The Miao are a linguistically and culturally related group of people recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups.

Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component sub-groups; which include (with some variant spellings) Hmong; Hmu; A Hmao; and Kho (Qho) Xiong. The Miao live primarily in southern China; in the provinces of Guizhou; Hunan; Yunnan; Sichuan; Guangxi; Hainan; Guangdong; and Hubei.

Some members of the Miao sub-groups; most notably Hmong people; have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia (northern Vietnam; Laos; Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand). Following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975; a large group of Hmong refugees resettled in several Western nations (United States; France; Australia; and elsewhere.)

Nanning was originally founded during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368); although there was a county seat here called Jinxing as far back as 318 CE.

Opened to foreign trade by the Chinese in 1907; Nanning grew rapidly. From 1912 to 1936 it was the provincial capital of Guangxi; replacing Guilin.

Due to its proximity to the Vietnamese border Nanning became a major centre for supplying Ho Chi Minh's North Vietnam during the Second Indochina War (Vietnam War).