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The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name.
The Later Jin (1616–1636) and Qing dynasty (1636–1912) dynasties of China were established and ruled by the Manchus, who are descended from the Jurchen people who earlier established the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in northern China.Manchus form the largest branch of the Tungusic peoples and are distributed throughout China, forming the country's fourth largest ethnic group.
The Jiu Manzhou Dang, archives of early 17th century documents, contains the earliest use of Manchu.
According to the Qing dynasty's official historical record, the Researches on Manchu Origins, the ethnic name came from Mañjuśrī. The Qianlong Emperor supported that point of view and wrote poems on the subject.Qing dynasty scholar Meng Sen agreed. He also thought the name might stem from Li Manzhu (李滿住), the chieftain of the Jianzhou Jurchens.
Scholar Chang Shan held that Manju is a compound word. Man was from the word mangga () which means "strong", and ju () means "arrow". So Manju actually means "intrepid arrow".
Other hypotheses include Fu Sinian's "etymology of Jianzhou"; Zhang Binglin's "etymology of Manshi"; "etymology of Wuji and Mohe"; Sun Wenliang's "etymology of Manzhe"; "etymology of mangu(n) river" and so on.
An extensive etymological study from 2022 lends additional support to the view that manju is cognate with words referring to the lower Amur river in other Tungusic languages and can be reconstructed to Proto-Tungusic * mamgo 'lower Amur, large river'.
In the 10th century AD, the term Jurchen people first appeared in documents of the late Tang dynasty in reference to the state of Balhae in present-day northeastern China. The Jurchens were sedentary, settled farmers with advanced agriculture. They farmed grain and millet as their cereal crops, grew flax, and raised oxen, pigs, sheep and horses.
In 1019, Jurchen pirates Toi invasion for slaves. Japanese governor Fujiwara Notada was killed.
Ethnic Han people were divided into two classes in the Yuan, Han Ren and Nan Ren. Additionally, the Yuan directive to treat Jurchens the same as Mongols referred to Jurchens and Khitans in the northwest (not the Jurchen homeland in the northeast), presumably in the lands of Qara Khitai, where many Khitans lived. However, it remains a mystery as to how Jurchens were living there. Many Jurchens adopted Mongolian customs, names, and the Mongolian language. As time went on, fewer and fewer Jurchens could recognize their own script. The Jurchen Yehe Nara clan is of paternal Mongol origin.
Many Jurchen families descended from the original Jin Jurchen migrants in Han areas such as those using the surnames Wang and Nian 粘 reclaimed their ethnicity and registered as Manchus. Wanyan (完顏) clan members who changed their surnames to Wang (王) after the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty applied successfully to the national government for their ethnic group to be marked as Manchu despite never having been part of the Eight Banner system during the Qing dynasty. The surname Nianhan (粘罕), shortened to Nian (粘) is a surname of Jurchen origin, also originating from one of the members of the royal Wanyan clan. It is an extremely rare surname in China, and members of the Nian clan live in Nan'an, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Shishi, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Zhangpu and Sanming, Fujian, as well as in Laiyang, Shandong and in Xingtai, Hebei. Some of the Nian from Quanzhou immigrated to Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. In Taiwan they are concentrated in Changhua county. There are less than 30,000 members of the Nian clan worldwide, with 9,916 of them in Taiwan, and 3,040 of those in Fuxing township of Changhua county.
The Joseon Koreans approached the military threat posed by the Jurchen by forceful means, incentives, and by launching military attacks. At the same time they tried to appease them with titles and degrees, traded with them, and sought to Acculturation them by having Jurchens integrate into Korean culture.
Their relationship was eventually stopped by the Ming government, who wanted the Jurchens to protect the border. In 1403, Ahacu, chieftain of Huligai, paid tribute to the Yongle Emperor. Soon after, Mentemu, chieftain of the Odoli clan of the Jianzhou Jurchens, stopped paying tribute to Korea, instead becoming a tributary state to China.Yi Seong-gye, the Taejo of Joseon, asked the Ming Empire to send Möngke Temür back, but was refused. The Yongle Emperor was determined to move the Jurchens from Korean to Chinese influence.
Korea unsuccessful tried to persuade Möngke Temür to reject the Ming overtures, but he submitted to the Ming Empire. More and more Jurchen tribes offered tribute to the Ming Empire. The Ming divided them into 384 guards, and the Jurchen became vassals to the Ming Empire. During the Ming dynasty, the name for the Jurchen land was Nurgan. The Jurchens became part of the Ming dynasty's Nurgan Regional Military Commission under the Yongle Emperor, with Ming forces erecting the Yongning Temple Stele in 1413, at the headquarters of Nurgan. The stele was inscribed in Chinese, Jurchen, Mongolian, and Tibetan.In 1449, Mongol Taishi Esen taishi attacked the Ming Empire and captured the Zhengtong Emperor in Tumu Crisis. Some Jurchen guards in Jianzhou and Haixi Jurchens cooperated with Esen, but more were attacked in the Mongol invasion. Many Jurchen chieftains lost their hereditary certificates granted by the Ming government. They had to present tribute as secretariats (中書舍人) with less reward from the Ming court than in the time when they were heads of guards–an unpopular development. Subsequently, more and more Jurchens recognised the Ming Empire's declining power due to Esen's invasion. The Zhengtong Emperor's capture directly caused Jurchen guards to go out of control. Tribal leaders, such as Cungšan and , plundered Ming territory. At about this time, Jurchen script was officially abandoned.
More Jurchens adopted Mongolian as their writing language and fewer used Chinese. The final recorded Jurchen writing dates to 1526.The Manchus are sometimes mistakenly classified as nomadic people.
The Manchu society was agricultural, farming crops and tending animals.Only the Mongols and the northern Wild Jurchen were semi-nomadic. The rest gathered ginseng root, pine nuts, hunted for game pelts in the uplands and forests, raised horses in stables, and farmed millet and wheat in their fallow fields. They engaged in dances, wrestling, and drinking strong liquor.
These Jurchens, who lived in the northeast's harsh cold climate, sometimes half-sunk their houses in the ground, which they constructed of brick or timber. They surrounded their fortified villages with stone foundations on which they built wattle and mud wall fortifications. Village clusters were ruled by beile, hereditary leaders. They fought each other and dispensed weapons, wives, slaves, and lands to their followers.
