Underrepresented and Unique: China's Top 10 Smallest Ethnic Groups

China, one of the cradles of human history, considered the country with the most monumental history among more than 200 countries and territories in the world. The vast territory and diverse geography have helped this largest country in Asia have an extremely rich and distinct culture. In particular, building thousands of years of massive cultural history certainly cannot ignore people, the most important factor of China. As one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world today, China currently has 56 ethnic groups living together and has built an influential political and economic power today. And certainly, there will be many extremely mysterious ethnic minorities with an extremely modest number of people whose names you will probably never know. So follow us to learn about the 10 least populous ethnic minorities in the Democratic People's Republic of China. Russians began to live in China from the time of the Tsars in the 18th century, with some arriving in Xinjiang in the 19th century. In particular, many current Russians are descendants of soldiers who fled Russia in 1917 after the war during the Russian Revolution. Gradually, they lived together here and gradually mingled with China's Asian culture. With a current total of more than 16,000, this community has the 10th smallest number of the ethnics living in China. They live concentrated in several locations in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. Considered one of the ethnic groups with the most unusual appearance in China, Russians have high nose bridges and bright eyes like Westerners. Harbin, one of the largest cities in Northeast China, is greatly influenced by the Russians living here. The architecture, culture and cuisine of this city are all so Russian that the city is nicknamed Moscow in the East. Besides Harbin, Xinjiang is also where a significant number of Russians live. They are mainly concentrated in a few cities such as Urumqi. Uyghur is one of the least populated ethnic groups in China today. With only about 14,700 people living mainly in Sunan Uyghur Autonomous County in Gansu Province, this is the ninth least populous ethnic group. Most scholars believe that Uyghur originated from a nomadic tribe known as the Huiq. The government first recorded information about Huiq during the Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D. It is known that attacks from the forest-dwelling Kyrgyz forced the Uyghur people to flee their Mongolian homeland. They moved to Gansu and came under the control of the Tibetans. Currently, the majority of Uyghur people follow Tibetan Buddhism, while another part follows Tengrism. Referring to this ethnic group, the most notable thing is the extremely typical traditional costume. The Uyghur people have their own special way of dressing. Men often wear a felt hat, a high-collared ao dai buttoned on the left side, a red and blue belt, and high boots. Meanwhile, a woman of marriageable age will comb her hair into many small braids, tie them into three large braids, two on the chest and one on the back, and wear a white trumpet-shaped felt hat with two black stripes in front. There is a red tassel on the head. A name that is both strange and familiar. Familiar because this is the main ethnic group in Uzbekistan. Strange because Uzbeks are considered one of the most secretive ethnic minorities in China, with an extremely small number. Uzbeks are scattered across a large area of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Most of them are city dwellers living in compact communities in Yining, Tachen, Urumqi, Yarkan, Yechen, and Kashi. As the name suggests, Uzbeks originally originated from Central Asia, living intermingled with Mongolian and Turkish nomadic tribes from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The Uzbeks gradually migrated to Xinjiang as traders of silk, tea, porcelain, and other goods from afar. Some settled there, becoming silk weavers, farmers, craftsmen, and eventually businessmen. With a current number of only about 13,000, Uzbeks are China's 8th least populous ethnic group. This ethnic group also experienced a period of decline in numbers, and has only recovered in the past several years. As one of the most mysterious ethnic groups in China, the Manpa people mainly live in the Tibet Autonomous Region in Sona, Pelung, and Medog counties. With 11,000 people living, Manpa ranks 7th in terms of smallest population among recognized ethnic groups in China. Living mainly in Tibet, which is considered one of the areas with the richest cultural beliefs in the world, the Manpa people have a relatively complex belief system. Although heavily influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, the Manpa people also follow traditional beliefs or other primitive religions in the region. When talking about Manpa, we cannot forget to mention traditional costumes. Manpa men appear strong and sturdy in boots with bows and arrows in hand, a gao, guard box, on their chest, and a long knife called jiao on their belt. Meanwhile, women use costumes of extravagant colors, preferring to have two long braids rolled on their heads or Manpa baronies, with ornaments of red coral and onyx hanging from their necks. The Oroken are considered one of the oldest ethnic groups in Northeast China. Living mainly in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and along the Amur River in Heilongjiang Province, there are nearly 10,000 Oroken people counted in China, making the Oroken one of the least populous ethnic minorities nowadays. Speaking of the Oroken people, one of the most famous cultures is Shamanism. Shamanism has a great influence on the spiritual life and religious culture of the Oroken people. However, in 1952, Chinese Communist Party officials forced Oroken shamans to give up customs deemed superstitious and banned activities from this religion. This caused the shaman culture to gradually begin to disappear. The new generation of Oroken people do not have faith in shamans due to being influenced by mainstream religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and other religions or have been cynicized and become atheists. The