Abstract: At present, interactions among all ethnic groups in China are becoming increasingly frequent, and interethnic marriages are on the rise, resulting in the emergence of a large number of multi-ethnic integrated families. The formation of multi-ethnic families in China is rooted in historical cohabitation, enabled by institutional safeguards, stimulated by population mobility, and consolidated by cultural inclusiveness. The formation represents not only individuals’ free choice, but also an inevitable outcome of the development of China’s pluralistic-unified pattern of the Chinese nation, serving as the most direct, stable, and micro-level social carrier for ethnic communication, exchange, and integration. This study employs data from the latest two national population censuses to examine multi-ethnic integrated families in China. The findings indicate that the formation and changes of such families are associated with the popularization of interethnic marriages, the protection of ethnic equality policies, population migration and urbanization, the steady increase in China’s divorce rate, as well as socioeconomic development and shifts in marital attitudes. The spatial distribution of multi-ethnic integrated families is closely related to the distribution of ethnic minority populations, also exhibiting the feature of “wide dispersion with concentrated settlements”, and such families show certain urban-rural disparities. Corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are put forward from three aspects—the protection of ethnic cultures, ethnic identity education within families, and support from social policies—to promote friendly coexistence among all ethnic groups.

Key words: multi-ethnic, inter-ethnic cohabitation family, interracial marriage, basic features, emerging trends