This article is about the general concept of peoples relating to China. For the dominant Chinese ethnic group, seeHan Chinese. For a list of ethnicities in modern China, seeList of ethnic groups in China. For a list of ethnicities in historical China, seeEthnic groups in Chinese history. For the concept of the multiethnic Chinese nation, seeZhonghua minzu.
Countries with a significant population with Chinese ancestry.
TheChinese people, or simplyChinese, are people or ethnic groups identified withChina, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship,social construct[1] or other affiliation.[2]
Chinese people are known asZhongguoren (simplified Chinese:中国人;traditional Chinese:中國人) or asHuaren (simplified Chinese:华人;traditional Chinese:華人) by speakers ofstandard Chinese, including those living in Greater China as well as overseas Chinese. Although both terms both refer to Chinese people, their usage depends on the person and context. The former term is commonly (but not exclusively) used to refer to the citizens of the People's Republic of China—especially mainland China.[3][4][5][6] The termHuaren is used to refer to ethnic Chinese, and is more often used for those who reside overseas or are non-citizens of China.
Outside China, the terms "Han Chinese" and "Chinese" are often conflated since those identifying or registered as Han Chinese are the dominant ethnic group in China.[12][13] There are 55 officially-recognizedethnic minorities in China who are also Chinese by nationality.
People from Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), may also be referred to as "Chinese" in various contexts, though they are usually referred to as "Taiwanese". The territory of Taiwan isdisputed and the ROC haslimited recognition of its sovereignty.
The term "Overseas Chinese" is used to refer to people of Chinese origin living overseas as well as Chinese citizens residing outside China, but more commonly the former.
A number of ethnic groups as well as other racial minorities of China are referred to as Chinese people.[14]
Ethnic groups in China
Range of dialect groups inChina proper and Taiwan according to theLanguage Atlas of China[15]
Han Chinese people, the largest ethnic group in China, are often referred to as "Chinese" or "ethnic Chinese" in English.[12][13][16] The Han Chinese also form a majority or notable minority in other countries, and they comprise approximately 18% of the global human population.[10][11]
Other ethnic groups in China include theZhuang,Hui,Manchus,Uyghurs, andMiao, who make up the five largest ethnic minorities in mainland China, with populations of approximately 10 million or more. In addition, theYi,Tujia,Tibetans andMongols each have populations between five and ten million.
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), recognizes 56 native Chinese ethnic groups. There are also severalunrecognized ethnic groups in China.
Zhonghua minzu (simplified Chinese:中华民族;traditional Chinese:中華民族;pinyin:Zhōnghuá Mínzú), the "Chinese nation", is asupra-ethnic concept which includes all 56 ethnic groups living in China that are officially recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China. It includes established ethnic groups who have lived within the borders of premodern China.[18] The termzhonghua minzu was used during the Republic of China from 1911 to 1949 to refer tofive primary ethnic groups[a] in China.[19] The termzhongguo renmin (Chinese:中国人民), "Chinese people", was the government's preferred term during the early communist era;zhonghua minzu is more common in recent decades.[20]
TheAmis people are an indigenous Taiwanese ethnic group.
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), recognizes 17 native Taiwanese ethnic groups as well as numerous other "New Immigrant" ethnic groups (mostly originating from mainland China and Southeast Asia). Of the 17 native Taiwanese ethnic groups, 16 are considered to beindigenous (Taiwanese indigenous peoples),[21] whereas one is considered to be non-native (Han Taiwanese).[22] There are also several unrecognized indigenous ethnic groups in Taiwan.
The Taiwanese Hoklos and Hakkas are both considered to be "native" populations of Taiwan since they first began migrating to Taiwan in significant numbers fromFujian andGuangdong over 400 years ago (they first began migrating to Taiwan in minor numbers several centuries earlier). They are often collectively referred to inTaiwanese Mandarin as "Benshengren" (meaning "people fromthis province"). Those self-identifying as Hoklo culturally comprise approximately 70% of Taiwan's total population and the Hakkas comprise approximately 14% of Taiwan's total population.
Meanwhile, the so-called Mainlanders (Taiwanese) are mostly descended from people who migrated from mainland China to Taiwan during the 1940s and 1950s. They are often referred to in Taiwanese Mandarin as "Waishengren" (meaning "people from outside of this province"). The Mainlanders (Taiwanese) comprise approximately 14% of Taiwan's total population.
