Li Chinese - Definition and Overview

Li (黎 pinyin Lí) is a minority Chinese ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. The majority of Li Chinese live on Hainan island on the south coast of China.

Li Chinese has its own language (黎语) which is classified as one of the Sino-Tibetan languages. Li language did not have a writing system, but it adapted the Latin alphabet as its writing system during the 1950s. The Li people have regular contact with Han Chinese; therefore, the majority of Li people can understand or speak Mandarin.