Introduction

According to the sixth census in 2010, the total population of Miao in China is 9,426,007. Miao has the fourth largest population among Chinese ethnic minorities. The Miao live primarily in the provinces ofGuizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi,Guangdong and Hainan. Some sub-groups of the Miao have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Northern Vietnam, Laos and Thailand).

Miao is a very old ethnic group. Its name was first seen in The Book ofHistory.From a historical perspective, Miao formed and developed in an open and interactive ethnic environment. Owing to long-period migration and separation, the nationality was,historically, always under the jurisdiction of powerful local ethnic groups such as Han,Yi Dong, Tujia, Buyi and Zhuang. Therefore, it is a “pluralistic integration” ethnic group;from a cultural perspective, it is also an ethnic group of “integrated diversity”. After the founding of P.R.C, the ethnic group was formally named as “Miao” agreed by the ethnic representatives and other social groups.