Jurchens like Nurhaci spoke both their native Tungusic language and Chinese, adopting the Mongol script for their own language, unlike the Jin Jurchens' Khitan-derived script. They adopted Confucian values and shamanic traditions.
Unlike their Mohe ancestors, the Jurchens began to respect dogs around the time of the Ming dynasty, and passed this tradition on to the Manchus. It was prohibited in Jurchen culture to use dog skin, and forbidden for Jurchens to harm, kill, or eat dogs.
For political reasons, the Jurchen leader Nurhaci chose variously to emphasize either differences or similarities in lifestyles with other peoples like the Mongols.
Nurhaci said to the Mongols that "the languages of the Chinese and Koreans are different, but their clothing and way of life is the same. It is the same with us Manchus (Jušen) and Mongols. Our languages are different, but our clothing and way of life is the same." Later Nurhaci indicated that the bond with the Mongols was not based in shared culture. It was for pragmatic reasons of "mutual opportunism," since Nurhaci said to the Mongols: "You Mongols raise livestock, eat meat, and wear pelts. My people till the fields and live on grain. We two are not one country and we have different languages." Nurhaci, a chieftain of the Jianzhou Left Guard who officially considered himself a local representative of imperial power of the Ming dynasty,The Cambridge History of China: Volume 9, The Ch'ing Empire to 1800, Part 1, by Denis C. Twitchett, John K. Fairbank, p. 29 made efforts to unify the Jurchen tribes and established a military system called the "Eight Banners", which organized Jurchen soldiers into groups of "Bannermen", and ordered his scholar Erdeni and minister Gagai to create a new Jurchen script (later known as Manchu alphabet) using the traditional Mongolian alphabet as a reference.
The Qing stationed the "New Manchu" Warka foragers in Ningguta and attempted to turn them into farmers, but the Warka just reverted to hunter gathering and requested money to buy cattle for beef broth. The Qing forced the Warka to become soldier-farmers, but the Warka left their garrison at Ningguta and went back to the Sungari river to their homes to herd, fish and hunt. The Qing accused them of desertion.
In 1603, Nurhaci gained recognition as the Sure Kundulen Khan (, "wise and respected khan") from his Khalkha Mongol allies; then, in 1616, he enthroned himself and issued a proclamation naming himself Genggiyen Khan (, "bright khan") of the Later Jin dynasty (, 後金). Nurhaci then renounced the Ming overlordship with the Seven Grievances and launched his attack on the Ming dynasty and moved the capital to Mukden after his conquest of Liaodong. In 1635, his son and successor Hong Taiji changed the name of the Jurchen ethnic group () to the Manchu. A year later, Hong Taiji proclaimed himself the emperor of the Qing dynasty ().
Factors for the name change from Jurchen to Manchu include the fact that the term "Jurchen" had negative connotations since the Jurchens had been in a servile position vis a vis the Ming dynasty for hundreds of years, and it also referred to people of the "dependent class". The change was made to hide the fact that the ancestors of the Manchus, the Jianzhou Jurchens, had been ruled by the Chinese.In 1644, the Ming capital, Beijing, was sacked by a peasant revolt led by Li Zicheng, a former minor Ming official who became the leader of the peasant revolt, who then proclaimed the establishment of the Shun dynasty. The last Ming ruler, the Chongzhen Emperor, died by suicide by Zuihuai when the city fell. When Li Zicheng moved against Ming general Wu Sangui, the latter made an alliance with the Manchus and opened the Shanhai Pass to the Manchu army. After the Manchus defeated Li Zicheng, they established their capital in Beijing () in the same year.
The Qing government distinguished between Han Bannermen and ordinary Han civilians. Han Bannermen were Han Chinese who defected to the Qing Empire up to 1644 and joined the Eight Banners, giving them social and legal privileges in addition to acculturating to Manchu culture. So many Han defected to the Qing Empire and swelled the ranks of the Eight Banners that ethnic Manchus became a minority within the Banners, making up only 16% in 1648, with Han Bannermen dominating at 75% and Mongol Bannermen making up the rest.
A mass marriage of Han Chinese officers and officials to Manchu women was organized to balance the massive number of Han women who entered the Manchu court as courtesans, concubines, and wives. These couples were arranged by Prince Yoto and Hong Taiji in 1632 to promote harmony between the two groups.
To further promote ethnic harmony, a 1648 decree from the Shunzhi Emperor allowed Han Chinese civilian men to marry Manchu women from the Banners with the permission of the Board of Revenue (if they were registered daughters of officials or commoners) or the permission of their banner company captain (if they were unregistered commoners). Later in the dynasty these policies allowing intermarriage were done away with.As a result of their conquest of Ming China, almost all the Manchus followed the prince regent Dorgon and the Shunzhi Emperor to Beijing and settled there.
A few were sent to other places such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet to serve as garrison troops. 1524 Bannermen were in Manchuria at the time of the initial Manchu conquest. After a series of border conflicts with the Russians, the Qing emperors started to realize the strategic importance of Manchuria and gradually sent Manchus back where they came from. Throughout the Qing dynasty, Beijing was the center of the political, economic and cultural spheres. The Yongzheng Emperor noted: "Garrisons are the places of stationed works, Beijing is their homeland."While the Manchu ruling elite in Beijing and posts of authority throughout China increasingly adopted Han Chinese culture, the Qing imperial government viewed the Manchu communities (as well as those of various tribal people) in Manchuria as a place where traditional Manchu virtues could be preserved, and as a vital reservoir of military power dedicated to the regime.
The Qing emperors tried to protect the traditional way of life of the Manchus (as well as other tribal peoples) in central and northern Manchuria by a variety of means. In particular, they restricted the migration of Han settlers to the region. This had to be balanced with practical needs, such as maintaining the defense of northern China against the Russians and the Mongols, supplying government farms with a skilled work force, and conducting trade, which resulted in a continuous trickle of Han convicts, workers, and merchants to the northeast.Han Chinese transfrontiersmen and other non-Jurchen origin people who joined the Later Jin early were put into the Manchu Banners and were known as baisin in Manchu, and not put into the Han Banners.
