The Yao nationality (瑶族, pinyin: Yáo zú) are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south.
The Yao are mostly Buddhists, Taoists or ancestor worshippers.
As of the late 20th century, they numbered around 2,130,000 in China.
Populations of Yao also live in Laos, Vietnam and Burma. There are around 60,000 Yao in Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes. The Yao refer to themselves as Mien (meaning "person") or Iu-Mien. The lowland-living Lanten of Laos are related to the Mien.
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