The Zhuangs
The Zhuang nationality has about 18 million people, which is the largest population of
the 55 minority ethnic groups in China. About half of them live in the Guangxi Zhuaag
Autonomous Region (established in 1958) and a small number of them live in Yunan,
Hunan and Guangdong provinces. Most of the Zhuangs live in compact communities
while the others reside in mixed communities with other eththc groups. The Zhuangs
originally were part of ancient Yue ethnic group. They used to live over a wide area
south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtzi River before the Qin Dynasty
(22I BC--207 BC).
Their language belongs to the Zhuang-Dai branch of the Zbuang+Dong group of the
Hart-Tibetan language family including two major dialects (similar in grammar and