Unrecognized ethnic groups in China
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Several ethnic groups of the People's Republic of China are not officially recognized. Taken together, these groups (未识别民族 wèi shíbié mínzú) number more than 730,000 people; if considered as a single group, they would constitute the twentieth most populous ethnic group of China. Some scholars have estimated that there are over 200 distinct ethnic groups that inhabit China. There are in addition small distinct ethnic groups that have been classified as part of larger ethnic groups that are officially recognized. Some groups like the Hui of Xinjiang with the Hui of Fujian are geographically and culturally separate except for the shared belief of Islam. Han Chinese being the world's largest ethnic group has a large diversity within it, such as in Gansu, the Han here may have genetic traits from the assimilated Tangut civilization. Although they are indigenous to Hainan island and do not speak a Chinese language, the Limgao (Ong-Be) people near the capital (8% of the population) are counted as Han Chinese.
Notable unrecognized ethnic groups include:
- Bajia (八甲人)
- Lai (萊人)
- Daman (达曼人) in Gyirong Town[1]
- Deng (僜人)
- Gejia (革家人)
- Jews[2] (犹太, Youtai)
- Khmu[3] (克木人)
- Macanese[4] (土生葡人, people of mixed Chinese-Portuguese ancestry in Macau)
- Mang[5] (芒人)
- Yamato Japanese (大和民族) in Dalian
- Naturalized citizens of South Asian and Southeast Asian backgrounds
Ethnic groups that have been subsumed under the official list of 56 recognized ethnic groups:
- Akha (阿卡人) people - officially a branch of Hani people.
- Äynu (艾努人) - officially classified as Uyghurs.
- Baima (白马人) - officially classified as Tibetans.
- Ben (本人) Khitan adherents in Shidian, Yunnan. They're not Daur people. Still use the otherwise extinct Khitan script in their cemeteries, [6] officially classified as Han Chinese, Bai or Mongolian.
- Chuanqing (穿青人） - officially classified as Han Chinese.
- Dolan(刀朗人, or 多朗人) - officially classified as Uyghurs.
- Kucong (苦聪人) - officially classified as Lahu.
- Hui'an maidens (惠安女) - officially classified as Han Chinese.
- Mosuo (摩梭人)[7] - officially classified as Naxi.
- Shan (掸族) - some classified as Buyi, others as Zhuang, and still others as undistinguished.
- Sherpa[8] (夏尔巴人), officially classified as Tibetans or Others[9].
- Tanka (疍家人) - officially classified as Han Chinese.
- Tibetan Muslims（卡奇人, or 卡契人） - officially classified as Tibetans, also known as the Kachee.
- Tuvans (图瓦人) - officially classified as Mongol.
- Utsul (回辉人） - officially classified as Hui, though they have more in common with Chams, Malays and other Austronesian peoples.
- Waxiang(瓦乡族) - officially classified as Miao or Han Chinese.
See also
References
- ^ Woebom, Tenzin (2014-12-23). ""Eastern Gypsies": Damans in Tibet". Vtibet. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
- ^ Article "Are There Really Jews in China?: An Update", from The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- ^ Profile of the Khmu people in China, as cited by Native Planet
- ^ Article "A Proud People", from Asiaweek
- ^ Article about the Mang people, from Yunnan Travel Online (Article written in Simplified Chinese)
- ^ http://www.nmg.xinhuanet.com/zjcy/2008-11/24/content_15000700.htm
- ^ Article about the Mosuo people, from Yunnan Travel Online
- ^ Article on the Sherpa people, on ChinaCulture.org
- ^ "朋曲：陈塘沟里看陈塘" [Pum Qu River: Viewing Chentang from the Chentang Valley]. Yuanfang De Jia. Season 江河万里行. Episode 136. 2014-11-05. China Central Television. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