current generation of Oroken, they only have a superficial understanding of shamanism as a part of culture, not a belief. The days of shamanism as religious belief are over and the primordial spiritual nourishment of the gods has become history. With just over 7,000 people, the Derung are currently the fifth smallest ethnic group in China. This ethnic group mainly lives in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, in the Derung Valley. Besides, another group is living in the eastern Derung Valley and the hilly areas above Nu River, Salween River. The Derung people live almost in isolation and have relatively little contact with the outside world. The Chinese government has tried to persuade the Derung people to give up their traditional way of life. In some cases, they simply moved deep into the mountains beyond government control. Derung is also one of the poorest ethnic groups in China today. The lifestyle of this ethnic group is quite primitive, mainly slash-and-burn farming or hunting and gathering wild food in the forest. What is quite special is that although the Derung people have their own language, Derung which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, they do not have their own writing and often their records and messages are created by carving inscriptions on wood and knotted. Currently, although some Derungs have converted to Christianity, the vast majority continue to believe in their animist native religion. They have a belief that every living thing has its own soul. Often, various sacrifices were performed to appease malevolent spirits. During the Derung New Year celebration, held in the 12th lunar month, various animal sacrifice rituals are held to offer to heaven. This is considered one of the unique cultural features of the Derung people. Living along the Amur, Songhua and Wusuli rivers, the Nanai ethnic group has a total of more than 5,000 people, thereby ranking fourth in terms of the ethnic group with the smallest population in China. Nanai Chinese people use the Hezhen dialect of Nanai. They also have a rich oral literature called Yimikan. This dialect has no writing system in China and Nanai usually writes in Chinese. However, in 2005, professors recently compiled what is considered the first Hezhen textbook, thereby opening up an opportunity to preserve the nation's own language. In addition, like any other group of people, they organize festivals and holidays to preserve their own traditional culture. The Nanai people lead a rather isolated life. Their traditional belief is shamanism. However, there are some who practice Tibetan Buddhism. The Nanai people believe that shamans have the power to ward off evil spirits by praying to the gods. They worshipped the spirits of the sun, moon, mountains, water and trees. Loba is one of the smallest ethnic minority groups in China. With just over 4,000 people, accounting for 0.0003% of China's total population, this ethnic group mainly lives scattered in the Tibet Autonomous Region. There is not too much information about this ethnic group due to its small population and harsh living location, which is quite difficult to research. However, it is known that some Loba people today are animists and in addition, some are Tibetan Buddhists. The customs, habits and way of dressing of Loba members are extremely unique. Men will often wear sleeveless, unbuttoned, knee-length black coats made of lamb's wool. They wore helmet-like hats made from bearskin or woven from bamboo stripes or bearskin rattan. They walk barefoot, wear earrings, bamboo necklaces and carry bows and arrows or swords on their hips. Meanwhile, women had narrow blouses and skirts made of lamb's wool. They also go barefoot. In addition to silver or brass earrings, bracelets and necklaces, women also wore a variety of waste jewelry such as shells, silver coins, iron chains and bells. Heavy jewelry for the Loba people is considered a sign of wealth. As one of the two least populated ethnic groups today, the Tatars have a total of more than 3,500 people, living mainly in the cities of Yining, Tachen and Urumqi. The Chinese Tatars are descendants of the Volga Tatars who migrated to Xinjiang from the Idel Ural region, the region in present-day Russia. Tatars have traditionally acted as intermediaries between Russians and indigenous Muslims in Xinjiang. The first wave of permanent settlement of Tatars in Xinjiang began in 1851 mainly in cities such as Guljia, Yining. The Tatars brought progressive ideas and new institutions into Xinjiang where they consolidated their position in the region's cultural and political structure. Jadid schools, including facilities for girls, mosques and libraries serving the Tatar community opened in the second half of the 19th century and in the first decades of the 20th century. Chinese Tatars are Sunni Muslims. Most Tatars can speak Uyghur and often use the Uyghur Arabic script to write. And the least populated ethnic group in China belongs to Gaoshan. With more 3,400 people scattered through Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Fujian, this ethnic group accounts for 0.0002% of China's total population. The Gaoshans do not have their own script and their spoken language belongs to the Indonesian group of the Malay-Polynesian language family. Menswear includes capes, vests, short jackets and pants, leggings and turbans decorated with laces, shells and stones. In some areas, vests are delicately woven with rattan and coconut bark. Women wear short blouses with or without sleeves, aprons and trousers or skirts, with ornaments like bracelets and ankle bracelets. They are skilled in weaving cloths and dyeing them in bright colors and they like to decorate sleeve cuffs, collars and hems of blouses with beautiful embroidery. They also use shells and animal bones as ornaments. In some places, the time-honored tradition of tattooing faces and bodies and denting the teeth has been preserved. Some elderly Gaoshan women, though having lived on the mainland among the Han people for many years, still take pride in their distinctive embroidery. If you enjoyed watching, do well to like, share and subscribe to the channel for more videos like this one. Till next time, thanks for watching!