An example was the Tokoro Manchu clan in the Manchu banners, which claimed to be descended from a Han Chinese with the surname of Tao who had moved north from Zhejiang to Liaodong and joined the Jurchens before the Qing in the Ming Wanli emperor's era. The Han Chinese Banner Tong 佟 clan of Fushun in Liaoning falsely claimed to be related to the Jurchen Manchu Tunggiya 佟佳 clan of Jilin, attempting to get transferred to a Manchu banner in the reign of the Kangxi emperor.Select groups of Han Chinese bannermen were mass transferred into Manchu Banners by the Qing, changing their recorded ethnicity from Han Chinese to Manchu. Han Chinese bannermen of Tai Nikan (台尼堪, watchpost Chinese) and Fusi Nikan (撫順尼堪, Fushun Chinese) backgrounds transferred into the Manchu banners in 1740 by order of the Qianlong emperor. Between 1618 and 1629 the Han Chinese from Liaodong who later became the Fushun Nikan and Tai Nikan defected to the Manchus. These clans continued to use their Han surnames and were marked as of Han origin on Qing lists of Manchu clans. The Fushun Nikan became Manjurified and the originally Han banner families of Wang Shixuan, Cai Yurong, Zu Dashou, Li Yongfang, Shi Tingzhu and Shang Kexi intermarried extensively with Manchu families.
A Manchu Bannerman in Guangzhou called Hequan illegally adopted a Han Chinese named Zhao Tinglu, the son of former Han bannerman Zhao Quan, and named him Quanheng so that he could benefit from his adopted son receiving a salary as a Banner soldier.
Commoner Manchu bannermen who were not nobility were called irgen which meant common, in contrast to the Manchu nobility of the Eight Great Houses who held noble titles.
Manchu bannermen of the capital garrison in Beijing were said to be the worst militarily, unable to draw bows, unable to ride horses and fight properly and abandoning their Manchu culture.
Manchu bannermen from the Xi'an banner garrison were praised for maintaining Manchu culture by Kangxi in 1703.
Xi'an garrison Manchus were said to retain Manchu culture far better than other Manchus at martial skills in the provincial garrisons and they were able to draw their bows properly and perform cavalry archery, unlike Beijing Manchus. The Qianlong emperor received a memorial saying Xi'an Manchu bannermen still had martial skills although not up to those in the past in a 1737 memorial from Cimbu. By the 1780s, the military skills of Xi'an Manchu bannermen had dropped although they were regarded as the most militarily skilled provincial Manchu banner garrison. Manchu women from the Xi'an garrison often left the walled Manchu garrison and went to Huaqing Pool outside the city and gained bad reputations for their sexual behavior. A Manchu from Beijing, Sumurji, was shocked and disgusted by this after he was appointed Lieutenant general of the Manchu garrison of Xi'an and informed the Yongzheng emperor.YZMaZPZZ (Yongzheng chao Manwen zhupi zouzhe) 1 22 1, Sumurji, YZ7.R7.24. Han civilians and Manchu bannermen in Xi'an had bad relations, with the bannermen trying to steal at the markets. Manchu Lieutenant general Cimbru reported this to Yongzheng emperor in 1729. Governor Yue Rui of Shandong was then ordered by the Yongzheng to report any bannerman misbehavior and warned him not to cover it up in 1730 after Manchu bannermen were put in a quarter in Qingzhou. Manchu bannermen from the garrisons in Xi'an and Jingzhou fought in Xinjiang in the 1770s and Manchus from Xi'an garrison fought in other campaigns against the Dzungars and Uyghurs throughout the 1690s and 18th century. In the 1720s Jingzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing Manchu banner garrisons fought in Tibet.For the over 200 years Han civilians and Manchu bannermen in Xi'an lived next to each other, but did not intermarry. Demographic Research Vol. 38, Article 34, pp. 929–966. 9 March 2018 http://www.demographic-research.org/Volumes/Vol38/34/ Research Article Interethnic marriage in Northeast China, 1866–1913 Bijia Chen Cameron Campbell Hao Dong p. 937 Sociologist Edward Alsworth Ross wrote of his visit to Xi'an just before the Xinhai revolution:
Ross spoke highly of the Han and Hui people population of Xi'an, Shaanxi and Gansu, saying: "After a fortnight of mule litter we sight ancient yellow Sianfu, "the Western capital," with its third of a million souls. Within the fortified triple gate the facial mold abruptly changes and the refined intellectual type appears. Here and there faces of a Hellenic purity of feature are seen and beautiful children are not uncommon. These Chinese cities make one realize how the cream of the population gathers in the urban centers. Everywhere town opportunities have been a magnet for the élite of the open country."
The Qing dynasty altered its law on intermarriage between Han civilians and Manchu bannermen several times. Initially, the Qing allowed Han civilians to marry Manchu women. Then the Qing banned civilians from marrying women from the Eight banners. In 1865, the Qing allowed Han civilian men to marry Manchu bannerwomen in all garrisons except the capital garrison of Beijing. No formal law limited marriage between people in the different banners, but it was informally regulated by social status and custom. In northeastern China such as Heilongjiang and Liaoning it was more common for Manchu women to marry Han men since they were not subject to the same laws and institutional oversight as Manchus and Han in Beijing and elsewhere. Demographic Research Vol. 38, Article 34, pp. 929–966, 9 Mar 2018 http://www.demographic-research.org/Volumes/Vol38/34/ Research Article Interethnic marriage in Northeast China, 1866–1913 Bijia Chen Cameron Campbell Hao Dong pp. 936–937, 939
In the 1850s, large numbers of Manchu bannermen were sent to central China to fight the Taiping rebels. (For example, just the Heilongjiang province – which at the time included only the northern part of today's Heilongjiang – contributed 67,730 bannermen to the campaign, of whom only 10–20% survived).Those few who returned were demoralized and often ended up in opium addiction. In 1860, in the aftermath of the Amur Annexation of Outer Manchuria, and with the imperial and provincial governments in deep financial trouble, parts of Manchuria became officially open to Chuang Guandong; within a few decades, the Manchus became a minority in most Manchuria districts.
