than the Muslim Bonan of Gansu. Whereas the Bonan language of Gansu has undergone Chinese influences, the Bonan language of Qinghai has been influenced by Tibetan. The language is also closely related to archaic versions of Mongolian. There are 11 vowels in the Bonan language, as well as many compound vowels and there are 26 consonants, 5 of which are unstable. They have no script for their language. The Muslim Gansu Bonans are more numerous than their Buddhist Qinghai cousins (the estimates for the two groups were around 12,200 (in 1990) and around 3,500 (in 1980), respectively). However, it has been observed that in Gansu the use of Bonan language is declining (in favor of the local version – the "Hezhou dialect" – of Mandarin Chinese), while in Qinghai the language keeps being transmitted to younger generations. Genetics Distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroups in Bonan: O=23.43(O2=20.31,O1a=1.56,O1b=1.56) J=18.75 R1=14.07(R1a=10.94,R1b=3.13) C=9.37 N=9.17 R2=6.25 D=6.25 I=4.69 Others=8.02 In another study in 2010 found: K*=22.2 O1b=18.5 D*=14.8 O2=14.8 O*=7.4 R1a=7.4 R2=7.4 N=3.7 R1b=3.7 Culture The Bonan share many traditions with the Dongxiang and Hui. Their traditional dress includes elements of Tibetan, Hui and Dongxiang clothing. Married Bonan women wear black veils, while unmarried women wear green veils. Women wear more colorful dress, including trousers with colored cuffs. Bonan men typically wear black or white skullcaps and white or dark blue jackets. Fur-lined jackets are used during the winter. The economy of the Bonan consists of farming (mainly wheat and rye), raising livestock, selling local handicrafts and working in the lumber industry. Bonan knives are renowned for their beauty and hardness and their manufacture and sale also form an important part of the local economy. Popular pastimes for the Bonan include horse-riding, wrestling, and archery. The Bonan also enjoy poetry, singing, dancing and playing traditional Chinese instruments. The Bonan in Jishishan county follow a halal diet consisting mainly of beef and mutton, combined with carrots, potatoes and glass noodles. They also enjoy drinking tea. Bonan traditional villages have the roofs of the houses connected, in a way allowing the villagers to walk between houses over the roofs. However these traditional houses are rare nowadays. References External links http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/shao-2-bonan.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20040206081402/http://www.orientaltravel.com.hk/people/Bonan.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/baoan/ Muslim communities of China Ethnic groups officially recognized by China Bonans