Historical photos of 56 ethnic groups in China (Part I)

By Yu Xiaoou (Chinaculture.org)

Updated: 2015-05-04

A photo of two sisters from the Tibetan ethnic group, taken in 1950, provided by China Pictorial. [Photo/ China Photographers Association]

China is a large united multi-ethnic state. Besides Han, which takes up over 90% of China’s population, there are 55 ethnic groups in this big country, with their costumes, festivals and customs.

These numerous groups share China's vast lands but at the same time many live in their individual communities. The relationships between them have been formed over many years. Now let’s have a look at some old photos of the 56 ethnic groups and learn about their culture.

Tibetan ethnic group

Living on the world famous plateau, the Tibetan people boast a unique lifestyle and set of skills. In the field of arts, the Thangka and other Buddhist pictures, with fluent lines and bright colors, depict figures vividly. Their architecture, like the Potala Place and Jokhang Temple, is charming and brilliant. The Tibetan people are also famous for expressing their feelings through song and dance, especially the step dance and the masked Tibetan opera.