Tai

Tai, lake, China

Tai (tī), lake, c.1,300 sq mi (3,370 sq km), on the border between Jiangsu prov. and Zhejiang prov., E China; second largest freshwater lake in China. Dotted with islands, it is one of China's most scenic areas. The lake basin is one of the richest agricultural regions in China; rice, wheat, and cotton are grown. The lake is linked to the Grand Canal.

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Tai, peak, China

Tai, peak: see Taishan, China.

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Tai

Any member of the dominant group of mainland Southeast Asia. They include the Thai, or Siamese (in Thailand), the Lao (in Laos and Thailand), the Shan (in Myanmar), the Lü (primarily in Yunnan province, China), the Yunnan Tai (in Yunnan), and the tribal Tai (in Vietnam). All speak Tai languages, and most are Buddhists of the Theravada school. The status of Tai women is high. The Tai number about 76 million.

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Tai 

(or Yünnan Tai), a people in the People’s Republic of China, living in Yunnan Province, mainly in the autonomous region of Hsishuangpanna and the Tehung autonomous region of the Tai and Chingp’o. There are 700,000 Tai (1973, estimate). The Tai are closely related to peoples of the Thai group. Their language is one of the Tai languages, and the written language is based on the ancient Indian writing system. Anthropologically, the Tai belong to the southern Mongoloid group. Their religion is Buddhism, and their main occupation is plow farming.

REFERENCE

Narody Vostochnoi Azii. Moscow-Leningrad, 1965.