What determines an ethnic group?
Distinct language While hundreds of Chinese dialects are spoken across China, a minority language is not simply a dialect. Rather, it is a language with distinct grammatical and phonological differences from Chinese. Language families include Sino-Tibetan, Altaic, Indo-European, Austro-Asiatic, and Austronesian. Twenty-one ethnic minority groups have unique writing systems. A Recognized Indigenous Homeland A territory within the national boundaries of China, from which the group originated. Native history and mythologies are interwoven into this native land. Distinctive Customs Ranging from dress, marriage rituals, cuisine, religion, and so forth. A Strong Sense of Identity Feeling of relation with other members of the group, along with historically perceived friends and enemies among other groups.
