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People group profile · PG048174

The Southern Jiarong of China

The Southern Jiarong of China, numbering about 59,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of China, north central Sichuan.

They are an indigenous people in the Tibetan people cluster of the Tibetan Peoples. Their primary religion is Tibetan Buddhism, and they primarily speak Jiarong.

Pray for the Southern JiarongPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Southern Jiarong people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Jiarong, Southern

Fast facts

Country
China
Population
59,000
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
Tibetan
Primary language
Jiarong (jya)
Primary religion
Tibetan Buddhism
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Eastern Asia, Asia

Where they live

Gospel status

The Southern Jiarong are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Southern Jiarong

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Tibetan Buddhism · Buddhism

95% adherents

Primary language

Jiarong · Sino-Tibetan family

100% speak Jiarong

Gospel resources in Jiarong

  • Bible available, published 1932
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources not available
  • Bible stories not available

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Southern Jiarong

  1. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  2. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  3. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  4. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.

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