Chinese Ethinc Groups
Overview
China is a large and ethnically diverse country with the highest population (1.29 billion according to 2000 Census) in the world. There are 56 officially recognised ethnic groups including the Han majority that makes up around 93% of China’s vast population. In order to control the population growth, the Chinese government initiated a One Child Policy in 1979. Every married couple is strongly encouraged to have one child only. However, this family planning policy is not applied to the non-Han ethnic minorities; they are allowed to have more children and enjoy a significant level of autonomy.
Tibetan (藏族)
Geography and Language of Tibetan (藏族)
Tibetans live mainly in the Tibet Autonomous Region, formally established in 1965, and in Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces.Their language is part of a Tibetan sub-branch of Tibetan-Burmese and has three main dialects. Their script is alphabetic and was created early in the seventh century. The language was formerly used to distinguish caste, as there were three ways of speaking according to whom you were talking to: superiors, peers or inferiors.
Yao (瑶族)
Geography of Yao (瑶族)
Around seventy per cent of the Yao ethnic group live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; the other thirty per cent live in Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. The name Yao was adopted after the founding of the PRC as there are historically around thirty names for this ethnic group based on their ways of life.