| From the hinterlands
of the north, to the lush jungles in the south, from the mountains
of Taiwan in the east, to the top of the world in the west, China
serves as home to 56 official ethnic groups. The largest group,
the Han, make up over 92% of China's vast population, and it is
the elements of Han civilization that world considers "Chinese
culture." Yet, the 55 ethnic minorities, nestled away on China's
vast frontiers, maintain their own rich traditions and customs,
and all are part of Chinese culture.
General
History
What determines an ethnic group?
About Minority Names
Table of Minorities (Population, Regions)
From the dawn of time, China's history is a story of an immense
land with several diverse tribes. It is also one of migrations
and conflict, and separation and fusion of cultures. The product
of the intermingling of many tribes, the Han people were among
the first to settle down and develop an agrarian society. As their
culture flourished, the more contempt they felt for the migrant
hunter-gatherers that lay just beyond the horizon. Even though
the modern concept of 56 ethnic groups is often considered an
arbitrary and conservative summary of the hundreds of diverse
peoples in China, it pales in comparison to the simplicity by
which the ancient Han people distinguished their nomadic neighbors.
For them-- the tribe occupying the Center of the World-- the only
distinction was direction, and non-Han were called "Di" (northern),
"Rong" (west), "Yi" (east), and "Man" (south).
As the Han prospered,
they became the envy of the hearty horsemen of the north. Over
a 2,000 year period, waves of invaders breached the Great Wall
and poured into the Chinese heartland. The Huns, the Mongols,
and Manchurians all came-- and unlike the plunder and destruction
characterized by the barbarian invasions of Rome, these peoples
admired what they saw, leading them to stay and assimilate.
At the same time, the Han were also following migratory patterns.
Seeking to avoid the invasions, or simply moving as burgeoning
populations strained resources, the Chinese moved southward.
And here, they met with an enormous diversity of cultures. Some
would be pushed further south, others would stay and assimilate.
No matter what the story, one enduring theme of Chinese history
remains the stability of Han Chinese Culture.
In 1911, the last Imperial
Dynasty, established 300 years before by the Manchu minority,
was unseated by the Nationalist Party of Sun Yat-sen. Dr. Sun
himself saw China as a "Republic of Five Nationalities" (indeed,
the five stars on the national flag of the People's Republic
of China reflect this idea), though after his death, the Nationalists
denied the existence of different ethnic groups. However, after
the Communist Party came to power in 1949, an earnest effort
to investigate and categorize minorities began. Although over
400 minority groups answered a call to register, studies found
that there was a lot of overlapping, and a significant number
of groups that claimed to be separate were actually the same
with different names. After four years of detailed research
and field work, 54 ethnic groups were officially recognized
as independent nationalities. A 55th was added in 1979.
What
determines an ethnic group?
Distinct language
While hundreds of Chinese dialects are spoken across China, a
minority language is not simply a dialect. Rather, it is a language
with distinct grammatical and phonological differences from Chinese.
Language families include Sino-Tibetan, Altaic, Indo-European,
Austro-Asiatic, and Austronesian. Twenty-one ethnic minority groups
have unique writing systems.
A Recognized Indigenous
Homeland
A territory within the national boundaries of China, from which
the group originated. Native history and mythologies are interwoven
into this native land.
Distinctive Customs
Ranging from dress, marriage rituals, cuisine, religion, and
so forth.
A Strong Sense of Identity
Feeling of relation with other members of the group, along with
historically perceived friends and enemies among other groups.
Many of the original Chinese names for minorities come from a
long history of contempt. In 1951, the use of derogatory names
was abolished, but the new, currently used names were set by Han
Chinese. As the Communist Party has relaxed its iron grip in recent
years, minorities have been given flexibility in choosing their
own official names.
Distribution of Ethnic Minority Groups in China, based on the
Census of July 1, 1990.
