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People group profile · PG006701

The Bunu of China

The Bunu of China, numbering about 538,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a large but internally diverse ethnolinguistic population in southern China who are officially classified as Yao, but who are linguistically Hmongic (Miao) rather than Yao‑Mien.

They are an indigenous people in the Yao-Mien people cluster of the Southeast Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Bu-Nao Bunu.

Pray for the BunuPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Bunu people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Bunu

Fast facts

Country
China
Population
538,000
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
Yao-Mien
Primary language
Bu-Nao Bunu (bwx)
Primary religion
Ethnoreligion
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Eastern Asia, Asia

Where they live

Gospel status

The Bunu are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Bunu

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Ethnoreligion

99% adherents

Primary language

Bu-Nao Bunu · Hmong-Mien family

70% speak Bu-Nao Bunu

Gospel resources in Bu-Nao Bunu

  • Bible not available
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources not available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Bunu

  1. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  2. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  3. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  4. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.

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