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'Tajiks in China' (Chinese: 塔吉克族, Pinyin: ) are one of the 56 nationalities officially recognized by the People's Republic of China.
This group, with a population of 41,028 (2000), is located mainly in China's western Xinjiang region with 60% living in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County; some researchers view them as a collection of over a dozen small East Iranian ethnic groups that are related to, but distinct from, the Tajiks of Tajikistan. The Ethnologue claims that they are actually Shugni and Wakhi.^[1] Aurel Stein referred to them simply as ''Sarikoli's''^[2]
In China, the languages of the Tajiks have no official written form. The great majority of Chinese Tajik speakers speak the ''Sariqul'' (or ''Sariköli'') dialect and use Uyghur and Chinese to communicate with people of other nationalities in the area. A small proportion of Chinese Tajik speakers speak Wakhi.

Contents

See also

External links

References

See also

★ Iranian peoples

★ Iranian languages

External links

★ The Tajik ethnic minority (China) (government website, in English)

References

1. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tgk
2. A Journey of Geographical and Archarological Exploration in Chinese Turkestan
A Stein - 1904 - [sn]
... 15,800 feet above the sea), into Chinese territory on the Taghdumbash Pamir, using
the yaks of the Sarikoli herdsmen...