Ethnic minorities in China 152831 222816900 2008-07-01T07:07:43Z T-1000 129302 /* Taiwan aborigines */ {{For|a list of ethnic groups in China|List of ethnic groups in China}} [[Image:china ethnolinguistic 83.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Ethnolinguistic map of mainland China and Taiwan]] '''Ethnic minorities in China''' refer to the non-[[Han Chinese]] population in [[mainland China]] and [[Taiwan]]. The [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) officially recognizes 55 [[ethnic minority]] groups within [[China]] in addition to the [[Han Chinese|Han]] majority. As of 2005, the combined population of officially recognised minority groups numbered at 123.33 million, comprising of 9.44% of mainland China and Taiwan's<!--Is Taiwan part of this figure?--> total population<!--WP states 8.1 percent; why this discrepancy? DO NOT remove this tag until this has been answered!-->.<ref name="OnePercent">{{cite web|url=http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cept/chn/xwdt/t240927.htm|title=2005年全国1%人口抽样调查主要数据公报|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China|date=[[2006-03-17]]|accessdate=2007-06-19|language=Simplified Chinese}}</ref> In addition to these officially recognized ethnic minority groups, there are PRC nationals who privately classify themselves as members of [[Undistinguished ethnic groups in China|unrecognized ethnic groups]] (such as [[History of the Jews in China|Jewish]], [[Tuvans|Tuvan]], [[Oirat]] and [[Ili Turki]]). Also, foreign nationals who have become Chinese citizens form yet another separate group.<!--Their indigenous homelands comprise over 50% of the territory of the People's Republic of China -- statement needs to be verified--> In general, the officially recognized ethnic minority groups reside within [[mainland China]], with the exception of the [[Taiwanese aborigine]]s. The [[Republic of China]] (ROC) in Taiwan officially recognises 13 Taiwanese aborigine groups, while the People's Republic of China classifies them all as a single ethnic minority group, the [[Gaoshan]]. [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] do not use this ethnic classification system, and figures by the PRC government do not include the two territories. These ethnic minority groups, together with the Han majority, make up the greater Chinese nationality known as ''[[Zhonghua Minzu]]''. ==Naming== Ethnic groups in China are often called ''nationalities'' in official [[English-language]] documents of the [[Government of the People's Republic of China|People's Republic of China]], such as the nation's 1982-adopted constitution.<ref>[http://www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/english/constitution/constDetail.jsp?pages=10 Constitution of the People's Republic of China], [[1982-12-04]]. Retrieved on [[2007-02-27]].</ref> This is in the naming style of the [[Soviet Union]] government. The [[Chinese language|Chinese]] word ''minzu'' (民族) is used to translate the [[German language|German]] and [[Russian language|Russian]] words for "people" and "nationality" as used in [[Marxist-Leninist]] ideology.<ref>"China's Fresh Approach to the National Minority Question," by George Moseley, ''The China Quarterly''</ref> However, all the ethnic minorities in China are Chinese citizens, regardless of the fact that they are sometimes referred to as different "nationalities" in English, and the Chinese-language term that is used to refer to different ethnic groups, ''minzu'', is not specific on citizenship status. Officially, English-language terms such as "ethnic minorities",<ref>[http://english.gov.cn/official/2005-07/28/content_18127.htm PRC official publication "Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China (2005)"]</ref><ref>[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22ethnic+minorities%22+site%3Agov.cn Google search for "ethnic minorities" in the gov.cn domain]</ref> "ethnic groups",<ref>[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22ethnic+groups%22+site%3Agov.cn&btnG=Search&lr= Google search for "ethnic groups" in the gov.cn domain]</ref> and "national minorities"<ref>[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22national+minorities%22+site%3Agov.cn Google search for "national minorities" in the gov.cn domain]</ref> are also used in PRC publications. ==Ethnic groups== [[Image:Longhorn Miao China.jpg|thumb|right|The Long-horn tribe, a small branch of ethnic [[Miao people|Miao]] in the western part of [[Guizhou]] Province.]] Most ethnic groups are distinctive from one another, but there are some that are very similar to the Han majority group. For example, most [[Hui Chinese]] are indistinguishable from [[Han Chinese]] except for