About 92 percent of China's 1.35 billion people come from the same ethnic group, the Han, who have dominated Chinese culture for more than 2,000 years. Nevertheless, China is by no means a homogeneous nation. In fact, China's government officially recognizes 55 ethnic minority groups, and at times their integration into Chinese society has presented difficult challenges for Beijing. The People of China presents an in-depth look at the largest ethnic groups in the world's most populous country. It examines each group's history, customs, beliefs, and aspirations—in the process revealing the complexities, and the politics, of ethnic identity in the People's Republic of China.