The Relationship between the Zhuang and the Thai: A Study through Ethnic Origin and Language

Abstract

The Zhuang in China and the Thai are grouped into the Zhuang-Dai languages within the Zhuang-Dong Sino-Tibetan language family and rice farming has been significant in their lives. This article is based on a study of the relationship between the Zhuang and the Thai through ancient Chinese writing on tortoise shells, which was in the form of pictograms and place names with Zhuang pronunciation. This document-based research collected data from ancient Chinese records and other relevant sources. The study concluded that Zhuang have a rice culture vocabulary, everyday life words, the rice ceremony, beliefs, culture and raised houses that all are similar to or same as those of Thais. Moreover, pictograms on tortoise shells have shown the customs, conditions, and the way of life in those era. These different types of evidence supports the idea that Zhuang and the Thai have a shared origin and have the same cultural roots.