The Chinese Nationality is also referred as the Zhonghua Minzu. In China there are total of 56 types of Chinese ethics within the Zhonghua Minzu. As time passes, the meaning of “Zhonghua Minzu” enlarges to include both the Chinese and the Foreigners as well.

The phrase ‘Zhonghua’ (中华) refers to the concept of "China". The phrase Zhonghua is also used in the formal names for both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China. The phrase ‘Minzu’ (民族) can be translated as "nationality", "people", or "ethnic groups".The People's Republic of China officially describes itself as a multinational unitary state and recognizes 56 ethnic group within the Zhonghua Minzu. In addition to the 56 official nationalities, there are some Chinese who classify themselves as members of unrecognized nationalities.

Moreover, with the communication between nationalities, foreign nationals who have become Chinese citizens form another separate group. Therefore, today it is difficult to determine the number of people in China. To call the Chinese “Zhonghua Minzu” is a common name for Han Chinese, 55 Minorities and other unclassified members.

The concept of Zhonghua Minzu was first publicly espoused by President Yuan Shikai in 1912, shortly after the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the concept of Zhonghua Minzu is seen as an category consisting of people within the borders of the PRC.

This term has continued to be invoked and remains a powerful concept in China into the 21st century. In the mainland China, it continues to hold use as the leaders of China need to unify into one political entity as a highly diverse set of ethnic and social groups as well as to mobilize the support of overseas Chinese in developing China.

The most efficient benefit of being a multinational unitary state is that the multiple ethnic cultures vary Chinese culture. Although most of the nationalities can be seen as ethnic groups, the correspondence is not one to one. The degree of integration of minorities’ nationality with the national community varies widely from group to group. For example, people of ethnic minorities are good at singing and dancing, every ethnic group has its own special style of dance.

On the contrary, being a multi-national state, it will have more or less conflicts between different ethnics. In order to deal with this conflict, the most difficult task would be the people.