A mass dancing performance went on with the paraders dressed in China's ethnic costumes passing Tian'anmen Square to showcase the progress the country has made in ethnic unity through the 60 years since 1949.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups. The Han ethnic group has the largest population while the other 55 ethnic groups are relatively small and called ethnic minorities.

The population of ethnic minorities reported continuous increase, from 6.06 percent of the total population in 1953 to 8.41 percent in 2000, according to a white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council on September 27.

The 55 ethnic minorities such as Manchu, Zhuang, Hui, Uygur, Tibetan and Mongol mostly concentrated in the northwest, north, northeast, south, and southwest but with some in central interior areas.

The vast territory of China, the time-honored and splendid Chinese culture and the unified multi-ethnic country are all parts of the legacy built by all ethnic groups in China, the paper said.

The central government has all along upheld regional ethnic autonomy and made remarkable achievements in this regard, according to the document.

China's regional ethnic autonomy means that under the unified leadership of the state, regional autonomy is exercised and organs of self-government are established in areas where various ethnic minorities live in compact communities.

China adopted the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy in 1984, which greatly accelerated regional development in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region.

The long-standing existence of a unified multi-ethnic state in Chinese history greatly enhanced the economic, political and cultural exchanges among different ethnic groups.

Combined GDP of China's ethnic autonomous areas reached 3.06 trillion yuan (US$448.3 billion) in 2008, a dramatic leap from 5.79 billion yuan in 1952. Urban income per capita in these regions climbed to 13,170 yuan in 2008 from 307 yuan in 1978.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2009)