the fact that they practice [[Islam]]. Some of the ethnic groups as classified by the PRC government contain, within themselves, diverse groups of people. Various groups of the [[Miao]] minority, for example, speak different dialects of the [[Hmong-Mien languages]], [[Tai-Kadai languages]], and [[Chinese languages]], and practice a variety of different cultural customs. Some ethnic groups with smaller populations are simply classified by the PRC together with another distinct ethnic group, such as the case with the [[Utsuls]] of [[Hainan]] being classified as part of the [[Hui people|Hui]] minority, and the [[Chuanqing]] being classified as part of the Han majority{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. While Han Chinese make up the vast majority of China's total population, the population distribution is highly uneven with large parts of western China having Han Chinese as a minority. The multi-ethnic nature of China is a result of many centuries of assimilation, expansion and modern consolidation of territories incorporated during the [[Qing Dynasty]], whose emperors were themselves [[Manchu]] and not members of the Han majority. Today, modern Chinese ethnic theory is heavily influenced by that of the [[Soviet Union]]. The degree of integration of ethnic minorities with the national mainstream community varies widely from group to group. With some groups, such as the [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]s and the [[Uyghur people|Uyghurs]], there is some resentment against the majority. Other groups such as the [[Zhuang]], [[Manchu]], [[Hui people|Hui]], and [[Koreans in China|Korean]]s are well integrated into the national community. {{seealso|List of ethnic groups in China}} ==Demographics of the ethnic minorities== The [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) officially recognises 56 distinct [[List of ethnic groups in China|ethnic groups]], the largest of which are [[Han Chinese]], which constitutes about 91.9% of the total population. The 55 other ethnic groups are officially recognised as ethnic minority groups. The large ethnic minority groups in terms of population include the [[Zhuang]] at 16 million, the [[Manchu]] at 10 million, the [[Hui people|Hui]] at 9 million, the [[Hmong people|Miao]] at 8 million, the [[Uyghur people|Uyghur]] at 7 million, the [[Yi people|Yi]] at 7 million, the [[Tujia]] at 5.75 million, the [[Ethnic Mongols in China|Mongols]] at 5 million, the [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]] at 5 million, the [[Buyei]] at 3 million, and the [[Ethnic Koreans in China|Koreans]] at 2 million. Minority population grows faster than that of the majority [[Han Chinese]], in [[1953]] at 6.1%, in [[1990]] at 8.04%, in [[2000]] at 8.41%, and in [[2005]] at 9.44%. In the most recent survey, their population growth is about seven times faster than that of the [[Han Chinese]]. <ref>http://www.stats.gov.cn/was40/gjtjj_en_detail.jsp?searchword=population&channelid=9528&record=6 Communiqué on Major Data of 1% National Population Sample Survey in 2005</ref> <ref>[http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjfx/ztfx/xzgwsnxlfxbg/t20020605_21432.htm 之十五:控制人口增长成绩巨大 坚持基本国策任重道远<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.gov.cn/test/2005-07/26/content_17366.htm 中国民族<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref name="OnePercent" /> ==Guarantee of rights and interests== The PRC's [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China|Constitution]] and laws guarantee equal rights to all ethnic groups in China and help promote ethnic minority groups' economic and cultural development. One notable preferential treatment ethnic minorities enjoy is that they are exempt from the population growth control of the [[One-Child Policy]]. Ethnic minorities are well represented in the [[National People's Congress]] as well as governments at the [[Political divisions of China#Province level|provincial]] and [[Political divisions of China#Prefecture level|prefectural]] levels. Some ethnic minorities in China live in what are described as [[Autonomous entities of China|ethnic autonomous areas]]. These "regional autonomies" guarantee ethnic minorities the freedom to use and develop their ethnic languages, and to maintain their own cultural and social customs. In addition, the PRC government has provided preferential economic development and aid to areas where ethnic minorities live. The "regional autonomies" are also to protect ethnic minorities' freedom of religion, however, the issue of [[Status of religious freedom in People's Republic of China|freedom of religion in the PRC]] is, in itself, highly controversial and debatable. ==Undistinguished ethnic