Several ethnic groups of the People's Republic of China are not officially recognized. Taken together, these groups (未识别民族 wèi shíbié mínzú) number more than 730,000 people; if considered as a single group, they would constitute the twentieth most populous ethnic group of China. Some scholars have estimated that there are over 200 distinct ethnic groups that inhabit China. There are in addition small distinct ethnic groups that have been classified as part of larger ethnic groups that are officially recognized. Some groups like the Hui of Xinjiang with the Hui of Fujian are geographically and culturally separate except for the shared belief of Islam. Han Chinese being the world's largest ethnic group has a large diversity within it, such as in Gansu, the Han here may have genetic traits from the assimilated Tangut civilization. Although they are indigenous to Hainan island and do not speak a Chinese language, the Limgao (Ong-Be) people near the capital (8% of the population) are counted as Han Chinese.
Completely unrecognized ethnic groups include:
Bajia (八甲人)Lai (萊人)Deng (僜人)Gejia (革家人)Utsul (回輝人)Khmu (克木人)Macanese (土生葡人, people of mixed Chinese-Portuguese ancestry in Macau; Eurasians)Mang (芒人)Jews (犹太, Youtai)Eurasians in Hong KongNaturalized Chinese citizens of South and Southeast Asian backgrounds in Hong KongYamato Japanese (大和民族) in DalianRyukyuans (琉球民族) in TaiwanEthnic groups that have been subsumed under the official list of 56 recognized ethnic groups:
Akha people - officially a branch of Hani peopleAynu/Ani of China - officially classified as UyghursBaima (白马人) - officially classified as TibetansChuanqing - officially classified as Han ChineseMosuo - officially classified as Nashi/Naxi/Nakhi ( 纳西族)Dolan - officially classified as UyghursKucong (苦聪人) - officially classified as LahuHui'an maidens - officially classified as Han ChineseMosuo (摩梭人) - officially classified as NaxiShan (掸族) - some classified as Buyi, others as Zhuang, and still others as undistinguishedSherpa (夏尔巴人), officially classified as TibetansTibetan Muslims - officially classified as Tibetans, also known as the KacheeTuvans (图瓦人) - officially classified as MongolTanka - officially classified as Han ChineseUtsul - officially classified as Hui, though they have more in common with Chams, Malays and other Austronesian peoples.Waxiang people (瓦乡族) - officially classified as Miao or Han ChineseBen people (本人) Khitan adherents in Shidian, Yunnan. They're not Daur people. Still use the otherwise extinct Khitan script in their cemeteries, officially classified as Han Chinese, Bai or Mongolian.