Scattered in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Miao people form larger compact communities in the southeast part of Guizhou and the juncture areas of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces (mainly in western Hunan).

The Lusheng Festival is a traditional festival of the Miaos. It is celebrated in many parts of southwestern China, but falls on different times. The Kaili International Lusheng Art Festival held in Guizhou on August 18 every year is particularly well known. The major activities are singing in antiphonal style, bullfighting and dancing to the strains of the lusheng, a wind instrument popular among the Miaos.