Many Manchu Bannermen in Beijing supported the Boxers in the Boxer Rebellion and shared their anti-foreign sentiment. The Manchu Bannermen were devastated by the fighting during the First Sino-Japanese War. They conducted much of the fighting in the Boxer Rebellion, sustaining massive casualties followed by hardship. German Minister Clemens von Ketteler was assassinated by a Manchu.
Thousands of Manchus fled south from Aigun during the Boxer Rebellion, their cattle and horses stolen by Russian Cossacks who razed their villages and homes. The Manchu clan system in Aigun was obliterated by the invaders.By the 19th century, most Manchus in the city garrison spoke only Mandarin Chinese, and not Manchu, which distinguished them from their Han neighbors in southern China, who spoke other dialects. The Manchus' use pf Beijing dialect made recognizing them relatively easy. The Manchu Bannermen spoke northern Standard Chinese, instead of the local dialect. Manchus in the garrisons at Jingzhou and Guangzhou spoke Beijing Mandarin even though Cantonese was Guangzhou's common language. Their Beijing dialect distinguished bannermen at the Xi'an garrison from locals who spoke the Xi'an dialect. Bannermen took jobs as teachers, writing textbooks for learning Mandarin and instructing people in Mandarin.
In Guangdong, Manchu Mandarin teacher Sun Yizun advised that the Yinyun Chanwei and Kangxi Zidian, dictionaries issued by the Qing government, were the correct guides to Mandarin pronunciation, rather than the pronunciation of the Beijing and Nanjing dialect.In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, intermarriage between Manchus and Han bannermen in the northeast increased as Manchu families were more willing to marry their daughters to sons from well off Han families to trade their ethnic status for financial status. Most intermarriage consisted of Han Bannermen marrying Manchus in areas like Aihun.
As the end of the Qing dynasty approached, Manchus were portrayed as outside colonizers by Chinese nationalists such as Sun Yat-sen, even though the Republican revolution he brought about was supported by many reform-minded Manchu officials and military officers. This portrayal dissipated somewhat after the 1911 revolution as the new Republic of China now sought to include Manchus within its Zhonghua minzu. However, the revolution still saw many massacres committed by revolutionaries against the Manchus, most notably in Jiading, Xi'An, and Yangzhou, resulting in at least 12,000 known deaths in these three cities alone. The revolution drastically sped up the political/economic decline of the Manchu population. In order to blend in, some Manchus switched to speaking the local dialect instead of Standard Chinese. By the early years of the Republic of China, very few areas of China still had traditional Manchu populations. Among the few regions hosting such relatively traditional communities, and where the Manchu language was still widely spoken, were the Aigun () District and the Qiqihar () District of Heilongjiang Province. Until 1924, the Chinese government continued to pay stipends to Manchu bannermen, but many cut their links with their banners and took on Han-style names to avoid persecution. The official total of Manchus fell by more than half during this period, as they obscured their ethnicity when asked. Exceptionally, in warlord Zhang Zuolin's reign in Manchuria, much better treatment was reported,
with no particular persecution of Manchus. Qing emperor mausoleums were still allowed to be managed by Manchu guardsmen, as in the past. Many Manchus joined the Fengtian clique, such as Xi Qia, a member of the Qing dynasty's imperial clan.
Japanese Ueda Kyōsuke labeled all 30 million residents in Manchuria "Manchus", including Han Chinese. The Japanese-authored "Great Manchukuo" built upon Ueda's claim that all 30 million "Manchus" in Manchukuo had the right to independence to justify splitting Manchukuo from China. In 1942, the Japanese-authored Ten Year History of the Construction of Manchukuo emphasized the right of ethnic Japanese to the land of Manchukuo while attempting to delegitimize the Manchus' claim to Manchukuo as their native land, noting that most Manchus moved out during the Qing dynasty and returned only later.
The Eight Banners system is one of the most important ethnic identity of today's Manchu people. Manchus became more like an ethnic coalition which contains the descendants of Manchu bannermen and a large number of Manchu-assimilated Chinese and Mongol bannermen.
However, Solon people and Sibe people, who were considered as part of Eight Banner system under the Qing dynasty, were registered as independent ethnic groups by the PRC government as Daur people, Evenk people, Nanai people, Oroqen people, and Sibe.Since the 1980s, after the Cultural Revolution, Manchu culture and language experienced a renaissance, including among Han Chinese. Manchu culture and language preservation is promoted by the Chinese Communist Party, and Manchus again became one of China's most socioeconomically advanced minorities. Manchus generally face little to no discrimination in their daily lives, except among Han nationalist conspiracy theorists, such as the Hanfu movement, which claims that the CCP is occupied by Manchu elites and therefore Manchus receive better treatment under the People's Republic of China.
Manchus were subjected to the same one child policy and rules as Han people. Manchus, Koreans, Russians, Hui and Mongols in Inner Mongolia were subjected to restrictions of two children.
