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The Tujia (土家族; pinyin:Tǔjiāzú; endonym:Bizika 毕兹卡), with a total population of over 8 million, is...

The Tujia (土家族; pinyin:Tǔjiāzú; endonym:Bizika 毕兹卡), with a total population of over 8 million, is the 6th largest ethnic minority in People's Republic of China. They live in Wuling Range, straddling the common borders of Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou Provinces, and Chongqing Municipality. Their endonym Bizika means "native dwellers" in the Tujia language. Although there are different accounts of their origins, the Tujia may trace their history back over twelve centuries, and possibly beyond, to the ancient Ba people who occupied the area around modern-day Chongqing some 2,500 years ago. The Ba Kingdom reached the zenith of its power between 600 BC and 400 BC but was destroyed by the Qin in 316 BC. After being referred to by a long succession of different names in ancient documents, they appear in historical records as the Tujia from about 1300s onwards. The Tujia tusi chieftains reached the zenith of their power under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when they were accorded comparatively high status by the imperial court. They achieved this through their reputation as providers of fierce, highly-disciplined fighting men, who were employed by the emperor to suppress revolts by other