groups== {{main|Undistinguished ethnic groups in China}} "Undistinguished" ethnic groups are ethnic groups that have not been officially recognized or classified by the central government. The group numbers more than 730,000 people, and would constitute the twentieth most populous ethnic group of China if taken as a single group. The vast majority of this group is found in [[Guizhou]] Province. These "undistinguished ethnic groups" do not include groups that have been controversially classified into existing groups. For example, the [[Mosuo]] are officially classified as [[Naxi]], and the [[Chuanqing]] are classified as [[Han Chinese]], but they reject these classifications and view themselves as separate ethnic groups. Citizens of [[mainland China]] who are of foreign origin are classified using yet another separate label: "foreigners naturalized into the Chinese citizenship" (外国人入中国籍). However, if there is a newly naturalized citizen who already belongs to a recognized existing group among the 56 ethnic groups (e.g. Han Chinese, Korean, Russian, Gin, Kazakh, etc.), then he or she is classified into that ethnic group rather than the special label. ==Taiwan aborigines== {{main|Taiwanese aborigines}} The PRC government officially refers to all Taiwanese aborigines as [[Taiwanese aborigines|Gaoshan]], whereas the ROC government of [[Taiwan]] recognizes 14 groups of Taiwanese aborigines. The term ''Gaoshan'' has a different connotation in Taiwan than it does in [[mainland China]]. While several thousands of these aborigines have migrated to [[Fujian]] province in mainland China, most remain in Taiwan. Due to the contested [[Political status of Taiwan|political status]] and [[legal status of Taiwan]], the PRC classification of Taiwanese aborigines may be controversial. ==World religions in China and their most common affiliations== * [[Buddhism]]: the [[Bai]], [[Bulang]], [[Dai]], [[Jinuo]], [[Vietnamese people|Jing]], [[Jingpo]], [[Mongol]], [[Naxi]] (including [[Mosuo]]), [[Nu people|Nu]], [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] and [[Yugur]]. {{Fact|date=August 2007}} * [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]]: the [[Russians]], [[Evens]] * [[Islam in China|Islam]]: the [[Hui]], [[Uyghurs]], [[Kazakhs]], [[Dongxiang]], [[Kyrgyz people]], [[Salar]], [[Tajiks]], [[Uzbeks]], [[Bonan]] and [[Tatars]].<ref name="Muslim">{{cite journal|url=http://www.asiaquarterly.com/content/view/166/41|author=Jackie Armijo|title=Islamic Education in China|journal=Harvard Asia Quarterly|volume=10|issue=1|month=Winter|year=2006}}</ref> * [[shamanism]]/[[animism]]: the [[Daur]], [[Ewenkis]], and [[Oroqen]]. {{Fact|date=August 2007}} ==See also== * [[Central University for Nationalities]] * [[China National Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble]] * [[Chinese nationality law]] * [[Han chauvinism]] * [[Demographics of the People's Republic of China]] and [[Demographics of Taiwan|Taiwan]] * [[Ethnic groups in Chinese history]] * [[Languages of China]] * [[List of China administrative regions by ethnic group]] * [[List of ethnic groups in China]] * [[Taiwanese aborigines]] * [[Undistinguished ethnic groups in China]] * [[Zhonghua minzu]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Minorities/index.html Chinese National Minorities] * [http://www.e56.com.cn The Ethnic Publishing House]: on customs and autonomous places (in [[Simplified Chinese]]) * [http://www.ConnectChina.com China National Ethnic Song & Dance Ensemble] * [http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/minority/minority.html Brief description of Chinese ethnic minority groups] * [http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/ Descriptions of each ethnic minority group] (china.org.cn) * [http://www.china.org.cn/e-white/phumanrights19/p-8.htm Guarantee of Rights and Interests of Ethnic Minorities] * [http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=1083 China: Minority Exclusion, Marginalization and Rising Tensions], report by [[Minority Rights Group]] and Human Rights in China, April 2007 {{Ethnic groups in China}} {{Taiwan (island) aborigines}} {{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}} {{Asia topic|Ethnic minorities in}} <!--Categories--> [[Category:Ethnic groups in China]] [[Category:Ethnic minorities]] <!--Other languages--> [[de:Völker Chinas]] [[eo:Nacioj de Cxinio]] [[fr:Nationalités de Chine]] [[id:Daftar suku di Republik Rakyat Tiongkok]] [[it:Etnie cinesi]] [[ja:中国の少数民族]] [[simple:Nationalities of China]] [[fi:Kiinan etniset ryhmät]] [[sv:Kinas nationaliteter]] [[ta:சீனாவின் இனவழிச் சிறுபான்மையினர்]] [[tr:Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti'nin 56 resmî etnik grubu]] [[zh:中华民族]]