There are about 14,000 Uzbeks in China. Most of them live in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Uzbeks are the descendants of the Lite, Huacizi, Feiergan and Saha-Masagaite tribes who migrated from Central Asia to China.

Uyghurs call themselves Uyghurs, a word meaning "unity" in the Uyghur language. Uyghurs are the descendants of the Dingling and Tieles tribes, nomads who mingled and merged in the third century BC. During the 8th and 9th centuries the Uyghurs ruled a vast Central Asian empire.

The modern ethnic group is a synthesis of many different tribes, including the ancient tribes of Wuaun, Xiongnu (the Huns) etc.