History of Chinese People

The history of Chinese people is a long, complex and interesting one.

Han Chinese

The Chinese people living in China consist of a number of ethnic groups.

There are over 50 ethnic groups in China today but by far the largest group is the Han group.

The Han group accounts for about 92% of the Chinese population today.

The name Han comes from the Han Dynasty which was from the second century BC. Before this, there were a number of tribes in China.

Early archaeological records show Chinese peoples living on the banks of the Yellow River as long ago as 7000 BC.

A number of dynasties are recorded from over 2000 years BC - Xia, Shang, Zhou and Qin dynasties until the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) which give the Chinese majority its current name.

There was a lot of fragmentation after the Han Dynasty.

China was particularly vulnerable to the invading tribes from the north so there was a lot of tension in this area. It forced many Han people south to settle along the Yangtze and other regions.

The Mongols (Yuan Dynasty 1271 AD - 1368 AD) and the Manchurians (Qing Dynasty 1644 AD - 1911 AD) were examples of non Han rule.

In the 20th and 21st century the Han population has increased and it is today by far the dominant group.

Ethnic Minority Groups

There are 55 ethnic minority groups. They make up nearly 8% of the population.

They are a result of thousands of years of living in the region and being integrated at various times.

Examples of ethnic minority groups are Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hui, Manchu and Naxi.

The Naxi people in the picture live mainly in Lijiang with a smaller number in Sichuan and Tibet.

Their ancient language is Dongba, a pictorial language.

They live simple lives - farming and making handicrafts for the many tourists that visit Lijiang.

You will find many Tibetans in Sichuan, particularly in Western Sichuan which is next to Tibet. Golaks and Muslim Hui are other minorities found in Sichuan.