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The being the majority (>92%), and the remaining 55 nationalities being the national minorities. In addition to the 56 official nationalities, there are some Chinese who privately classify themselves as members of unrecognized nationalities (such as Jewish , Tuvan , Oirat and Ili Turki ), although most Chinese who are uncertain of their specific nationality identify themselves generically as Han . Also, foreign nationals who have become Chinese citizens form yet another separate group. The direct translation of (民族) would be "peoples" or "nations." In general, the system of 56 nationalities is applied only within Mainland China although Taiwan ese Aborigine s are classified as a single one of the 56 nationalities - Gaoshan (“High Mountains”) - although they represent several linguistically and culturally diverse ethnicities. Hong Kong and Macau do not use this ethnic classification system, and figures by the PRC government do not include Hong Kong and Macau. In the PRC and the Republic Of China , the various nationalities in China are part of a broader "civil ethnicity" known as the Chinese Nation (中華民族, ''Zhonghua minzu''). Unless specifically stated or discussing Chinese minorities, English usage of the term "Chinese" typically refers to the Chinese nation, and not the Han Chinese . NATIONALITIES Although most of the nationalities can be seen as ethnic groups, the correspondence is not one to one. For example, many Hui Chinese are indistinguishable from Han Chinese except for the fact that they practice Islam . Conversely, Hakka are often thought of as an ethnic group, but they are generally considered to be within the Subgroups Of The Han Ethnicity . While Han Chinese make up the vast majority of China's total population, the population distribution is highly uneven with large parts of western China having Han Chinese as a minority. In addition the lumping of most Chinese into the majority Han, obscures some of the large linguistic, cultural, and genetic differences between persons within that group. The multi-ethnic nature of China results in part by territories incorporated by the Qing Dynasty , whose emperors were themselves Manchu and not members of the majority Han. Chinese ethnicities theory is heavily influenced by that of the Soviet Union . Official policy is against Assimilation and maintains that each ethnic group should have the right to develop its own Culture and Language . The degree of integration of minority nationalities with the national community varies widely from group to group. With some groups, such as the Tibetan s and the Uyghur s there is some resentment against the majority. Other groups such as the Zhuang , Hui Chinese , and ethnic Koreans are well integrated into the national community and typically identify themselves as part of the Chinese Nationality . See List Of China Administrative Regions By Ethnic Group for the ethnic composition of each province-level division of China. in the western part of Guizhou Province.]] In order of population, the nationalities of China are:
COMPLICATIONS province. The group of "Undistinguished nationalities" does not include groups that have been controversially classified into existing groups. For example, the Mosuo are officially classified as Naxi , and the Chuanqing are classified as Han Chinese , but they reject these classifications and view themselves as separate nationalities. Citizens of Mainland China (i.e., excluding the former European colonies of Hong Kong and Macau ; see Macanese People ) who are of foreign origin are classified using yet another separate label: "ex-foreigners naturalized into the Chinese citizenship" (外国人入中国籍). However, if there is an existing group among the 56 nationalities that describes the citizen of foreign origin (e.g., Han Chinese, Korean, Russian, Gin, Kazakh, etc.), then he or she is classified into that nationality rather than the special label. RELIGIONS Note that some of these nationalities hold belief systems that cannot be distinctly classified based upon the following system (in alphabetical order).
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