The Maonan people (; Maonan: Anan, literally "local people") are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. There are a total of 101,192 Maonan as of 2010, mostly living northern Guangxi and southern Guizhou in southern China. The Maonan people's autonyms are ʔai1 na:n6 (a Maonan person), kjɔŋ5 na:n6 (the Maonan people). Their language is called va6 na:n6 (Lu 2008:33). Language Society More than 80% of the Maonan share the same surname: Tan (). Maonan with the surname Tan believe that they are descended from the old inhabitants of the province of Hunan that migrated to Guangxi and married Maonan women. Other common surnames found in this ethnic group are: Lu (卢/盧), Liu (刘/劉), Shi (石), Tan (覃), Wei (韦/韋) and Yuan (袁). The towns of the Maonan do not surpass more than 100 dwellings. Their towns are organized by clan. Their dwellings are very similar to those of the Zhuang; they are usually made up of two floors and constructed out of planks and clay. The upper floor is used as the living quarters while the lower one serves as a granary and stable. Traditionally, the marriages were arranged by the parents when the future newlyweds are still children. Traditionally when a Maonan woman became a widow, the brother of her late husband took her as his wife. During the funeral service, the children of the deceased had to "buy" water of a river to be able to wash the corpse. Before proceeding to the burial, the blood of a chicken was poured on the land to purify it and to bless the spirit of the dead person. Cuisine Maonan cuisine includes many pickled dishes, of which the most famous ones are known as the sa:m1 səm3 ta5 ma:u6na:n6 (three-sour-middle-Maonan) "The Three Maonan Sour Dishes" (Lu 2008:47). These three dishes are: na:n4 səm3 - pickled meat zo5 fa:t7 - fermented soup ʔɔŋ5 ʔwu:i5 - (dish preserved with) lime in an urn Rice wine is also popular among the Maonan. Religion Traditional Maonan religion is both animistic and polytheistic, with heavy Taoist influences. Many deities and rituals are borrowed from Chinese folk religion. Important figures and deities are listed below (Lu 2008:51). Kitchen God - for the family's welfare God of Earth - for peaceful outdoor activities General Li Guang - A historical figure from the Western Han Dynasty who is venerated as