People
Until Kubla Khan conquered the kingdom of Nanchao, and many
of its people fled to the south, this was the homeland of
the Tai people. Today large numbers of ethnic Tais - known
as Dai, Bai and other names - still inhabit many of the mountainous
regions and plains, though two-thirds of Yunnan's 41 million
population are now Han Chinese.
However, Yunnan is one of the most ethnically diverse provinces
in Asia. The Bai and Dai are among the few registered ethnic
minority groups to have populations over the one million mark.
Yi, Naxi and Hani ethnic groups have also surpassed this mark.
The Miao, Lisu, Hui, Lahu, Wa, Yao, Jingpo and Tibetan minorities
all have populations exceeding 100,000, while the Bulang,
Buyi, Pumi, A'chang, Nu, Jino, De'ang and Mongolian groups
each exceed 10,000. The Shui, Manchu and Dulong have more
than 4,000 members each
Over the past 20 years, the government has recognised the
importance of having a multi-ethnic nation, known as duominzu
guojia. Writing systems are being developed for all minority
languages in China, and elementary school students in some
minority areas have been offered a choice of either Chinese
or their minority language as the medium of instruction.
Language
Although the country's official language is Mandarin, the
Han speak a dialect of it, and almost all of the minority
nationalities have their own languages.
Religion
Ethnic diversity in Yunnan has led to a varied and complex
order of religious beliefs, which co-exist happily.
The four distinct religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and
Christianity, however one group may believe in several religions
simultaneously, whilst other groups may share one common belief.
Taoism, introduced in the 7th century, is principally a Han
belief, while Islam came to Yunnan around 1253 with the establishment
of the Yuan Dynasty and the arrival of outside officials to
replace local authorities.
An English missionary introduced Christianity in 1877.
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