Click on links for more information.
| Ethnic Group
|
Population
(1,000s) |
Major Areas of Distribution |
| Achang
|
27.7
|
Yunnan
|
| Bai
|
1,598.1
|
Yunnan, Guizhou
|
| Bao'an
|
11.7
|
Gansu |
| Bouyei
|
2,548.3
|
Guizhou
|
| Bulang
|
82.4
|
Yunnan
|
| Dai
|
1,025.4
|
Yunnan
|
| Daur
|
121.5
|
Inner Mongolia,
Heilongjiang, Xinjiang |
| De'ang
|
15.5
|
Yunnan
|
| Dong
|
2,506.8
|
Guizhou, Hunan,
Guangxi |
| Dongxiang
|
373.7
|
Gansu, Xinjiang
|
| Drung
|
5.8
|
Yunnan
|
| Ewenki
|
26.4
|
Inner Mongolia,
Heilongjiang |
| Hani
|
1,254.8
|
Yunnan
|
| Hezhen
|
4.3
|
Heilongjiang
|
| Hui
|
8,612.0
|
Ningxia, Gansu,
Henan, Hebei, Qinghai, Shandong, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Anhui,
Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shaanxi, Beijing, Tianjin
|
| Gaoshan
|
2.9
|
Taiwan (population
not counted), Fujian |
| Gelo
|
438.2
|
Guizhou, Guangxi
|
| Jing
|
18.7
|
Guangxi
|
| Jingpo
|
119.3
|
Yunnan
|
| Jino
|
18.0
|
Yunnan
|
| Kazak
|
1,110.8
|
Xinjiang, Gansu,
Qinghai |
| Kirgiz
|
143.5
|
Xinjiang, Heilongjiang
|
| Korean
|
1,923.4
|
Jilin, Liaoning,
Heilongjiang |
| Lahu
|
411.5
|
Yunnan
|
| Li
|
1,112.5
|
Hainan
|
| Lisu
|
574.6
|
Yunnan, Sichuan
|
| Loba
|
2.3
|
Tibet |
| Manchu
|
8,846.8
|
Liaoning, Jilin,
Heilongjiang, Hebei, Beijing, Inner Mongolia |
| Maonan
|
72.4
|
Guangxi
|
| Miao
|
7,383.6
|
Guizhou, Hunan,
Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hainan, Hubei |
| Mongba
|
7.5
|
Tibet |
| Mongolian
|
4,802.4
|
Inner Mongolia,
Xinjiang, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Gansu, Hebei, Henan,
Qinghai |
| Mulam
|
160.6
|
Guangxi
|
| Naxi
|
277.8
|
Yannan, Sichuan
|
| Nu
|
27.2
|
Yunnan
|
| Oroqen
|
7.0
|
Inner Mongolia,
Heilongjiang |
| Ozbek
|
14.8
|
Xinjiang
|
| Pumi
|
29.7
|
Yunnan
|
| Qiang
|
198.3
|
Sichuan
|
| Russian
|
13.5
|
Xinjiang
|
| Salar
|
87.5
|
Qinghai, Gansu
|
| She
|
634.7
|
Fujian, Zhejiang,
Jiangxi, Guangdong |
| Shui
|
347.1
|
Guizhou, Guangxi
|
| Tajik
|
33.2
|
Xinjiang
|
| Tartar
|
5.1
|
Xinjiang
|
| Tibetan
|
4,593.1
|
Tibet, Qinghai,
Sichuan, Gansu, Yunan |
| Tu
|
192.6
|
Qinghai, Gansu
|
| Tujia
|
5,725.0
|
Hunnan, Hubei
|
| Uygur
|
7,207.0
|
Xinjiang
|
| Va
|
352.0
|
Yunnan
|
| Xibo
|
172.9
|
Xinjiang, Liaoning,
Jilin |
| Yao
|
2,137.0
|
Guangxi, Hunan,
Ynnan, Guangdong, Guizhou |
| Yi
|
6,578.5
|
Sichuan, Yunnan,
Guizhou, Guangxi |
| Yugu
|
12.3
|
Gansu |
| Zhuang
|
15,555.8
|
Guangxi, Yunnan,
Guangdong, Guizhou |
|