TheStandardizationofthe“OperationofForgingaSenseofCommunityfortheChineseNation”

YangMinghong,LiYike

(Research Center for Southwest Borderlands Ethnic Minority Studies, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, Yunnan, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 01-15, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.001

Abstract:The concept of the “Operation of Forging a Chinese National Community Consciousness”(referred to as the “Forging Operation”) is introduced in this article, emphasizing the procedural and process-oriented nature of the “forging process” on the one hand, while on the other hand aiming to present its abstract consciousness through the concrete carrier using the “5W1H” analysis method. This aims to shed light on the core elements of the “Forging Operation”: Content and object, cause and purpose, time, field, subject, process, and procedure, all of which provide theoretical support for a standardization construction. This standardization of the “Forging Operation” involves integrating standardization concepts, methods, tools, and techniques into the various processes and procedures of the “Forging Operation,” while addressing the arrangement and combination of various elements, the synergy between operation subjects, and the optimization of operation methods.

The argument of this article lays out that a full standardization of the “Forging Operation” is urgently necessary, practically feasible and doable: In the first place, this necessity arises from the current practical demands of the “Forging Operation” and the profound practical significance brought about by the introduction of “standardization.” Specifically, facing the current practical dilemma of how to tangibly and effectively forge a sense of community for the Chinese nation, there is a need to find a new set of theoretical tools to achieve a significant breakthrough.The management and institutional advantages brought about by such a standardization not only can consolidate the core position of forging the Chinese national community consciousness but also promote the high-quality improvement of ethnic work.

In the second place, the possibility of standardizing the “Forging Operation” comes from a high theoretical compatibility between the “Forging Operation” and “standardization,” as well as rich practical and foundational experience gained in the work of forging a Chinese national community consciousness. From a theoretical perspective, the doctrinal characteristics of the “Forging Operation” are consistent with the original intention of formulating standards, and the traits of the “Forging Operation” correspond to the features of the standardization object. From a practical perspective, the normative support system for the standardization of the “Forging Operation” has reached its first milestones; moreover, ethnic work is gradually moving towards standardization; meanwhile the successful practices of standardization in other social science fields provide environmental guarantees.

Lastly, the ultimate realization of the standardization of the “Forging Operation” requires reliance on correct standardization principles, a clear content framework, and an appropriate practical path. The principles include a combination of scientific planning and classification guidance, a targeted nature of standards, a coordination principle with laws and regulations, and a dynamic adjustment principle. In terms of content, the realization of the standardization of the “Forging Operation” has not been a simple institutional design but a comprehensive system covering multiple aspects. In terms of practical pathways, it should furthermore include five aspects: A standardization construction of publicity and education, a standardization construction of basic public cultural services, a standardization of promoting interaction, communication, and integration among various ethnic groups, a standardization for the synchronous modernization of ethnic regions, and a standardization of ethnic affairs governance.

KeyWords:a sense of community for the Chinese nation; “Forging Operation”; standardization; tangible, sensible, and effective; ethnic work

TheTripleEconomicLogicofForgingaSenseofCommunityfortheChineseNation

XiaoShaofeng1,LuJiutian2,WuJiasheng3

(1. School of Economics, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan; 2. School of Marxism, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu;3. Department of Economics, National Academy of Governance, Beijing, 100091, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 16-22, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.002

Abstract:This article attempts to delve into the formation logic, value logic, and practical logic of forging a strong sense of Chinese national community from an economic perspective, in order to provide some reference for more in-depth research. The specific conclusions of this study are as follows:

Firstly, from the perspective of formation logic, economic development has shown to play a fundamental role in strengthening the consciousness of the Chinese national community; and conversely, this strengthening of the consciousness of the Chinese national community has played an active role in economic development. On the one hand, economic development, as a prerequisite for communication, interaction, and integration between different ethnic groups, plays an important role in strengthening relations between different ethnic groups and subsequently in forming a Chinese national community consciousness that is highly culturally recognized. On the other hand, results demonstrate that forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation embodies the consensus of people of all ethnic groups in economic development, will potentially drive high-quality economic development in ethnic regions, and continuously expand economic connections between different ethnic groups.

Secondly, from the perspective of value logic, forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation is a concrete manifestation of achieving common prosperity, an inevitable requirement for safeguarding the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and a spiritual support for achieving human freedom and comprehensive development. 1) The formation of a sense of community for the Chinese nation can make people of all ethnic groups deeply experience the solemn commitment of “No ethnic group should be left behind in China’s fight against poverty, in its building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and its drive toward modernization”; 2) the Chinese national community has always upheld the value connotation of “a true community”, and has achieved the unity of individual interests and social interests; 3) the Chinese national community furthermore is a union which takes “realistic people” as its main body: Such realistic people can deeply understand the respective and irreplaceable roles of the material and the spiritual, and take the realization of human liberation and free and comprehensive development as their value pursuit.