Collectively, the various Taiwanese indigenous peoples comprise approximately 2% of Taiwan's total population. The various Taiwanese indigenous peoples are believed to have been living in Taiwan for up to 6000 years prior to thecolonization of Taiwan by China which began during the 17th century (CE).
Recognition by the Chinese government
The Han Taiwanese, Native Taiwanese (Benshengren), Hoklo Taiwanese, Hakka Taiwanese, Mainlander Taiwanese (Waishengren), Kinmenese, and Matsunese ethnic groups (all subtypes or branches of the Han Chinese ethnic group) are all unrecognized by theChinese government. Furthermore, the sixteen Taiwanese indigenous peoples that are officially recognized by the Taiwanese government are also all unrecognized by the Chinese government. The Chinese government also doesn't recognize the ethnic designation "New Immigrant".
The Chinese government instead has its own ethnic designations for Taiwanese people. Han Taiwanese people are considered to be Han Chinese people (no distinction is made), whereas the various recognized and unrecognized (by Taiwan) Taiwanese indigenous peoples are collectively recognized (by China) to be "Gaoshanren" (i.e. "High Mountain People"). The Gaoshanren are one of the56 officially-recognized ethnic groups of China.
TheNationality law of the People's Republic of China regulates nationality within the PRC. A person obtains nationality either by birth when at least one parent is of Chinese nationality or bynaturalization. All people holding nationality of the People's Republic of China are citizens of China.[23] TheResident Identity Card is the official form of identification for residents of the People's Republic of China.
TheNationality law of the Republic of China regulates nationality within the Republic of China (Taiwan). A person obtains nationality either by birth or by naturalization. A person with at least one parent who is a national of the Republic of China, or born in the ROC to stateless parents qualifies for nationality by birth.[24]
Overseas Chinese refers to people of Chinese ethnicity or national heritage who live outside the People's Republic of China or Taiwan as the result of the continuingdiaspora.[30] People with one or more Chinese ancestors may consider themselves overseas Chinese.[31] Such people vary widely in terms ofcultural assimilation. In some areas throughout the worldethnic enclaves known asChinatowns are home to populations of overseas Chinese.
In Southeast Asia, people of Chinese descent call themselves華人 (Huárén) instead of (中國人Zhōngguórén) which commonly refers to the citizens of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China.[32] This is especially so in the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia. The termZhongguoren has a more political or ideological aspect in its use; while many in China may useZhongguoren to mean the Chinese ethnicity, some in Taiwan would refuse to be calledZhongguoren.[6]
^CIA FactbookArchived 13 February 2021 at theWayback Machine: "Han Chinese 91.6%" out of a reported population of 1,379 billion (July 2017 est.)
^中華民國國情簡介 [ROC Vital Information].Executive Yuan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2016. Archived fromthe original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved23 August 2016.臺灣住民以漢人為最大族群，約占總人口97%
^Wurm, Stephen Adolphe; Li, Rong; Baumann, Theo; Lee, Mei W. (1987),Language Atlas of China, Hong Kong: Longman,ISBN978-962-359-085-3.
^Yang, Miaoyan (2017).Learning to Be Tibetan: The Construction of Ethnic Identity at Minzu. Lexington Books (published 17 March 2017). p. 7.ISBN978-1-4985-4463-4.
^Millward, James A. (2007).Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang. Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-13924-3.
^Jenner, W.J.F. (2004)."Race and history in China". In Alan Lawrance (ed.).China Since 1919: Revolution and Reform: a Sourcebook. Psychology Press. pp. 252–255.ISBN978-0-415-25141-9.Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved19 October 2015.
^Copper, John F. (2014).Historical Dictionary of Taiwan (Republic of China). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 53.ISBN978-1-4422-4307-1.
^"About Taiwan".Taiwan (official website).Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved5 December 2019.
^"Nationality Act".Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China. 27 January 2006.Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved23 July 2014.
^"The essential guide to Chinatown".Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Food + Drink Victoria. 3 February 2021.Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved11 February 2022.
^Barabantseva, Elena (2010).Overseas Chinese, Ethnic Minorities and Nationalism: De-Centering China. Routledge.ISBN978-1-136-92736-2.
^Park, Yoon Jung (2008).A Matter of Honour: Being Chinese in South Africa. Lexington Books. p. 155.ISBN978-0-7391-3553-2.
^Beeson, Mark (2008).Contemporary Southeast Asia. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 118.ISBN978-1-137-06880-4.
