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Demography
Demography
Hundreds of ethnic groups have existed in China throughout its history.
The largest ethnic group in China by far is the Han.
This group, however, is internally diverse and can be further divided into smaller ethnic groups that share similar traits.
Over the last three millennia, many previously distinct ethnic groups in China have been Sinicized into a Han identity, which over time dramatically expanded the size of the Han population.
However, these assimilations were usually incomplete, and vestiges of indigenous language and culture still often remain in various regions of China.
Because of this, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and cultural traditions while still identifying as Han.
Several ethnicities have also dramatically shaped Han culture, e.g.
the Manchurian clothing called the qipao became the new "Chinese" fashion after the 17th century, replacing earlier Han styles of clothing such as the Hanfu.
The modern term Chinese nation (Zhonghua Minzu) is now used to describe a notion of a Chinese nationality that transcends ethnic divisions.
Languages
Most languages in China belong to the Sino-Tibetan language family, spoken by 29 ethnicities.
There are also several major dialects within the Chinese language itself.
The most spoken dialects are Mandarin (spoken by over 70% of the population), Wu, Yue (Cantonese), Min, Xiang, Gan, and Hakka.
Non-Sinitic languages spoken widely by ethnic minorities include Zhuang (Thai), Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur (Turkic), Hmong and Korean.
Classical Chinese was the written standard in China for thousands of years, and allowed for written communication between speakers of various unintelligible languages and dialects in China.
Vernacular Chinese or baihua is the written standard based on the Mandarin dialect first popularized in Ming dynasty novels, and was adopted (with significant modifications) during the early 20th century as the national vernacular.
Classical Chinese is still part of the high school curriculum and is thus intelligible to some degree to many Chinese.
Religion
The "official" orthodox faith system held by most dynasties of China until the overthrow of the last dynasty is a panentheistic system, centering on the worship of "Heaven" or Shangdi (literally "Emperor Above") as an omnipotent force[citation needed].
This faith system pre-dated the development of Confucianism and Taoism and the introduction of Buddhism and Christianity.
It has features of a monotheism in that Heaven is seen as an omnipotent entity, endowed with personality but no corporeal form.
Worship of Heaven includes the erection of shrines, the last and greatest being the Altar of Heaven in Beijing, and the offering of prayers.
Manifestation of the powers of Heaven include weather and natural disasters.
Although its popularity gradually diminished after the advent of Taoism and Buddhism, among other religions, some of its concepts remained in use throughout the pre-modern period and have been incorporated in later religions of China.
Taoism is an indigenous religion of China and its beginnings are traditionally traced to the composition of Lao Zi's Tao Te Ching (The Book of Tao and Its Virtues) or to seminal works by Zhang Daoling.
The philosophy of Taoism is centered on "the way"; an understanding of which can be likened to recognizing the true nature of the universe.
Taoism in its unorganized form is also considered a folk religion of China.
More secular derivatives of Taoist ideas include Feng Shui, Sun Tzu's Art of War, and acupuncture.
Buddhism in China was first introduced from India and Central Asia during the Han dynasty and became very popular among Chinese of all walks of life, embraced particularly by commoners, and sponsored by emperors in certain dynasties.
Mahayana (大乘, Dacheng) is the predominant form of Buddhism practiced in China, where it was largely Sinicized and later exported to Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Some subsets of Mahayana popular in China include Pure Land (Amidism) and Zen.
Buddhism is the largest organized faith in China and the country has the most Buddhist adherents in the world.
Many Chinese, however, identify themselves as both Taoist and Buddhist at the same time.
Ancestor worship is a major religious theme shared among all Chinese religions.
Traditional Chinese culture, Taoism, Confucianism, and Chinese Buddhism all value filial piety, or a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors, as one of the most important virtues.
Chinese people generally offer prayers and food for their ancestors, light incense and candles, and burn offerings of Joss paper.
These activities are typically conducted at the site of ancestral graves or tombs, at an ancestral temple, or at a household shrine.
Christianity in China has developed since at least the 7th century AD with the introduction of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Christianity began to make significant inroads in China after the 16th century through Jesuit and later Protestant missionaries.
The Taiping Rebellion was influenced to some degree by Christian teachings, and the Boxer Rebellion was in part a reaction against Christianity in China.
Islam in China dates to a mission in 651, eighteen years after Muhammad's death.
Muslims came to China for trade, dominating the import/export industry during the Song Dynasty.
They became influential in government circles, including Zheng He, Lan Yu and Yeheidie'erding, was one of the people who helped to construct the Yuan Dynasty's capital, Khanbaliq.
Nanjing became an important center of Islamic study.
The Qing Dynasty waged war and genocide against Muslims in the Dungan revolt and Panthay rebellion.
Judaism in China is dates to as early as the 7th or 8th century CE.
In the first half of the 20th century, many Jews arrived in Shanghai and Hong Kong during those cities' periods of economic expansion, seeking refuge from the Holocaust.
Shanghai was notable for its volume of Jewish refugees, as it was the only port in the world to accept them without an entry visa.
Source: CIA Factbook, Wikipedia
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