During the Tang Dynasty, the Miao (Hmong) ceased as a major non-Chinese group except in the province of Yunnan where they were ruled by the six "Zhao" (詔).
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In the novel Romance of Three Kingdoms, the rebellious Nanman tribes are depicted as an alliance under the leadership of Meng Huo.
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The early Chinese exonym Man 蠻 "southern barbarians" was a graphic pejorative written with Radical 142 虫, the "insect" or "reptile" radical.
Nanman |
When the (c. 4th BCE) Classic of Rites recorded stereotypes about the Siyi "Four Barbarians" (Dongyi, Xirong, Nanman, and Beidi) in the four directions, Dongyi had acquired a clearly pejorative nuance.
In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Suo was described as a capable warrior, and was involved in Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign against the Nanman.