Finally, from the perspective of practical logic, in an effort to strengthen the consciousness of the Chinese national community, it is found to be necessary to comprehensively implement new development concept and accelerate the economic prosperity and development of ethnic minority areas: 1) One needs to promote innovative development in policies, industries, technology, culture, talent, and other aspects for the sake of economic development in ethnic minority areas; 2) it is deemed necessary to promote regional coordinated development by adjusting and optimizing regional structures, industrial structures, urban-rural structures, and other methods; 3) one should adopt a green and low-carbon development model and promote sustainable development in ethnic minority areas; 4) it is considered necessary to continuously strengthen exchanges and cooperation with neighboring countries, and constantly raise the level of opening up to the outside world; 5) efforts should additionally be made to improve people’s livelihoods, and let people in ethnic minority areas share in the fruits of reform and development.

KeyWords:forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation; exchange and integration; common prosperity; material basis

HowtoImagineasBeingOneFamily:TheFormationandEvolution oftheCommonAncestryMythsofVariousEthnicGroupsinYunnan

ZhouZhisheng

(Editorial Office ofJournalofYunnanNormalUniversity, Kunming, 650092, Yunnan,China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 23-33, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.003

Abstract:Myth can be defined as a reflection of historical memory and social environment. The rich and colorful myth of the common ancestry of several ethnic groups in Yunnan contains the simple and beautiful community memory of all these ethnic groups, revealing an ethnic interdependent symbiotic relation formed during a historical process. Yunnan is a typical and representative province where the myth of common ancestry spreads the most in China. Moreover,the consciousness of a shared ancestor contained in this myth, to a certain extent, is a regional historical image of the participation and co-construction of all ethnic groups in the generation process of a Chinese national community consciousness. The myth of the common ancestry fully shows a life picture of mutual assistance and integration among various ethnic peoples in Yunnan, thus highlighting the local characteristics of the formation and development of the consciousness of the Chinese national community. This is specifically embodied in the following aspects: Taking a common ancestor as the basis for ties of kinship, taking neighboring ethnic groups as the main imagination objects, a general emergence of Han people, and the differences in the common ancestor imagination among the different branches of the same ethnic group.

Results additionally indicate that symbiosis is the basis for the formation of the common ancestor myth among all ethnic groups in Yunnan. Moreover, the border governance of the dynastic country reshaped and expanded the geographical space for the communication and symbiosis of the ethnic groups, and the active acquisition of Chinese culture and language by all ethnic people in Yunnan promoted direct communication between different ethnic groups. In addition, the formation of an economic symbiotic chain between different ethnic groups also further strengthened this interdependent pattern, providing more diverse imagination objects for the formation of the myth of common ancestry of various ethnic groups. The regional identity formed in the game of survival has strengthened the symbiotic connection and interaction, highlighting the enhancement of a mutual identity of cohabiting ethnic groups. It can be inferred, therefore, that the myth of a common ancestry has become a driving force for the further maintenance and strengthening of inter-ethnic symbiosis. In other words, all ethnic groups are inseparable and linked by symbiotic relations. Even though there are differences between them, the “kinship” of brothers and sisters has become a core motif of constructing and handling mutual relations.

In conclusion, the historical building and development of the Chinese National Community is not only a top-down development process, but also a bottom-up response process, as well as a historical process of continuous two-way cohesion between the border areas and the inland of the country. By deeply understanding and exploring the historical causes of the myth of a common ancestor, we can find that it contains the local path of how to cross ethnic boundaries and identify with each other to become a regional community. The myth of common ancestry in Yunnan expresses that all ethnic groups in Yunnan do not regard themselves as the “edge” of China and passively wait to be integrated; instead, they actively participate in the sincere desire and wisdom expression of co-creation and co-construction of the Chinese national community in the process of historical development process.

