China's Minority Nationalities

China is a unified, multi-national country with 55 ethnic minorities be- sides the Han nationality, the largest of them all. The population of the 55 ethnic minority groups combined is 67.23 million, 6.7 percent of the national total. Since remote times, each of these nationalities have been making their own priceless contributions to the history and culture of China and the development of inter- racial brotherhood, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges. For a variety of reasons, however, the social-economy in the areas inhabit- ed by the ethnic minorities has been generally backward. Until recent decades feudal land-ownership pre- vailed in most of these areas; in some areas feudal serfdom was dominant, while in a few areas vestiges of primitive communes remained. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the op- pression of all nationalities was brought to an end, a system of regional national autonomy put into practice and social reform carried out in a nationwide move to develop China's economy and culture and to improve the living standards of her minority nationalities. Building on a foundation of mutual interest, all of China's 56 nationalities have established a new pattern of relations based on the principles of equality, unity and mutual aid.