They mostly reside in the Sichuang Province. The Qiang people call themselves Erma. According to historical records, they are descended from the ancient Qiang people who lived about 3000 years ago. The spoken language of the Qiang nationality belongs to the Chinese-Tibetan language family. They have no written language.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the nationality.
The chief farm products include corns, wheat, highland barley, and a variety of beans. The white beans called Snow Mountain beans are the local specialty. The Qiang people also raise sheep. The Tong sheep they raise are of good breed. The mountain area where the Qiang people live has rare animals, such as panda, flying fox, and golden monkey.