KeyWords:myth of common ancestry among ethnic groups; inter-ethnic adaptation and symbiosis; survival strategy; Chinese national community consciousness

ASenseofNationalIdentityandCulturalIdentityContainedintheYungangGrottoes

KouFuming

(Shangxi Datong University, Datong, 037009, Shangxi, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 34-42, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.004

Abstract:Taking archaeologist Su Bai’s theory of the third phase of Yungang Grottoes as an analysis basis, the Chinese cultural characteristics contained in the Yungang Grottoes as an entry point, and the attributes of the statues in the outer wall, vestibule, four walls of the front room, and main room of each cave described in theYungangGrottoes(2014), this article explores the ethnic integration reflected in these statues. Based on the records on the Northern Wei statues in the appendix of theYungangEpigraphy, this study attempts to explore the people’s recognition of the national/ethnic culture during the Northern Wei period from the perspective of the identity of the sculptors, the reasons for creating statues, and the content of their vows. Moreover, using existing textual materials—such as 89 poems by literati from various dynasties, including Han Fu’sCollectionofPoemsonYungangGrottoesinDifferentDynastiesand Gao Zhen’sCompilationandSupplementof27PoemsbytheMingandQingScholarsonYungangGrottoesTemple—this paper analyzes the national identity and cultural recognition contained in the Yungang Grottoes, explores the later generations’ evaluation of national/ethnic identity reflected in Yungang Grottoes, and endows them with practical significance in forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation.

National and ethnic identity needs to be bridged by cultural connections, like e.g. external cultural factors such as clothing, religion, and architecture. In terms of the Yungang Grottoes, the King image of the Buddha in the Tanyao Five Caves, the image of Chinese nobility in the late Yungang period, and the use of dome-shaped roofs, house-shaped niches or tile-roof niches in the caves, all reflect the development process of the Xianbei’s identification with the Han during the Northern Wei period. The inscription records reveal the historical fact that donors donated funds to create statues for themselves, their parents, all sentient beings, the country, and the imperial family. People of different ethnicities created statues and made vows—this, while expressing their identification with Buddhist culture, also fully demonstrated their identification with the Northern Wei regime, highlighting themselves as subjects of the emperor and members of the one country, showing a substantial sense of national identity. The dress of the Buddhist pilgrims in the Yungang Grottoes, as well as the surnames in the inscriptions, and the content description of vows reflect their recognition of the Xianbei and Han. The Northern Wei regime’s imitation of the official system of the Han people, the inheritance of the Chinese-style dragon culture, and recognition of ritual culture in traditional Chinese clothing manifested in the Yungang Grottoes arguably reflected their identity with Han culture. Literati’s poems and writings, composed after they visited the Yungang Grottoes, furthermore reflect the later generations’ recognition of Yungang culture, recognition of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and recognition of the integration of the Xianbei and Han. The Xianbei’s inheritance of and integration into Chinese culture, the building of the Yungang Grottoes, and support of Buddhism with Han characteristics injected fresh blood into Chinese culture, which is in line with the continuity and inclusiveness of Chinese culture. Its inheritance thus has been of great practical significance for enhancing and strengthening the sense of community for the Chinese nation.

KeyWords:Yungang Grottoes; characteristics of Chinese culture; a sense of community for the Chinese nation

SuccessfulPracticesofBuildingtheChineseNationalCommunityfromthePerspectiveofthe“State-Nation”Theory:SocialistTransformationoftheNationalBourgeoisieintheEarlyDaysoftheFoundingofNewChina

XieShenggeng1,ZhangJijiao2,ZhangJiaxi2

(1. School of Marxism, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong; 2. Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 43-51, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.005

Abstract:The theory of “State-Nation” a theory condensed and summarized by Chinese scholars on the basis of Chinese history, Chinese national conditions, Chinese road, Chinese theory, and Chinese culture. Based on the perspective of this “State-Nation” theory, and taking the national bourgeoisie at the early stage of the founding of New China as a typical case, this paper discusses how to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. It explains the “five identities” from five dimensions: State and the government, the ruling party, the social road, the nation and its citizenship, and common culture. This study firmly believes that this will help us understand the theoretical and historical logic of the current path of Chinese modernization.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the State revolutionized traditional China through a series of political practices and democratization reforms, and established a modern administrative system and operating mechanism,leading people of all ethnic groups to build a socialist country. Based on ensuring the unity of national interest and the interests of the people, the state — through the “umbrella” social structure — effectively integrated various ethnic groups and classes into the new China. Among them, the national bourgeoisie played a vital role in the “big family of the Chinese nation,” with significant revolutionary characteristics and national attributes. From this it can be inferred that the integration of the national bourgeoisie into the new China can be seen as a typical example of the successful practice of forging a strong sense of community in the Chinese nation in the early years of the founding of the new China: On the one hand, under the “State-Nation” system, the national bourgeoisie embraced the new state and the new government, identified with the “State-Nation” system, and understood and supported the top-down institutional arrangements of the state. On the other hand, the national bourgeoisie actively participated in the socialist construction of the country from the bottom up. In this process, the national bourgeoisie has strengthened its centripetal force and sense of identity with the new China, has identified with and supported the CPC, and has taken the initiative to embark on the road of socialism. From the above it seems obvious that this “two-way running” between the State and the national bourgeoisie reflects the interaction between the top-down dominant system of “State-Nation” and the bottom-up self-mechanism of the “five identities”.

