Five Nationalities

The? Five Nationalities is a term often used by Yuan Shikai during the fall of the Qing Dynasty referring to the five nationalities he saw made the Chinese people as a whole: Han, Manchu, Hui, Mongol and Tibetan.

Han
The Han are the majority of what many would consider the Chinese people, referring to the former Han Dynasty which made up the main pieces of China.

Manchu
The Manchu were the native people of Manchuria in Northeast China, being descendants of the Jurchen nomadic tribes north of the Great Wall. As a people they were somewhat different than other Chinese, being more "Tungustic", having similarities to Mongols and Koreans.

Hui
The Hui was a Chinese term referring to the predominant Muslim people of China. This sets them apart from the others somewhat.

Mongol
The Mongol people are the inhabitants of Mongolia, north of the Great Wall, a people of the plains and steppes living as horseback nomads whom once conquered China.

Tibetan
The Tibetans are the people of Tibet, being very distinct from Chinese people, living in the mountains often in devout Buddhist communities surrounded by Buddhist monasteries.