Ethnic Groups 
There are about 17 million Zhuang people in China, including more than 1 million in Yunnan. There are many branches to the group, including more than 40 branches in Yunnan alone.
More than 8 million Yi people live in the hillside and basin areas of China, including about 5 million in Yunnan. They hold to ancient spiritual beliefs such as the adoration of nature and worship of ancestors, while also cherishing many different religious beliefs together, including Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity.
The Yao ethnic group numbers more than 2.8 million throughout China, in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou, and there are about 190,000 Yao people in Yunnan. They are closely connected to the Miao people through their ancestral lineage dating back to the "Wulingman" tribe during the Qin and Han dynasties.
The Shui Ethnic Group has a population of more than 410,000, mainly in Guizhou Province, but only about 12,000 of them live in Yunnan, mostly in the Fuyuan and Yiliang areas. The Shui people in Yunnan migrated there very early and have evolved in their own ways, separately from the Shui in Guizhou and follow different customs.
The Wa people live in the upland regions of eastern Myanmar and southwestern Yunnan. There are about 400,000 of them in China and they occupy the rugged, mountainous land between the Mekong River and Salween River, which is their ancient homeland.
The Tibetan People, or Zang ethnic minority, number more than 6 million in China, mostly living in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, but about 128, 000 are in Yunnan Province. The Tibetans are well known internationally for their own distinctive style of Tibetan Buddhism, architecture, music and dance.
Of about 300,000 Naxi people in China, most live in Naxi Autonomous County in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, others in Sichuan and Tibet. The name "Naxi" means "senior and honored people." Many of their ancient customs remain intact. Their ancient faith of Dongba Jiao survives amidst Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity.
There are nearly 40,000 Pumi people in China and most of them live in the northwest quadrant of Yunnan. They were nomadic people who trace their history back to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the northwest and gradually moved south to Sichuan and Yunnan.