Tujia

The Tujia are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China. They are concentrated in the Wuling mountains of central and southwestern China, with large populations in Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Jiangxi, and smaller communities elsewhere. They number in the millions and are among the largest minority groups in the country.

The Tujia language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and comprises several dialects. Many Tujia now speak Mandarin or other local languages, and language use varies by region and generation.

Traditional Tujia culture includes distinctive music, dance, crafts, and architecture. Many communities maintain wooden stilt houses and other hill-region building forms, and textile arts such as embroidery are noted. Nuo rites and performances are among older religious and ceremonial practices, though practice and visibility vary with modernization.

Historically, the Tujia inhabited areas of the Yangtze River basin and adjacent uplands, interacting with Han Chinese and other minority groups. Under the PRC, they are recognized as one of 56 ethnic groups, and some areas include autonomous administrative units for ethnic minorities, such as the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan. In contemporary China, Tujia communities participate in agriculture, forestry, crafts, and tourism, with many regions promoting cultural heritage alongside economic development.