About 93% of China's population of nearly 1.2 billion are Han Chinese. The remaining 92 million belong to one of 55 minority nationalities, or recognized ethnic groups. The minorities have disproportionate political significance because many, like the Mongolians, Tibetans, or Muslim Uygurs in Xinjiang, live in strategic border areas.
The policy of resettling Han Chinese in remote regions is deeply resented and has led to uprisings in Xinjiang and Tibet, all ruthlessly suppressed. Han Chinese are now a majority in Xinjiang and Nei Mongol Zizhiqu. Tibet, however, is gaining international support for its call for true autonomy.
The government has relaxed family planning controls for minorities, after some small groups were brought near to extinction by the one-child policy adopted in 1979. Most Han Chinese still face strict controls. Even so, the population will top 1.3 billion by 2000.
Chinese society is patriarchal in practice and several generations tend to live together. However, economic change is putting pressure on family life and breaking down the social controls of the Mao era. Divorce and unemployment are rising; materialism has replaced the puritanism of the past. A resurgence of religious belief is another response to the uncertainties of life in today's China.
