The Naisu of China

The Naisu of China, numbering approximately 82,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Yi people of northern Yunnan whose ancestors were part of the wider Yi migrations across southwest China, maintaining a distinct Naisu identity, language, and Red Yi cultural traditions in isolated mountain communities. They mostly adhere to Chinese Folk Religion and Wuding-Luquan Yi is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Naisu

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Tibetan Peoples
Country: China
People Cluster: Other Tibeto-Burmese
Primary Language(s): Wuding-Luquan Yi (ywq)
Primary Religion(s): Chinese Folk Religion
Population: 82,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG007322
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Naisu of China

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Chinese Folk Religion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

92%
%
Chinese Folk Religion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Wuding-Luquan Yi
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Yi, Wuding-Luquan Speakers

Media Resources in Wuding-Luquan Yi:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Wuding-Luquan Yi:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Wuding-Luquan Yi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Naisu are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Naisu:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Naisu of China

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
readPsalm 1:6

As many look for hope in worldly pleasures, pray they will hear and accept salvation through Christ, turn from destruction, and experience joy in the way of righteousness.

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
read2 Timothy 2:2

Pray that the lost will come to faith in Christ and be discipled in the truth of the gospel, becoming faithful followers of Jesus who, in turn, make disciples themselves.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
readPsalm 51:10

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will quickly repent when they sin and walk with clean hearts and right spirits as they grow in their relationship with the Lord.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
readJohn 3:16

Pray that God will send and sustain believers to cross cultures and share the gospel with the lost. Ask that He will give them His heart for the lost and that many will believe in Him and not perish but have eternal life.

Naisu Across Countries (ROP3 - 114238) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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