CHINAS

ETHNIC
MINORITIE
S

The Peoples Republic

of China (PRC)
Officially recognizes 55 ethnic
minority groups within China in
addition to the Han majority.
The Han majority, make up the greater
Chinese nationality known as
Zhonghua Minzu.
Chinese minorities alone are referred to
as "Shaoshu Minzu".
2

Minorit
y
Groups

Demographics of the
ethnic people

The largest ethnic group, the Han,

according to a 2005 sampling constitutes
about 91.9% of the total population.
The next largest ethnic groups in terms of
population include the Zhuang at 18
million, the Manchu at 10.7 million, the
Hui at 10 million, the Miao at 9 million.
The Minority population grows faster than
that of the majority Han Chinese.

Although they make up only a small proportion of the

overall Chinese population, the 55 minority ethnic groups
are distributed extensively throughout different regions of
China.

Chinas Minorities
Most Numerous:

Least Numerous:

HUI

HEZHEN

MANCHU

SALAR

MONGOL
TIBETAN

OROQEN
EWENKI

UIGHUR (UYGHUR, UYGUR)

ZHUANG

Autonomous Regions
Autonomous
Region

Capital

Population
(million)

Abbreviation

Yinchuan

6.3

Ning

Inner Mongolia

Hohhot

24.7

Neimenggu

Xinjiang Uygur

rmqi

21.8

Xin

Lhasa

Zang

Nanning

46

Gui

Ningxia Hui

Tibet

Guangxi Zhuang

Minority Advances
Minority populations increased
dramatically after 1980 (some up 40% to
50%)
Education levels increased
More minorities in government posts
Greater economic prosperity
Local languages and literatures
preserved
Transport and communication improved
9

Educational Benefits
Lower test scores accepted for minority
applicants to universities
Governmental financing for minorities

10

Minority student
concerns
Minority students usually not able to study
English because of the Chinese language
requirement
Students must have strong Chinese language
skills, such as their written and spoken skills: if
not, two years of language training is required
prior to beginning college
Second class citizens/scholars

11

Minority Education in China sought

to address the following problems:
1) the perceived gap between social
inequalities and democratic ideals;
2) an identity and community void left by
the rapid rush towards modernity; and
3) global movements for ethnic and national
self-determination (Banks 2009b: 1115).

12

Ethnic Minority
Students in 2009

13