With a population of 8.9 million, the Miao people form one of the largest ethnic minorities in southwest China. In China, they inhabit a wide range of land in south-central China, including settlements in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hubei, and Hainan Provinces.

Photo of Miao Family Group

The origin of the Miao people can be traced back to ancient era and people in different regions used to call themselves by different names. The Miaos have their own language, and their written language was created after 1949.

The clothing of the Miao ethnic group is various and colorful. Men wear short coats and trousers, while women decorate themselves with very dainty and dazzling skirts and jewels. Black and blue are the commonly used colors in their garments.

How cute the three little Miao girls are!

The Miao people are fond of singing and dancing. The Lusheng Festival is the most influential festival of the Miao community. The festival features a lot of Miao ethnic activities, such as singing, bullfighting, horseracing, and dancing to the rhythm of the Lusheng.

Lusheng is a homemade reed mouth organ with five or six bamboo pipes, played by various ethnic groups in southwest China

The staple food of the Miao ethnic minority is rice. Other dishes are meat and acidic soups. Pickled vegetables, hot seasonings and home-made wine are common at the table. Glutinous rice becomes a must during festivals and celebrations.

Five-color Rice

Sour Soup Fish is one of the most famous dishes for Miao people

The Miao people believe that everything in nature has a spirit. Every time there are disasters, they will invite a wizard to perform ceremonies designed to drive out the devil ghost. Their main festivals include the New Year of the Miao calendar, Tiaochang, Tasting New Grain Festival, Fourth Month Eighth Day Festival, Lusheng Festival and Dragon Boat Festival.

Uygur, a self-proclaimed name, means “solidarity” or “union”. With a population of 8,399,393, the Uygur people mainly live in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions, especially to the south of Mt. Tianshan.

Photo of Uygur Family Group

Two little Uygur boys are standing in front of their house.

Cotton clothes are their favorite. Men wear gowns, and fasten a long scarf around the waist. Women prefer one-piece dresses with bag-sleeves, colorful vests and silk scarves. Caps are an integral part of their costume. Women like wearing various kinds of accessories.

Two beautiful Uygur girls

The Uygurs are excellent at dancing and singing. They can also play many musical instruments. The most prestigious and well-known genre of Uyghur music is the Muqam. Festivities such as wedding ceremonies are celebrated with all guests, joining in their traditional folk dance.

Traditional musical instruments sold in Xinjiang Store

A wedding ceremony – the shy bride and the handsome bridegroom

The Uygur people like to eat pancakes, melon or guard jam, sweet jam, milk tea, and oil tea for breakfast, various staple foods for lunch, and pancakes, steamed dumplings, and noodles for dinner. Like the Hui people, Uygur people never eat pork.

A Nang show held in Xinjiang. Nang is Uygurs' food. Uygurs cannot miss eating a Nang any day.

Roasted Mutton Cubes on Spit

The Uygur people observe Islamism, and their grandest festival is the Corban festival, which falls on the 10th day of the second month in the Islamic calendar.

With a sizable population of 8.61 million, Hui ethnic group is one of China’s largest ethnic minorities. Hui People origin can be found in most cities throughout China, especially in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu, Qinghai, Henan, Hebei, Shandong and Yunnan provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Family group picture of Hui people

Great Mosque in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

Compared to other ethnic groups in Xinjiang, the Huis dress themselves plainly. Men typically wear a small white skullcap, white shirt and black vest. Women wear veils or white caps. Many women like to wear jewelry.

Several Hui girls are showing their beautiful clothing.

The marriage outside the Hui group is not encouraged. If a Hui wants to marry a non-Hui, the non-Hui youth must understand and respect the Hui culture as well as convert to Islamism. The marriage ceremony is simple. Singing and playing instruments are forbidden.

A wedding photography of a pair of Hui lovers

Wheat flour is the Hui’s traditional staple food. They make all sorts of dishes out of it, such as hand-stretched noodles, flakes, steamed buns, soup, deep-fried bread. Mutton is regarded as the main meat of Hui people. Hui people are generally forbidden to eat the meat of pigs, dogs, horses, donkeys, mules as well as the blood of animals.

Babao Tea is used to entertain guests for Hui people.

The primary Hui festivals are Lesser Bairam (End of Ramadan), Corban, and Shengji Festival, in which Lesser Bairam is the most important. Lesser Bairam is celebrated on the first day of the tenth month and lasts three days. Relatives and friends are served choice beef and mutton, and fired cakes which are their favorite food.

An ethnic Hui family celebrates Lesser Bairam in Ningxia.