SHE

any member of a people distributed in the mountainous areas of Fukien, Chekiang, Kiangsi, Anhwei, and Kwangtung provinces of South China. Their Sino-Tibetan language appears to be related to that of the Yao, though most She are now thoroughly Sinicized and speak Chinese even among themselves. Most She are farmers engaged in wet-rice cultivation, and they are also well known as tea producers. Their bamboo handicrafts are highly esteemed in the region. Their religion contains elements of both animism and ancestor worship. The She numbered more than 420,000 in the late 20th century.