20 ?s 332

[han-shahanshah]

I thought about Hong Xiuquan,

That's a good shout. I had been circling around the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions, but hadn't settled on this particular name. I won't steal your answer, but if someone else does, I hope they give it to you.

I was thinking about Cao Futian, the leader of the Boxer Rebellion, but as far as I can tell his DOB is unknown, and we got definite answers to the DOB questions.

I also encountered Xiao Chaogui, who claimed to speak with the voice of Jesus, but both he and Hong Xiuquan were born in Southern China.

[Hominidae]

Going in a different direction, I was looking at Yung Wing, the first Chinese person to graduate from a US university, but he was born in southern China.

[miminena]

Clarification: How is Southern China defined here?

[wintergreen]

Clarification: How is Southern China defined here?

The lightest shade of red here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_China_map-1.png)

[miminena]

This probably isn't it, since I couldn't find his birthplace, but it's my best guess.

Free guess: Tie Sing

[wintergreen]

This probably isn't it, since I couldn't find his birthplace, but it's my best guess.

Free guess: Tie Sing

No. FYI, my pick is less obscure than Tie Sing.

[Jamiet99uk]

Do we think this person is from Northern China, or somewhere north (or otherwise outside) of that?

[MythosOfMen]

@Jamie, I am leaning towards South of Southern China.

It may be a situation of Chinese spoken as a court or government language in a country not China, like French in many European capitals for quite a while.

Just spent the past twenty minutes reading about 'literary Chinese' in Vietnam, which was widely used until French colonization.

I'm thinking it's either a Chinese-Filipino person, someone in admin/government/business in what is now Thailand, Vietnam, or Malaysia, and that their tie to science/academics has to do with either establishing some kind of educational institution or advancing industrialization in some way.

I'm very tempted to ask a QM question along those lines.

[MythosOfMen]

That, or its Chiang Kai Shek's grandfather. But I don't want to burn questions/non-free guesses

[MythosOfMen]

Were they born in one of what is now Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, or Malaysia?

If yes, Non-free guess: Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins born to Chinese parents in Thailand in the early 1800s. Based on all the ambiguities I felt this worth a non-free guess

[Hominidae]

Were they born in one of what is now Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, or Malaysia?

If yes, Non-free guess: Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins born to Chinese parents in Thailand in the early 1800s. Based on all the ambiguities I felt this worth a non-free guess

This is totally it.

[cdngooner]

It fits MOSTLY. Thai is not a Sino-Tibetan language, and we got a clear YES to that question. The father was of Chinese DESCENT but there is no mention of what language he spoke. The mother was of uncertain ethnicity, likely Siamese.

[MythosOfMen]

It fits MOSTLY. Thai is not a Sino-Tibetan language, and we got a clear YES to that question. The father was of Chinese DESCENT but there is no mention of what language he spoke. The mother was of uncertain ethnicity, likely Siamese.

I may have misunderstood, but I believe clear yes was later amended to, "either Chinese OR a non-Sino-Tibetan Language" (also not Indo-European). Additionally, I believe the clear yes was changed to a "pass, assumed yes." As well. Implying the QM could not verify what language they spoke.

he articles I was skimming through seemed to indicate the same ethnicity/language ambiguities you mention, both with the mother and father. And I don't remember any mention of which language they spoke. The very ambiguity of the language actually is what made me most confident it was them.

[Hominidae]

Yeah, this was clarified:

Clarification: you're confident that this person was a native speaker of a Sino-Tibetan language, but not confident that it was Chinese?

I'm not confident whether this person spoke Chinese or a non-Sino-Tibetan language.

The Sino-Tibetan answer was upgraded to a pass after this. I guess the QM was originally assuming that they were native speakers (assuming the guess is right) of Chinese, and then realized later that it wasn't necessarily a given. The twins were either native speakers of a variety of Chinese (Chinese) or Thai (a non-Sino-Tibetan language). Indo-European being "no" still checks out, because Thai isn't that either.

[wintergreen]

Were they born in one of what is now Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, or Malaysia?

If yes, Non-free guess: Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins born to Chinese parents in Thailand in the early 1800s. Based on all the ambiguities I felt this worth a non-free guess

Chang and Eng Bunker is/are correct. Congrats on your first win. I can't imagine how much research you must have had to do.

[MythosOfMen]

Were they born in one of what is now Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, or Malaysia?

If yes, Non-free guess: Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins born to Chinese parents in Thailand in the early 1800s. Based on all the ambiguities I felt this worth a non-free guess

Chang and Eng Bunker is/are correct. Congrats on your first win. I can't imagine how much research you must have had to do.

I plead the fifth. Thank you for setting such a puzzle!

[DreamTrawler]

Great pick and great guess! Congrats on 1st win Mythos!

[wintergreen]

I am wondering if this is a subject of a scientific study, or something like that. No idea who that would be.

Hominidae had no idea how close he was there.

[Jamiet99uk]

Quite remarkable that in the 19th Century, a pair of conjoined twins could live to the age of 62.

Interesting and educational choice!

[Hominidae]

Great choice, great game, and great guess. Very satisfying that the target ended up being very well-known.

For the record, they definitely count as two people, but we've had two people as the target before. And not stating this beforehand made it infinitely more challenging and fun.