Chinese History and Statistics -- Page 13

People

China is a multiracial state whose population includes about 94% Han Chinese and about 6% of some 60 other ethnic groups, the largest being Huis, Mongols, Uygur, Zhuang, Yis, Tibetans (Zang), Miaos, Manchus, Pu yi, and Koreans. National autonomous regions, districts, or counties have been established in areas where these ethnic groups are concentrated.

Languages

China's languages are classified into four major linguistic families: the Sino-Tibetan, Ural-Altaiv, Indo-European, and Mon-Khmer. Mandarin dialects, the largest group of the Sino-Tibetan family, are spoken by about two-thirds of China's population. The Mandarin Peking dialect is now China's national spoken language. The Ural-Altaic linguistic family includes the Turkic linguistic groups (Kazakh, Kirghiz, Uzbek, Salar, and Uygur), Mongolic groups (Meng, Tu, Dongziang, Baoyin, and Daghurs), and Tungusic groups (Manchu, Evenki, Orochon Gold, and Xibe). The Mon-Khmer linguistic family of Southeast Asia is represented in Yunnan province by the Wa, the Puland, and the Penglung. The Indo-European linguistic family is represented only by Tajik speakers.