| Total | 1,335,110,869 | 100 | 9.28 | 0.77 | |||
| Total (in all 31 provincial regions) | 1,332,810,869 | 99.83 | 9.28 | 0.78 | |||
| G1 | Northeast China | 109,513,129 | 66.77 | 68.13 | 6.35 | ||
| G2 | North China | 164,823,663 | 28.84 | 32.38 | 1.82 | ||
| G3 | East China | 392,862,229 | 1.18 | 3.11 | 0.03 | ||
| G4 | South Central | 375,984,133 | 1.16 | 0.39 | 0.03 | ||
| G5 | Northwest China | 96,646,530 | 0.79 | 0.40 | 0.08 | ||
| G6 | Southwest China | 192,981,185 | 0.56 | 0.15 | 0.03 | ||
| 1 | Liaoning | 43,746,323 | 51.26 | 80.34 | 12.20 | ||
| 2 | Hebei Province | 71,854,210 | 20.35 | 70.80 | 2.95 | ||
| 3 | Jilin Province | 27,452,815 | 8.32 | 39.64 | 3.16 | ||
| 4 | Heilongjiang | 38,313,991 | 7.19 | 54.41 | 1.95 | ||
| 5 | Inner Mongolia | 24,706,291 | 4.35 | 8.96 | 2.14 | ||
| 6 | Beijing | 19,612,368 | 3.23 | 41.94 | 1.71 | ||
| 7 | Tianjin | 12,938,693 | 0.80 | 25.23 | 0.65 | ||
| 8 | Henan Province | 94,029,939 | 0.53 | 4.95 | 0.06 | ||
| 9 | Shandong | 95,792,719 | 0.45 | 6.41 | 0.05 | ||
| 10 | Guangdong | 104,320,459 | 0.28 | 1.43 | 0.03 | 9th | |
| 11 | Shanghai | 23,019,196 | 0.24 | 9.11 | 0.11 | 5th | |
| 12 | Ningxia | 6,301,350 | 0.24 | 1.12 | 0.40 | ||
| 13 | Guizhou Province | 34,748,556 | 0.22 | 0.19 | 0.07 | 18th | |
| 14 | Xinjiang | 21,815,815 | 0.18 | 0.14 | 0.09 | 10th | |
| 15 | Jiangsu Province | 78,660,941 | 0.17 | 4.70 | 0.02 | 7th | |
| 16 | Shaanxi Province | 37,327,379 | 0.16 | 8.59 | 0.04 | ||
| 17 | Sichuan Province | 80,417,528 | 0.15 | 0.32 | 0.02 | 10th | |
| 18 | Gansu Province | 25,575,263 | 0.14 | 0.59 | 0.06 | 7th | |
| 19 | Yunnan Province | 45,966,766 | 0.13 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 24th | |
| 20 | Hubei Province | 57,237,727 | 0.12 | 0.52 | 0.02 | 6th | |
| 21 | Shanxi Province | 25,712,101 | 0.11 | 12.54 | 0.05 | ||
| 22 | Zhejiang | 54,426,891 | 0.11 | 0.93 | 0.02 | 13th | |
| 23 | Guangxi | 46,023,761 | 0.11 | 0.07 | 0.02 | 12th | |
| 24 | Anhui Province | 59,500,468 | 0.08 | 2.15 | 0.01 | ||
| 25 | Fujian Province | 36,894,217 | 0.08 | 1.05 | 0.02 | 10th | |
| 26 | Qinghai Province | 5,626,723 | 0.08 | 0.30 | 0.14 | 7th | |
| 27 | Hunan Province | 65,700,762 | 0.07 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 9th | |
| 28 | Jiangxi Province | 44,567,797 | 0.05 | 2.95 | 0.01 | 6th | |
| 29 | Chongqing | 28,846,170 | 0.04 | 0.24 | 0.02 | 7th | |
| 30 | Hainan Province | 8,671,485 | 0.04 | 0.26 | 0.04 | 8th | |
| 31 | Tibet | 3,002,165 | <0.01 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 11th | |
| Active Servicemen | 2,300,000 | 0.24 | 23.46 | 1.05 |
| Qinglong Manchu Autonomous County | Hebei | Qinhuangdao |
| Fengning Manchu Autonomous County | Hebei | Chengde |
| Weichang Manchu and Mongol Autonomous County | Hebei | Chengde |
| Kuancheng Manchu Autonomous County | Hebei | Chengde |
| Xiuyan Manchu Autonomous County | Liaoning | Anshan |
| Qingyuan Manchu Autonomous County | Liaoning | Fushun |
| Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County | Liaoning | Fushun |
| Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County | Liaoning | Dandong |
| Benxi Manchu Autonomous County | Liaoning | Benxi |
| Huanren Manchu Autonomous County | Liaoning | Benxi |
| Yitong Manchu Autonomous County | Jilin | Siping |
| Paifang Hui and Manchu Ethnic Township | Anhui | Hefei | Feidong County |
| Labagoumen Manchu Ethnic Township | Beijing | N/A | Huairou |
| Changshaoying Manchu Ethnic Township | Beijing | N/A | Huairou |
| Huangni Yi, Miao and Manchu Ethnic Township | Guizhou | Bijie | Dafang County |
| Jinpo Miao, Yi and Manchu Ethnic Township | Guizhou | Bijie | Qianxi |
| Anluo Miao, Yi and Manchu Ethnic Township | Guizhou | Bijie | Jinsha County |
| Xinhua Miao, Yi and Manchu Ethnic Township | Guizhou | Bijie | Jinsha County |
| Tangquan Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Tangshan | Zunhua |
| Xixiaying Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Tangshan | Zunhua |
| Dongling Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Tangshan | Zunhua |
| Lingyunce Manchu and Hui Ethnic Township | Hebei | Baoding | Yi |
| Loucun Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Baoding | Laishui County |
| Daweihe Hui and Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Langfang | Wen'an |
| Pingfang Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Anchungou Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Wudaoyingzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Zhengchang Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Mayingzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Fujiadianzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Xidi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Xiaoying Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Datun Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Xigou Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Luanping |
| Gangzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Chengde County |
| Liangjia Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Chengde County |
| Bagualing Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Xinglong County |
| Nantianmen Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Xinglong County |
| Yinjiaying Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Longhua County |
| Miaozigou Mongol and Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Longhua County |
| Badaying Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Longhua County |
| Taipingzhuang Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Longhua County |
| Jiutun Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Longhua County |
| Xi'achao Manchu and Mongol Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Longhua County |
| Baihugou Mongol and Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Longhua County |
| Liuxi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Pingquan |
| Qijiadai Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Pingquan |
| Pingfang Manchu and Mongol Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Pingquan |
| Maolangou Manchu and Mongol Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Pingquan |
| Xuzhangzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Pingquan |
| Nanwushijia Manchu and Mongol Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Pingquan |
| Guozhangzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Hebei | Chengde | Pingquan |
| Hongqi Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Nangang |
| Xingfu Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Lequn Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Tongxin Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Xiqin Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Gongzheng Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Lianxing Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Xinxing Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Qingling Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Nongfeng Manchu and Xibe Ethnic Town | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Yuejin Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Shuangcheng |
| Lalin Manchu Ethnic Town | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Wuchang City |
| Hongqi Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Wuchang City |
| Niujia Manchu Ethnic Town | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Wuchang City |
| Yingchengzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Wuchang City |
| Shuangqiaozi Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Wuchang City |
| Liaodian Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Harbin | Acheng District |
| Shuishiying Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Qiqihar | Ang'angxi |
| Youyi Daur, Kirgiz and Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Qiqihar | Fuyu |
| Taha Manchu and Daur Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Qiqihar | Fuyu |
| Jiangnan Korean and Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Mudanjiang | Ning'an |
| Chengdong Korean and Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Mudanjiang | Ning'an |
| Sijiazi Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Heihe | Aihui District |
| Yanjiang Daur and Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Heihe | Sunwu County |
| Suisheng Manchu Ethnic Town | Heilongjiang | Suihua | Beilin |
| Yong'an Manchu Ethnic Town | Heilongjiang | Suihua | Beilin |
| Hongqi Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Suihua | Beilin |
| Huiqi Manchu Ethnic Town | Heilongjiang | Suihua | Wangkui County |
| Xiangbai Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Suihua | Wangkui County |
