The Achang ethnic group is one of the 56 nationalities in China. According to statistics of the fifth nationwide census conducted in the year 2000, the population of the Achang nationality is 33936, most of whom live in Longchuan county and Lianghe county of Dehong Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, and there are a few others living in counties of Luxi, Yingjiang, Tengchong and Yunlong. The Achang people have their own language but with no written words. The Achang language belongs to the kind of Burmese language, which belongs to the branch of Zang and Burmese, Han and Zang language system. And there are three kinds of dialects in the Achang language, such as Lianghe dialect, Longchuan dialect, and Luxi dialect. As the Achang people have lived together with the Han and Dai people for a very long time, most of them can speak and write both Chinese and the Dai language, and at the same time they have their own splendid oral literature. In history this group of people had very good relationships with other minorities like the Jingpo, Han, Dai, Bai people and so on.

The Achang people are one of the earliest ethnic groups recorded in Yunnan Province's history. Some of the names from the Chinese historical records like Echang and Achang, referred to this nationality in different periods of history. After the founding of People's Republic of China in 1949, they were named Achang People in Chinese, according to their own wishes. They have lived in the valleys, basins and hillocks in the area of Gaoligong mountain ranges. The fertile land, moderate climate, and abundant rains in this region have provided good conditions for the development of agriculture of the Achang community. And they have been well known for good at growing rice from ancient times. The Achang people are mainly farmers, however, the handicraft industry is also very well developed and they are very famous for their adept at making long knives.