The Shes, with a population of 630,378, mainly live in the mountainous areas of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. A few are distributed in Jiangxi, Guangdong and Anhui provinces. A She village usually contains less than 100 families, and many families are assimilated with the Hans.

Located in the southeast, the hilly She area, with small rivers winding about, is productive and reserves rich resources. Thanks to the humid climate, the land is suitable for many varieties of crops. The most famous products are the Jingning Xianggu mushroom and Huiming tea.

As early as the Tang Dynasty, the Shes made their homes in the place where Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces meet. In the historical documents of the Southern Song Dynasty, they were called the She people. However, the Shes called themselves "Shanha" or "Shanda" meaning "mountain guests". After the founding of new China, they were generally called the She Nationality.

The She language belongs to the Sino- Tibetan family, but most of the She people speak local dialects. As the She language has no script, they use Chinese.