like to emphasize their cultural achievements at the highest, most elite level of the notoriously brutal Imperial examinations. There have been 105 successful Jinshi degree holders from Hainan during its 1,300 years of imperial history, a rate that is five times higher than the national average.

Classification
In Hainan, the lingua franca and language of prestige is referred to as Hainanese. Hainanese is a southern Min language, in the same family of Chinese languages or dialects such as Hokkien and Teochew. It exhibits a fair degree of mutual intelligibility with both dialects. Hainanese speakers can readily understand the gist of a conversation by Hokkien or Teochew speakers, and vice versa.

Unique characteristics

It has also developed unique phonological characteristics such as the use of implosives. Linguists hypothesize this characteristic resulted from the contact between Han Chinese settlers in garrison towns and their Tai-Kradai tribal neighbours. More recently, the island's location close to SE Asia, and the close ties between local Hainanese and the Hainanese diaspora, have led to the adoption of numerous English and Malay words.

Standard Chinese is also the lingua franca in the island province as in the rest of China.

Cuisine
Numerous signature dishes such as the Hainanese chicken rice, Wenchang chicken, Hainanese pork chop, Hainanese mutton soup, Hainanese salted fish soup and beef noodle soup. Hainanese chicken rice is a recognised dish throughout Southeast Asia due to the Hainanese diaspora in these areas who famed it.

All these signature dishes are served at the various eateries located along Purvis Street, within the Hainanese enclave; as a result, Purvis Street is often referred to as "Hainan Second Street", while Middle Road and Seah Street are referred to as "Hainan First Street" and "Hainan Third Street" respectively. It is often labelled as Singapore's national dish.

Architecture
Hainanese architecture follows the same design plan as Han Chinese architecture with buildings aligned around a central courtyard or series of courtyards. The style for public buildings follows essentially that from the southern regions such as Fujian, with upturned eaves and ready use of colour. A well-preserved example of Hainanese architecture can actually be seen in Hoi An, Vietnam in the Hoi An Hainanese Assembly Hall as well as in the Memorial of the Five Lords, Haikou.

Music and Arts
Hainanese opera (Qiong opera) is a passion for many Hainanese, particularly for the older generation. Enriched with local flavours, Hainanese opera is part and parcel of Hainanese culture.

In addition, Hainan has one of China's oldest musical traditions - known as the "Ba Yin" or "Eight Tone" school of music. It derives from the mainland Chinese musical tradition and was brought over by Han settlers. Traditional Chinese instruments such as string, qin, flute, pipe, flute, gong, drum and cymbal are deployed. However, materials such as coconut shells and rosewood are employed in the crafting of instruments. Historically, almost all villages in Hainan each had their own Bayin troupe and performances were ubiquitous at weddings and funerals. About 500 musical scores from over the last 1000 years, dating to the time of the Song dynasty, have been preserved until today. The art is currently being transmitted amongst the overseas diaspora in Malaysia and Singapore.

Genetics
Hainanese Han represent the southernmost branch of the different Han Chinese subgroups. Although there was a Han presence as early as during the Han dynasty, Han settlers began to immigrate to the island in significant numbers only after the fall of the Northern Song dynasty. At this time, the island was considered a remote garrison and a place of exile. More Han colonists migrated throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

According to an analysis of autosomal loci using the Huaxia platinum system, the Hainanese Han grouped together with geographically close Taiwan Han, even while showing subtle differentiation from other Han populations. Like the Taiwan Han, the Hainanese Han speak a variant of the Minnan group of dialects and trace mostly Fujian origins.

According to an article published in the European Journal of Genetics on 2 March 2020, the Hainanese Han cluster first with the Singapore Chinese and the Minnan Han population, followed by the Cantonese population. The same article states that Han at Haikou city showed a very close genetic relationship with the wider Han population with a pairwise FST of 0.002.