Baiyue
| Baiyue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Statue of a man with short hair and body tattoos typical of the Baiyue, from the state of Yue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 百越 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Hundred Yue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese alphabet | Bách Việt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Hán | 百越 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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. The Book of Han describes the various Yue tribes and peoples 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.