Ethnic Minority | Brief Introduction |
Zhuang | It is the largest minority group in China; mainly live in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. They carried a long history and splendid culture. |
Manchu | It is the creator of Jin and Qing Dynasties; originated from the Jurchen tribes; have a long history and brilliant culture; has made great influence to Chinese history. |
Hui | Its religious thoughts play important role in their daily life. They believe in Islamism. Their life style is very different from other minority groups. |
Miao: | It has a relatively larger population in comparison with other minorities in China. The skillful in handicrafts such as paper-cutting, embroidery, weaving, and jewelry casting. |
Uyghurs: | They are mainly live in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions. They believe in Islam. Their unique staple foods are nang, zhuafan and noodles. |
Yi: | They mainly live in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Guangxi Provinces. Yi have a long history and marvelous culture. They also value various beliefs. |
Tujia: | They are widely spread out in Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Sichuan Provinces and live on agriculture and fish industry. They believe in the great influence of gods and ancestors. |
Mongols: | They primarily live in Inner Mongolia. They are also known as the minority on the horseback. Their staple food is meat and milk. The Mongols celebrate Nadamu Fair which is their most renowned festival. |
Tibetan: | Most of them live in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. They believe in Tibetan Buddhism (also called Lamaism). The main foods are Tsamba, butter tea, mutton and beef. |
Buye: | They inhabit in Guizhou Province as early as in the Stone Age. They are advanced in agriculture and forestry. Buye are good at brocade and embroidery. |
Dong: | They are living in the border regions between Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou Provinces. Dongs are skilled in handcrafts. Their main foods are rice, millet, and wheat sorghum. |
Yao: | They are spread out in the mountainous areas in South of China. Their staple foods are corn, rice and potatoes and they like drinking tea and homemade wines. |
Korean: | They dwell mainly in Northeastern part of China; their ancestors are the immigrants from the Korean Peninsula. They share the similar festivals to Han People. |
Bai: | They are the masters of artistic creativity and favor white clothes and decorations; creative in architecture, painting, music, sculpture and lacquer work. |
Hani: | They mainly inhabit within the reaches of Yuan and Lantsang Rivers. This group of minority has unique marriage custom. They greatly influence by their religions and agriculture. |
Li: | They mainly live in Middle and Southern Hainan Province. They favor corn, rice and sweet potatoes. They greatly rely depend on agriculture and breeding and handicrafts industries. |
Kazak: | They mainly dwell in Xinjiang, Gansu and Qinghai. They enjoy music and have many unique musical instruments such as Dongbula. They main religion is Islamic. |
Dai: | They mainly live in the Southern Yunnan Province. Their greatest achieve are related to musical. They believe in Southern Buddhism. |
She | Most of them live in Fujian and Zhejiang Provinces. They are influence greatly by their ancestors and totems. They main foods are corn, rice, beans and potatoes. |
Lisu | Most of them live in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces. They mainly live on corn and buckwheat. Lisu have developed their own calendar, which composed of ten months divided by nature’s change. |
Gelao | They are an old ethnic minority good at the refinement of forging, blacksmith and stonecutting. They believe in Gods and their ancestors. |
Lahu | Most of them are scattered around the Lancangjiang Lahu Autonomous County. Their religious belief is Mahayana. In their culture the color black is regard as the most beautiful color. |
Dongxiang | They mainly inhabit in Gansu Province, with farming and stocking as their mode of production. They believe in Islamic. Drinking tea is also important part of their culture. |
Wa | They mainly live in Yunnan Province. Wa makes their living by doing agriculture works. Some believe in Buddhism and Christianity. Their main source of food is rice. |
Shui | They mainly spread out in Guizhou Province. They have their own language. Shui are excellent at stone-carving, paper-cutting, silver jewelry making and batik techniques. |
Naxi | They mainly live in Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet. Their major production activities are handicrafts, stock breeding and farming. Most of them believe in Dongba Religion. |
Qiang | They mainly live in Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province. Their staple foods are beef, sheep, chicken, fish, corn, wheat and potatoes. |
Tu | They are mainly scattered out in Qinghai and Gansu Provinces. Tu practice Animism and Taoism. They main source of living are base on agriculture development, stock husbandry and sheep breeding. |