| Lingshan Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Suihua | Wangkui County |
| Fuxing Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Hegang | Suibin County |
| Chengfu Korean and Manchu Ethnic Township | Heilongjiang | Shuangyashan | Youyi County |
| Longshan Manchu Ethnic Township | Jilin | Siping | Gongzhuling |
| Ershijiazi Manchu Ethnic Town | Jilin | Siping | Gongzhuling |
| Sanjiazi Manchu Ethnic Township | Jilin | Yanbian | Hunchun |
| Yangpao Manchu Ethnic Township | Jilin | Yanbian | Hunchun |
| Wulajie Manchu Ethnic Town | Jilin | Jilin City | Longtan |
| Dakouqin Manchu Ethnic Town | Jilin | Jilin City | Yongji |
| Liangjiazi Manchu Ethnic Township | Jilin | Jilin City | Yongji |
| Jinjia Manchu Ethnic Township | Jilin | Jilin City | Yongji |
| Tuchengzi Manchu and Korean Ethnic Township | Jilin | Jilin City | Yongji |
| Jindou Korean and Manchu Ethnic Township | Jilin | Tonghua | Tonghua County |
| Daquanyuan Korean and Manchu Ethnic Township | Jilin | Tonghua | Tonghua County |
| Xiaoyang Manchu and Korean Ethnic Township | Jilin | Tonghua | Meihekou |
| Sanhe Manchu and Korean Ethnic Township | Jilin | Liaoyuan | Dongfeng County |
| Mantang Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Shenyang | Dongling |
| Liushutun Mongol and Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Shenyang | Kangping |
| Shajintai Mongol and Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Shenyang | Kangping |
| Dongsheng Manchu and Mongol Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Shenyang | Kangping |
| Liangguantun Mongol and Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Shenyang | Kangping |
| Shihe Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Dalian | Jinzhou District |
| Qidingshan Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Jinzhou District |
| Taling Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Zhuanghe |
| Gaoling Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Zhuanghe |
| Guiyunhua Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Zhuanghe |
| Sanjiashan Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Zhuanghe |
| Yangjia Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Wafangdian |
| Santai Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Wafangdian |
| Laohutun Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dalian | Wafangdian |
| Dagushan Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Anshan | Qianshan |
| Songsantaizi Korean and Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Anshan | Qianshan |
| Lagu Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Fushun | Fushun County |
| Tangtu Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Fushun | Fushun County |
| Sishanling Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Benxi | Nanfen District |
| Xiamatang Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Benxi | Nanfen District |
| Huolianzhai Hui and Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Benxi | Xihu |
| Helong Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Dandong | Donggang |
| Longwangmiao Manchu and Xibe Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Dandong | Donggang |
| Juliangtun Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Jiudaoling Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Dizangsi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Hongqiangzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Liulonggou Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Shaohuyingzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Dadingpu Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Toutai Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Toudaohe Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Chefang Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Wuliangdian Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Yi |
| Baichanmen Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Heishan County |
| Zhen'an Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Heishan County |
| Wendilou Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Linghai |
| Youwei Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Jinzhou | Linghai |
| East Liujiazi Manchu and Mongol Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Fuxin | Zhangwu |
| West Liujiazi Manchu and Mongol Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Fuxin | Zhangwu |
| Jidongyu Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Liaoyang | Liaoyang County |
| Shuiquan Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Liaoyang | Liaoyang County |
| Tianshui Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Liaoyang | Liaoyang County |
| Quantou Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Tieling | Changtu County |
| Babaotun Manchu, Xibe and Korean Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Tieling | Kaiyuan |
| Huangqizhai Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Kaiyuan |
| Shangfeidi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Kaiyuan |
| Xiafeidi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Kaiyuan |
| Linfeng Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Kaiyuan |
| Baiqizhai Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Tieling County |
| Hengdaohezi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Tieling County |
| Chengping Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Xifeng |
| Dexing Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Xifeng |
| Helong Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Xifeng |
| Jinxing Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Xifeng |
| Mingde Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Xifeng |
| Songshu Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Xifeng |
| Yingcheng Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Tieling | Xifeng |
| Xipingpo Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Dawangmiao Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Fanjia Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Gaodianzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Gejia Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Huangdi Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Huangjia Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Kuanbang Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Mingshui Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Shahe Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Wanghu Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Xiaozhuangzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Yejia Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Gaotai Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Suizhong |
| Baita Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Caozhuang Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Dazhai Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Dongxinzhuang Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Gaojialing Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Guojia Manchu Ethnic Town | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Haibin Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Hongyazi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Jianjin Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Jianchang Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Jiumen Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Liutaizi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Nandashan Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Shahousuo Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Wanghai Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Weiping Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Wenjia Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Yang'an Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Yaowangmiao Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Yuantaizi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Xingcheng |
| Erdaowanzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Jianchang County |
| Xintaimen Manchu Ethnic Township | Liaoning | Huludao | Lianshan |
| Manzutun Manchu Ethnic Township | Inner Mongolia | Hinggan League | Horqin Right Front Banner |
| Guanjiayingzi Manchu Ethnic Township | Inner Mongolia | Chifeng | Songshan |
| Shijia Manchu Ethnic Township | Inner Mongolia | Chifeng | Harqin Banner |
| Caonian Manchu Ethnic Township | Inner Mongolia | Ulanqab | Liangcheng |
| Sungezhuang Manchu Ethnic Township | Tianjin | N/A | Ji |
The core of what would become the "Manchu" identity was diverse, it comprised all the Jianzhou and Haixi Jurchen tribes, and two Yeren Jurchen tribes.
