The Zhuang ethnicity is one of the largest ethnic groups in China, next to the Han. The Zhuang poeple are of the Tai origin. They are very clever people, for they developed a unique irrigation system which was useful in growing rice. Over time, they had many problems with the people of China, therefore they migrated away from Southern China to create the Lao. They have a total population of about 18 million people. They generally speak the languages of Zhuang, Mandarin Chinese, and Pinghua Chinese. When it comes to religion, they are predominantly animist with ancestor worship, but there are also some Buddhists, Taoists, and Christians. They are closely related with the Buyei, Tay, and Nung ethnic groups.