Xibe | They distribute in Jilin, Liaoning and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. ?They live on stock husbandry and agriculture; wheat flour, rice and mutton are their staple food. |
Mulao | It is a smaller minority group dwelling mainly in Guangxi Province. They believe in natural spirits. They are good at pottery making and iron forging. |
Kyrgyz | Most of them live in Xinjiang. They are good in literature, music, sports and handicrafts; do animal husbandry. Some of them believe in Islamic religion and some believe in Tibetan Buddhism. |
Daur | It is a considerably smaller minority who said to be the descendants of Khitan tribe in Liao Dynasty; lay stress upon etiquette; have many taboos of their own. |
Jingpo | They mainly situated in Yunnan Province. Jingpo are skillful at carving, painting, weaving and embroidering. They believe that everything has a soul which will never die. |
Salar | They mainly live in Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. They make a living by engaging in horticulture, handicrafts and agriculture. |
Blang | They live in Yunnan Province. They mainly practice agriculture; good at planting tea trees and early rice. They also do many artistic practices such as literature and music. |
Maonan | They mainly located in Huanjiang County in Guangxi Province. They live on agriculture and handicraft industry. They main source of food are rice and corn. |
Tajik | These people have splendid culture and long history and live on agriculture and stock husbandry. They believe in Islamic and lay stress upon etiquette. |
Ewenki | They mostly live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. They are good at singing and dancing, horse-racing and wrestling. This minority group believes that Gods control their life. |
Nu | Most of them live in the Southwest Yunnan Province. They believe everything has spirit and some believe in Christianity and Lamaism. They favorite activity is playing musical instruments. |
Achang | It is one of the earliest people in Yunnan. They famous for being good at growing rice and forging iron weapons such as cutting tools. |
Pumi | They live on agriculture and livestock. They believe that life is influenced by gods and ancestors. They celebrate Spring Festival, Pure Brightness Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. |
Jing | They mainly distribute in Yunnan Province. They are skillful at carving, painting, weaving and embroidering. They believe everything has a soul which will never die. |
Jino | They live mainly in Yunnan Province. They are an old minority who believe in animism. They main source of food rice and corn. They biggest festival is the Iron Forging Festival. |
De’ang | It is a small minority distributed in Yunnan Province. They are skilled craftsman, and have profound tea culture; rice, wheat, corn and legume are the staple foods. |
Uzbeks | They mainly live in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions; believe in Islam, and depend on stock breeding and handicrafts industries. |
Russian | Most if them live in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Most of them from Russian immigrated in 18th Century. They celebrate Christmas Day and Easter Day. |
Yugur | They mainly live in Gansu Province. They typical nomads that live on stock breeding. Yugur believe in Lamaism and preserve many traditional cultures such as folk tales, legends and ballads. |
Bonan | They live in Southwest Gansu Province. They mainly engage in handicraft industry. They religious belief is Islamic. They favorite activities are playing traditional woodwind or stringed instrument. |
Monba | This group of minority has a long history. They are mainly spread out in the Tibetan regions. Their staple foods are corn, rice and buckwheat. They daily activities are weaving with vines and bamboo vines. They have unique wedding ceremony. |
Orogen | They mostly live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. They favorite activities are singing and dancing, horse-racing and wrestling. They believe that the Gods control their life. |
Drung | It is a small group of minority that is spread out in Yunnan Province. They are skilled craftsman. Drung have profound tea culture. Foods such as rice, wheat, corn and legume are considered as their staple foods. |
Tatars | They mainly live in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This group has their own language. They follow Islamic belief. They depend on agriculture, stock husbandry and handicrafts. |
Hezhen | It is the smallest minority in China. They believe in Shamanism and all have spirits and worship as many gods. Fish is their staple food. |
Lhoba | They dwell at the foot of Himalayas, and make a living by doing agriculture and hunting. They have unique food custom, and corn, rice and a kind of local grain are their staple foods. |
Gaoshan | Most of them live on Taiwan Island. Their favorite activities are singing ballads and telling tales. They also have rituals for daily activities, such as sowing, harvesting, hunting and fishing. |