The Hulun confederacy of the Haixi Jurchens had intermarried with the Khorchin Mongols and Kharchin Mongols to such an extent that Nurhaci of the Jianzhou Jurchens described them as "Mongols" to denote their culture as alien and hostile in intent.Furthermore, the Manchu banners developed two main divisions between the higher ranking "Old Manchus" formed of the main Jurchen tribes such as the Jianzhou and the lower ranking "New Manchus" (伊車滿洲/衣車滿洲; i'ce manju; or 新滿洲) made out of other Tungusic peoples and Mongolic peoples tribes such as the Daur people, Oroqen people, Solon people, Nanai people, Udege people, and Sibe people from the northeast who were incorporated into the Manchu banners by the Shunzhi Emperor and Kangxi Emperor Emperors after 1644.
A 2010 paper by Hua Zhong et al. reports that in a sample of 111 Liaoning Manchus and 25 Heilongjiang Manchus, 25 Liaoning Manchus (22.52%) and 11 Heilongjiang Manchus (44.00%) had Y haplogroup C. The same paper reports that in a sample of 115 Han Chinese from Shandong and 66 Han Chinese from Henan, 13 of the Shandong Han (11.30%) and 8 of the Henan Han (12.12%) had haplogroup C, suggesting that the old Manchus might have had a higher proportion of haplogroup C than typically found in the Zhongyuan. The same paper also reports that Han Chinese in the three provinces of Manchuria (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang) had higher proportions of Haplogroup C than the Shandong and Henan samples, suggesting that many Han Chinese in Manchuria could have paternal ancestry from native ethnic groups of Manchuria. In this study, 22.50% of the Liaoning Han (9/40), 16.67% of the Jilin Han (14/84), and 15.32% of the Heilongjiang Han (19/124) had haplogroup C.
The Y DNA of the royal Aisin Gioro clan is believed to be C2b1a3a2-F8951, which is a subclade of C2a-L1373, the "northern" branch of haplogroup C2-M217. The Aisin Gioro paternal lineage is also closely related to that of the Ao clan of the Daghur ethnic group. In the database of the Chinese DNA company 23Mofang, 1/3 of the Gūwalgiya clan have haplogroup C-F11330, which also descended from the northern C2a-L1373. In the 23Mofang database, 40% of the Yehe Nara clan have haplogroup C, and 20% have C-MF46267, which descended from C-M407, the same branch as Dayan Khan. C-M407 is also predominant among Buryats and Oirats, suggesting that they may share similar paternal origins with the Yehe Nara clan.
After the 19th century, most Manchus had perfected Standard Chinese and the number of Manchu speakers was dwindling. Although the Qing emperors emphasized the importance of the Manchu language again and again, the tide could not be turned. After the Qing dynasty collapsed, the Manchu language lost its status as a national language and its official use in education ended. Manchus today generally speak Standard Chinese. The remaining skilled native Manchu speakers number less than 100, most of whom are to be found in Sanjiazi (), Heilongjiang Province. Since the 1980s, there has been a resurgence of the Manchu language among the government, scholars and social activists. In recent years, with the help of the governments in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, many schools started to have Manchu classes. There are also Manchu volunteers in many places of China who freely teach Manchu in the desire to rescue the language. Thousands of non-Manchus have learned the language through these platforms.
Today, in an effort to save Manchu culture from extinction, the older generation of Manchus are spending their time to teach young people; as an effort to encourage learners, these classes are often free. They teach through the Internet and even mail Manchu textbooks for free, all for the purpose of protecting the national cultural traditions.
The southern Tungusic Manchu farming sedentary lifestyle was very different from the nomadic hunter gatherer forager lifestyle of their more northern Tungusic relatives like the Warka, which caused the Qing state to attempt to sedentarize them and adopt the farming lifestyle of the Manchus.
A Manchu family name usually has two portions: the first is "Mukūn" (, Abkai: Mukvn) which literally means "branch name"; the second, "Hala" (), represents the name of a person's clan. According to the Book of the Eight Manchu Banners' Surname-Clans (八旗滿洲氏族通譜), there are 1,114 Manchu family names. Gūwalgiya, Niohuru, Hešeri, Šumulu, Tatara, Gioro, Nara are considered as "famous clans" (著姓) among Manchus.
There were stories of Han migrating to the Jurchens and assimilating into Manchu Jurchen society and Nikan Wailan may have been an example of this. The Manchu Cuigiya (崔佳氏) clan claimed that a Han Chinese founded their clan. The Tohoro (托活络) clan (Duanfang's clan) claimed Han Chinese origin.
Some ethnic names can also be a given name of the Manchus. One of the common first name for the Manchus is Nikan, which is also a Manchu language exonym for the Han Chinese. For example, Nikan Wailan was a Jurchen leader who was an enemy of Nurhaci.
Nikan was also the name of one of the Aisin-Gioro princes and grandsons of Nurhaci who supported Prince Dorgon.
Manchu women wore their hair in a distinctive hairstyle called liangbatou (兩把頭).
Han Chinese court costumes were modified by Manchus by adding a ceremonial big collar (da-ling) or shawl collar (pijian-ling).
Integral upper sleeves of Ming chao fu had two pieces of cloth attached on Qing chao fu just like earlier Ming chao fu that had sleeve extensions with another piece of cloth attached to the bodice's integral upper sleeve. Another type of separate Qing clothing, the long pao resembles Yuan dynasty clothing like robes found in the Shandong tomb of Li Youan during the Yuan dynasty. The Qing dynasty chao fu appear in official formal portraits while Ming dynasty chao fu that they derive from do not, perhaps indicating the Ming officials and imperial family wore chao fu under their formal robes since they appear in Ming tombs but not portraits.
Qing long pao were similar unofficial clothing worn during the Qing dynasty. The Yuan robes featured flared hems and were tight around the arms and torso. Qing unofficial clothing, known as long pao, was derived from Yuan dynasty attire, while Qing official garments, called chao fu, were inspired by unofficial Ming dynasty clothing, specifically the dragon robes. The Ming dynasty intentionally modeled their clothing after earlier Han Chinese dynasties such as the Song, Tang, and Han dynasties.
In Japan's Nara city, the Shosoin repository at the Todaiji temple houses 30 short coats (hanpi) from the Tang dynasty in China. The construction of Ming dragon robes is influenced by these Tang dynasty hanpi. The hanpi consists of a skirt and bodice made of different fabrics with distinct patterns, which served as the basis for the Qing chao fu. Cross-over closures are present in both the hanpi and Ming garments.
