People cluster
Li
Unreached
1.5%
Evangelicals
Who they are
The Li are a native people of Hainan Island, in southern China, where they have lived for thousands of years, long before the arrival of the Han Chinese, the largest group in China. They live mostly in the center and south of the island, near the Wuzhishan mountains, and the group numbers close to 2 million people.
They speak their own languages, related to Thai and not to Chinese, although almost all also speak Mandarin, the official Chinese. For centuries they lived from rice, hunting and gathering in the forest, in thatched houses shaped like an overturned boat. They are known for the colorful fabrics woven by hand by the women, and some elderly women still bear traditional tattoos on their faces. Today many work in tourism and in the cities.
The traditional religion of the Li is the worship of ancestors and nature spirits, with rituals to ask for protection and healing. The gospel reached the island more than a hundred years ago, but there are few churches among the Li, and most have never heard of Jesus in their own language.
What sets the subgroups apart
The Li are divided into branches with different speech varieties, which do not always understand each other. The Ha are the largest branch and live in the south and west of the island. The Qi live in the central mountains, the Jiamao in the southeast, and the Meifu and the Bendi in smaller areas of the west and center. Each branch has its own clothing, fabric patterns and customs.
The Lingao live in the north of the island, near the city of the same name. They speak a language of their own, which scholars still debate how to classify, and in China's official count they are registered as Han Chinese, although they have long been seen as part of the Li world.
Where they are still unreached
1
Country
1.2M
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
China
|
100%
|
1.242.000 |
The 6 peoples in this cluster
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
May the Li come to know Jesus, who has power over every spirit and sets people free from fear.
May the Bible be translated and recorded in the speech of the Li branches that do not yet have the Scriptures.
For the Lingao Christians, that they may take the gospel to their Li neighbors with love and in their language.
For Li families who left their villages to work in tourism and in the cities, that they may not lose hope.
For the few Li believers, that they may grow in faith and have leaders from their own people.
May the churches of Hainan receive wisdom to serve the Li with respect for their culture.