Yao is one of the ethnic minorities in China, with a population of 263742 1. Mainly engaged in mountain agriculture. Call themselves Mian, Jinmen, Bunu, Bingduoyou, Heiyoumeng and Maharaja. Due to the differences in economic life and customs, there are different appellations such as Pan Yao, Shanziyao, Ceiling Yao, Hualan Yao, Guo Shanyao, Baiku Yao, Yao Hongyao, Indigo Yao, Bapai Yao, Pingdi Yao and Aoyao. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), it was collectively called Yao nationality. Mainly distributed in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Hunan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and other provinces. The distribution of Yao nationality is characterized by large dispersion and small settlements, mainly living in mountainous areas. According to the national census in 2000, the population of Yao nationality is 263742 1. People. Yao nationality has its own language, but its branches are complex and vary greatly from place to place, and some of them can't even communicate with each other. Common Chinese or Zhuang language. There is no national language, and Chinese is generally used. Yao language belongs to the branch of Miao language family of Sino-Tibetan language family. Due to long-term contact with Han, Zhuang and Miao nationalities, Yao people all over the country are generally fluent in Chinese, and some of them are fluent in Zhuang and Miao languages.

The living areas of Yao people are mostly subtropical, and the altitude is generally between1000-2000m. The village is located around, with green bamboo trees and beautiful scenery. Because of the different characteristics of its production mode, residence and clothing, there are many self-styled and nicknames. Such as: Pan Yao, Chashanyao, Shanziyao, Aoyao, Hualan Yao, Baiku Yao and Hongtou Yao. It has as many as 2 0 branches. After the founding of New China, Yao became their collective name.

There have always been different opinions about the source of Yao nationality, including "Mountain Yue Theory", "Wu Xi Man Theory" and various sources. However, most people think that the Yao nationality is related to Man Jing and Wu Lingren in ancient times.

After Qin Shihuang established a unified multi-ethnic centralized country, he adopted the policy of "garrison" for people in frontier ethnic areas, and sent a large number of Han people from the Central Plains into Changsha and Wulingman areas, bringing advanced production tools and technologies and promoting the development of production in these areas. In the Western Han Dynasty, the barbarians in Wuling area paid taxes by the amount of Ding, but in the later Han Dynasty, they still levied "stubborn taxes" on the barbarians. In the first year of Yonghe (136), due to exorbitant taxes and levies, Wu Lingren, including Yao Zu, revolted one after another.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the ancestors of the Yao nationality were distributed in the vast areas of Shouchun (now Shouxian County, Anhui Province) in the east, Shangluo (now Shangxian County, Shaanxi Province) in the west and Ruying (now eastern Henan Province and northwest Anhui Province) in the north. During this period, the economic and cultural exchanges between Yao and Han were close. In the Tang Dynasty, Yao nationality was mainly distributed in Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi, and was called Mo Yaoman in history. Moni is mainly engaged in agricultural production. The Song Dynasty adopted the policy of "controlling foreigners with foreigners" to control Yao areas. Under the rule of local officials or local leaders, some Yao areas accelerated the process of feudalism. In the history of Yao nationality, there was an important migration. In the Yuan Dynasty, officials sent people to collect taxes. The local Yao people were so hospitable that officials forgot to go back to the yamen. The yamen mistakenly thought that the Yao people killed the officials who came to collect taxes, so they sent troops to destroy them, and the Yao people were forced to migrate and move to different places. Before the meeting, they divided the horns into twelve sections, in charge of twelve surnames, and returned to their hometown after meeting for a thousand years.