What is the ethnic make-up of Beijing residents?
For the past two thousand years, Beijing has been a city of major military importance. Despite the construction of the Great Wall, the Huns, Xianbeis, Chidans, Manchus and Mongols–all nomadic tribespeople from the north–broke through the defense of the Hans and poured into Beijing. It turned out, however, that over the long course of history, the cultures of these ethnic groups became assimilated with that of the Hans, the majority nationality in China. Beijing, therefore, is an ethnic melting pot where people of different cultural backgrounds blend into each other harmoniously. As the capital of the nation, Beijing historically also attracted a huge number of people from outside provinces. Today, most of these hinterland residents are employed in government departments, scientific research institutions and cultural organizations. They brought with them their unique customs while blending into the local culture. In recent years, millions of surplus laborers from outside provinces als
