This article is about the general concept of peoples relating to China. For the dominant Chinese ethnic group, see Han Chinese. For a list of ethnicities in modern China, see List of ethnic groups in China. For a list of ethnicities in historical China, see Ethnic groups in Chinese history. For the concept of the multiethnic Chinese nation, see Zhonghua minzu.
Countries with a significant population with Chinese ancestry.
Greater China (mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan)
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The Chinese people, or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation.[1]
Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren (traditional Chinese: 中國人; simplified Chinese: 中国人) or as Huaren (traditional Chinese: 華人; simplified Chinese: 华人) by speakers of standard Chinese, including those living in Greater China as well as overseas Chinese. Although both terms both refer to Chinese people, their usage depends on the person and context. The former term is commonly (but not exclusively) used to refer to the citizens of the People's Republic of China—especially mainland China.[2][3][4][5] The term Huaren is used to refer to ethnic Chinese, and is more often used for those who reside overseas or are non-citizens of China.
Outside China, the terms "Han Chinese" and "Chinese" are often wrongly conflated since those identifying or registered as Han Chinese are the dominant ethnic group in China.[11][12] However, there are also 55 officially-recognized ethnic minorities in China who are also Chinese by nationality.
People from Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), may also be referred to as "Chinese" in various contexts, though they are usually referred to as "Taiwanese". The territory of Taiwan is disputed and the ROC has limited recognition of its sovereignty.
The term "Overseas Chinese" is used to refer to people of Chinese origin living overseas as well as Chinese citizens residing outside China, but more commonly the former.
^CIA FactbookArchived 13 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine: "Han Chinese 91.6%" out of a reported population of 1,379 billion (July 2017 est.)
^中華民國國情簡介 [ROC Vital Information]. Executive Yuan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2016. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2016. 臺灣住民以漢人為最大族群,約占總人口97%