The eighth century Shosoin hanpi's variety show it was in vogue at the time and most likely derived from much more ancient clothing. Han dynasty and Jin dynasty (266–420) era tombs in Yingban, to the Tianshan mountains south in Xinjiang have clothes resembling the Qing long pao and Tang dynasty hanpi. The evidence from excavated tombs suggests that China had a longstanding tradition of garments that influenced the development of the Qing chao fu. This style was not invented or introduced by the Manchus in the Qing dynasty or the Mongols in the Yuan dynasty. The Ming robes, from which the Qing chao fu drew inspiration, were not commonly depicted in portraits or official paintings but were considered prestigious enough to be included in burial attire.
In some instances, the Qing dynasty went beyond the Ming dynasty in emulating ancient Chinese practices to showcase legitimacy. This included reviving ancient Chinese rituals and studying Chinese classics to assert their claim to the Mandate of Heaven. The Qing sacrificial ritual vessels were intentionally designed to bear a closer resemblance to ancient Chinese vessels than those of the Ming dynasty. Tungusic peoples people on the Amur river like Udege people, Ulchi and Nani people adopted Chinese influences in their religion and clothing with Chinese dragons on ceremonial robes, utilizing scroll and spiral bird and monster mask designs, celebrating Chinese New Year, using silk and cotton fabrics, employing iron cooking pots, and adopting heated house technology from China.
The Spencer Museum of Art has six long pao robes that belonged to Han Chinese nobility of the Qing dynasty (Chinese nobility). Ranked officials and Han Chinese nobles had two slits in the skirts while Manchu nobles and the Imperial family had four slits in skirts. All first, second and third rank officials as well as Han Chinese and Manchu nobles were entitled to wear nine dragons by the Qing Illustrated Precedents. Qing sumptuary laws only allowed four clawed dragons for officials, Han Chinese nobles and Manchu nobles while the Qing Imperial family, emperor and princes up to the second degree and their female family members were entitled to wear five clawed dragons. However officials violated these laws all the time and wore five clawed dragons and the Spencer Museum's six long pao worn by Han Chinese nobles have five clawed dragons on them.
The early phase of Manchu clothing succeeded from Jurchen tradition. White was the dominating color.To facilitate convenience during archery, the robe is the most common article of clothing for the Manchu people. Over the robe, a surcoat is usually worn, derived from the military uniform of Eight Banners army. During the Kangxi Emperor, the surcoat gained popularity among commoners. The modern Chinese suits, the Cheongsam and Tangzhuang, are derived from the Manchu robe and surcoat which are commonly considered as "Chinese elements".
Wearing hats is also a part of traditional Manchu culture. Hats are worn by all ages throughout all seasons, which contrasts the Han Chinese culture of "Starting to wear hats at 20-year-old" (二十始冠). Manchu hats are either formal or casual, formal hats being made in two different styles, straw for spring and summer, and fur for fall and winter. Casual hats are more commonly known as "Mandarin hats" in English.
Manchus have many distinctive traditional accessories. Women traditionally wear three earrings on each ear,
a tradition that is maintained by many older Manchu women. Males also traditionally wear piercings, but they tend to only have one earring in their youth and do not continue to wear it as adults. The Manchu people also have traditional jewelry which evokes their past as hunters. The fergetun (), a thumb ring traditionally made out of reindeer bone, was worn to protect the thumbs of archers. After the establishment of the Qing dynasty in 1644, the fergetun gradually became a form of jewelry, with the most valuable ones made in jade and ivory. High-heeled shoes were worn by Manchu women.
From the middle period of the Qing dynasty, archery became more a form of entertainment in the form of games such as hunting swans, shooting fabric or silk target. The most difficult is shooting a candle hanging in the air at night. Gambling was banned in the Qing dynasty but there was no limitation on Manchus engaging in archery contests. It was common to see Manchus putting signs in front of their houses to invite challenges. After the Qianlong Emperor, Manchus gradually neglected the practices of riding and archery, even though their rulers tried their best to encourage Manchus to continue their riding and archery traditions, but the traditions are still kept among some Manchus even nowadays.
In the 1930s–1940s, there was a famous Manchu skater in Beijing whose name was Wu Tongxuan, from the Uya clan and one of the royal household skaters in Empress Dowager Cixi's regency. He frequently appeared in many of Beijing's skating rinks. Nowadays, there are still Manchu figure skaters; world champions Zhao Hongbo and Tong Jian are the pre-eminent examples.
There is also literature written in Chinese by Manchu writers, such as The Tale of Heroic Sons and Daughters (儿女英雄传), (饮水词) and (天游阁集).
"Zidishu" is the main libretto of octagonal drum and can be traced back to a type of traditional folk music called the "Manchu Rhythm". Although Zidishu was not created by Han Chinese, it still contains many themes from Chinese stories, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dream of the Red Chamber, Romance of the Western Chamber, Legend of the White Snake and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Additionally, there are many works that depict the lives of Bannermen. Aisin-Gioro Yigeng, who was pen named "Helü" and wrote the sigh of old imperial bodyguard, as the representative author. Zidishu involves two acts of singing, which are called dongcheng and xicheng.
After the fall of the Qing dynasty, the influence of the octagonal drum gradually reduced. However, the and Xiangsheng which incorporates octagonal drum are still popular in Chinese society and the new generations. Many famous Chinese monochord performers and crosstalkers were the artists of octagonal drum, such as De Shoushan and Zhang Sanlu.
Hong Taiji who was of Mongolian descent started leaning towards Chan Buddhism, the original Chinese form known in Japan as Zen Buddhism. Still, Huangtaiji patronized Tibetan Buddhism extensively and publicly.
The Qianlong Emperor's faith in Tibetan Buddhism has been questioned in recent times because the emperor indicated that he supported the Yellow Church (the Tibetan Buddhist Gelukpa sect)
This explanation of only supporting the "Yellow Hats" Tibetan Buddhists for practical reasons was used to deflect Han criticism of this policy by the Qianlong Emperor, who had the "Lama Shuo" stele engraved in Tibetan, Mongol, Manchu and Chinese, which said: "By patronizing the Yellow Church we maintain peace among the Mongols."
It seems he was wary of the rising power of the Tibetan Kingdom and its influence over the Mongolians and Manchu public, princes and generals.
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