China is a multinational country. It is the homeland of 56 nationalities. The majority is the Han Group. It accounts for ninety percent of the total population. The Han people mainly live in the east part of China. Most of the minorities inhabit the West China Highland. The ethnic groups which have a large population of over five million are Zhuang Nationality(16.9 million), Hui Nationality(10.6 million), Manchu Nationality(10.4 million), Uyghur Nationality(10 million), Miao Nationality(9.4 million), Yi Nationality(8.7 million), Tujia Nationality(8.4 million), Tibetans(6.3 million) and Mongolians(6 million). Some of the nationalities have a population less than 10,000, such as oroqen(8,600), Drung(6,900), Hoche(5,300), Gaoshan(4,000), Lhoba(3,600) and Tatar(3,500).
China’s minorities occupy a vast land. Many of them inhabit China’s frontier regions. They mainly live in the five autonomous regions, namely, Xinjiang Uyghur’s Autonomous Region, Guangxi Zhuang Nationality’s Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Nationality’s Region, Tibet and the Inner Mongolia. Some ethnic groups reside in provinces like Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou. The groups are Yi Nationality, Hui Nationality, Qiang Nationality, Bai Nationality, Dai Nationality, Tujia, Tibetans and many others. Some parts of the northeastern China are inhabited by Russian-Chinese and Korean-Chinese.
People of the minorities have nurtured their own cultures and folk customs through the course of history. They still follow their own traditions. The minorities have their own languages except for Hui people and Manchu people. Both Hui and Manchu people speak Chinese Mandarin. Almost all of the minorities are good at singing and dancing. Their costumes and aesthetics vary. Following are some of the ethnic groups in China.
Tibetans
Tibetan is one of the minorities in China. The total population of Tibetans in China is about 6.3 million. They do not only inhabit Tibet, but also neighbouring provinces, such as Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan. Qinghai-Tibet High Plateau is the main habitation of Tibetans. It is the highest land in the world, covering Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the west part of Sichuan Province. The high plateau attracts tourists with its amazingly gorgeous landscape and mysterious Tibetan culture. Lhasa is the holy city of Tibetans. Both Jiuzhaigou Valley and Shangri-La are world famous tourist destinations. Read more about Tibetans......
The Qiang Ethnic Group
The Qiang Group is a minority of China which dwells in mountainous areas. The total population of Qiang is about 326,500. Most of Qiang people inhabit in northwestern Sichuan Province, such as Wenchuan County, Maoxian County, Lixian County and Beichuan County. They speak their own language which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of languages. Qiang people call themselves as Erma which means natives or locals in English. Qiang is the name of the group given by the Han people. It means the shepherds in the western China highland. Qiang people are well-known as a group living above clouds. Read more about the Qiang Ethnic Group......
The Yi Nationality
The Yi Nationality is the sixth largest ethnic group in China. According to the 2010 nationwide census, the total population is about 8.7 million. The Yi people mainly live in Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Nationality’s Autonomous Region. Most Yi people are mountain dwellers, while a few of them inhabit in flat lands. Yunnan Province is the largest habitation of Yi Nationality. Over 5 million Yi people reside in Yunnan. Liangshan Prefecture lies in the southwest of Sichuan Province. It is the most densely populated area occupied by the Yi people. Yi Nationality comprises over 100 subgroups. They each have their own self-appellations, such as Nuosu, Nasu, Niesu, Lowu, Axipo and Sani. Read more about the Yi Nationality......
The Mongols in China
The Mongols are also known as Mongolians. They mainly live in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Mongolia and Russia. A small number of the Mongols can be found in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Heilongjiang Province, Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and some other provinces. The total population of Mongols in the world is around 10 million. The Mongol-Chinese accounts for 60 percent of the total population. The Mongols speak their native language, which belongs to the Altaic Language Family. In the 13th century, the ancient Mongols created the Mongolian writing system. The Mongolian Ethnic Group is the tenth largest minority of China. Read more about the Mongols in China......
The Manchu Nationality
Manchu is a minority of China. The total population of Manchu is about 10.7 million according to the 2010 nationwide census. The Manchus mainly live in the northeast part of China, such as Heilongjiang Province, Liaoning Province, Jilin Province, Beijing, and the Inner Mongolia. The Manchu people speak their native language which belongs to Altaic Language Family. In the 16th century, they created a script system for their language. Most Manchus also use the Mandarin. Read more about the Manchu Nationality......
The Zhuang Nationality
The Zhuang Nationality is an ethnic group recognized by the central government of China. It has the largest population among China’s 55 minorities. According to the 2010 nationwide census, the total population of Zhuang has reached 16.9 million since 2010. Most of the Zhuang people reside in Guangxi Zhuang’s Autonomous Region. A small number of the Zhuang people inhabit in Yunnan Province, Guangdong Province and Vietnam. They call themselves Bu-Zhuang or Bu-Yue. Read more about the Zhuang Nationality......
The Miao Ethnic Group
The Miao is one of the ethnic groups recognized by the central government of China. According to the 2010 nationwide census, the total population of Miao in the world is about 13 million. There are around 9.4 million Miao people living in China. They mainly inhabit the south part of China, such as Guizhou Province, Yunnan Province, Hunan Province, Hubei Province, Sichuan Province, Hainan Province and Guangxi Zhuang’s Autonomous Region. The Miao people can be also found in Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and Laos. The Miao is also known as Hmong. They are divided into six branches, namely the Black Hmong, the White Hmong, the Red Hmong, the Embroidery-Dressed Hmong(or the Hmoob Ntxaug), the Long-Skirt-Dressed Hmong and the Short-Skirt-Dressed Hmong. Read more about the Miao Nationality......
Na-khi Ethnic Group
The Na-khi is one of China’s 55 minorities. The Na-khi Ethnic Group is also called Naxi. According to the 2010 nationwide census, the population of Na-khi is about 308,000. They mainly inhabit the northwestern Yunnan Province and the Southwestern Sichuan Province, such as Lijiang Prefecture and Liangshan Yi’s Autonomous Prefecture. The Na-khi people speak their own language which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Family of Languages. Their ancestors created a hieroglyphic writing system called the "Dongba" script. Joseph F. Rock depicts the Na-khi society in one of his works, the Ancient Na-khi Kingdom of South-west China 1947. Read more about the Na-khi Nationality......
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Author: Tina Luo
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