China is scheduled to build a Zhuang ethnic group museum in Wuming County in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The museum will mainly display the history, culture, art, architecture and customs of the ethnic group.
With a population of about 17 million, the Zhuang is China’s second largest ethnic group, after the Han.
Most of the Zhuang people live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with the rest distributed in Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces.
The Zhuang language with two main dialects belongs to the Zhuang-Dong branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. In 1955, a phonetic language based on the Latin alphabet was created.
The areas inhabited by the Zhuangs are known for their beautiful limestone and karst formations.
Zhuang brocade has been around for centuries and is popular for tourist products. Its literature includes myths, fables, legends and folk songs.
(Xinhua 01/24/2001)
