The Hmong are an ethnic group living mainly in China and Southeast Asia, speaking a language within the Hmong-Mien family. Around 2.7 million live in China, while others are found across Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, with smaller diaspora communities worldwide.

Historically, the Hmong are believed to have originated in the Yellow River basin before gradually migrating south over centuries. This movement was linked to wider population shifts in southern China.

Traditionally, the Hmong practised shifting cultivation in upland areas, growing crops such as millet, buckwheat, rice and maize. Villages were often relocated when soil fertility declined, and in some regions opium cultivation became part of local trade systems in the nineteenth century.

Hmong society is organised through patrilineal clans, often sharing surnames such as Li, Wang and Yang. Cultural identity is also reflected in distinctions such as White Hmong and Green Hmong communities, alongside continuing traditions maintained across the region.