People group profile · PG022127
The Yizi of China
The Yizi of China, numbering about 3,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are an indigenous Yi subgroup of Luquan and Wuding counties in northern Yunnan that maintains a distinct Yizi identity while increasingly using Mandarin alongside its heritage speech.
They are an indigenous people in the Chinese people cluster of the East Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Chinese Folk Religion, and they primarily speak Mandarin Chinese.

Fast facts
- Country
- China
- Population
- 3,000
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Chinese
- Primary language
- Mandarin Chinese (cmn)
- Primary religion
- Chinese Folk Religion
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Unengaged and Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- 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 Yizi are Unengaged and Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, and there has been no reported church planting activity in the past two years. 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 No
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Yizi
- Pray that God would send workers to this people group
- Begin sowing the gospel and seek out people of peace
- Plant the first churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice
Primary religion
Chinese Folk Religion · Ethnoreligion
95% adherents
Primary language
Mandarin Chinese · Sino-Tibetan family
100% speak Mandarin Chinese
Gospel resources in Mandarin Chinese
- Bible available, published 2018
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Chinese, Yunnan (Kunming))
- JESUS (Chinese, Qinghai)
- JESUS (Mandarin, China)
- JESUS (Mandarin (Taiwan))
- JESUS (Hui)
- JESUS (Chinese, Guiliu)
- JESUS (Chinese, Sichuan)
- Magdalena (Mandarin, China)
- Magdalena (Mandarin (Taiwan))
- The Savior (Mandarin, China)
Bibles
- Revised Chinese Union Bible Shen Edition · video, audio
- Tianjing (Huizuban Shengjing) · video, audio, text
- Union Version · audio, text
- Union Version · audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Yizi
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
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