the zhuang people (; ) are a kra-dai speaking ethnic group who mostly live in the guangxi zhuang autonomous region in southern china. some also live in the yunnan, guangdong, guizhou and hunan provinces. they form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the people's republic of china. with the buyi, tay–nùng, and other northern tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the rau or rao. their population, estimated at 18 million people, makes them the largest minority in china.