In sum, an elaboration of the theory of “State-Nation” can not only help to let go of the discourse system of the Western theory of “Nation-State”, but also enrich the thinking on forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation. Meanwhile, it may also be conducive to the construction of China’s own system of thought on the Chinese national community, and help share Chinese wisdom and Chinese programs with the modern construction of other countries in the world.

KeyWords:construction of Chinese national community; State-Nation theory; “umbrella” society; national bourgeoisie

FromSelf-BeingtoSelf-Consciousness:ChinesePomegranateCultureandtheSenseofCommunityfortheChineseNation

HongMei

(Periodical Agency, Minzu University of China, Beijing,100081, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 52-61, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.006

Abstract:Pomegranates were introduced into China during the Western Han Dynasty, and first planted in the courtyard of the imperial palace. As an exotic species, they were admired by the literati at that time, inspiring numerous poems and verses. With the later spread of poems during the Tang and Song dynasties, pomegranates were widely planted in the gardens of the imperial family, noble families, and also ordinary families. Gradually pomegranates became beloved by the public, leading to the expansion of the planting area of pomegranates all around China and to the formation of a national Chinese pomegranate culture. This marked the end of the stage of “self-being” in the developmental process of pomegranate culture. After the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, the economic and social value of pomegranates has been given importance by the local governments of the main producing areas of pomegranates : They have promoted the industrialization of pomegranate planting and harvesting together with pomegranate products, looked for the cultural value of pomegranates, and accelerated the creative transformation and innovation of pomegranate culture, giving it a new meaning—pomegranate culture has entered a self-initiative stage in parallel with economic and cultural development.

In the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has adopted the expression “pomegranate seed” as a symbol of ethnic unity : The report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stressed that all ethnic groups “remain closely united like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick together.” In this way, the pomegranate has become a symbol of the community for the Chinese nation in the new era, and the “pomegranate seeds holding tightly together” can be seen as a vivid new image of the Chinese nation. Linking a pomegranate with the community for the Chinese nation marks that Chinese pomegranate culture has entered a stage of “self-consciousness”. Put differently, pomegranate seeds and pomegranates have become a symbolic expression of the sense of community for the Chinese nation in the new era. The pomegranate narrative reflects the historical logic and realistic state of the sense of community for the Chinese nation as well as effectively enhances the appeal and effectiveness of the discourse around the community for the Chinese nation. Pomegranate culture in the new era of China therefore can be understood as a cultural consciousness of the consolidation of the sense of community for the Chinese nation. This paper thus infers that this narrative is of great value and significance for constructing the modern discourse system on ethnic affairs with Chinese characteristics.

In conclusion, the development process of pomegranate culture from “self-being” and “self-initiative” to “self-consciousness” can be seen as a sequence of constantly shaping and cultivating its connotation, continuously endowing and sublimating its value, showing its powerful endogenous logic, and ultimately representing the stable social, historical, cultural ties of the community for the Chinese nation. “Pomegranate seeds” has become a shared symbol in China, vividly demonstrating the characteristics of a harmonious coexistence of all ethnic groups and the meaning of the sense of community for the Chinese nation. In the new era, the pomegranate and pomegranate seeds have become cultural and spiritual symbols of the Chinese nation, promoting the Chinese nation to overcome difficulties and forge ahead in unity. In brief, it is this continuous cultural consciousness and reinforcement of the sense of community that ensures the enduring and unbreakable spirit of community for the Chinese nation.

KeyWords:pomegranate culture; the sense of community for the Chinese nation; Chinese cultural symbol; pomegranate seeds; cultural consciousness

ConstructionofaComprehensiveEvaluationSystemofTourismCommunityParticipationinEthnicMinorityAreasfromthePerspectiveofCommunication,Interaction,andIntegration

CaiYinchun1,ZhuMingxin2

(1.School of Tourism and Historical Culture, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan;2.Administrative Office, Department of Civil Affairs of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610065,Sichuan,China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 62-73, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.007

Abstract:Tourism can be regarded as a link to promote ethnic communication, interaction, and integration, and therefore tourism communities in ethnic minority areas has been important physical conduits for ethnic communication, interaction, and integration. When developing tourism in ethnic minority areas, locals, governments, tourists, and tourism operators all play an indispensable and vital role. In other words, when trying to build a top-level tourism industry, community participation, tourist participation, and government-guided participation are all important links that should not be ignored. Local resources in ethnic minority areas have shown to be rich, but the economic location advantage is weak and the business model in some areas is relatively extensive, so in the process of developing tourism, there may be disputes between for example tourists, community residents, and tour operators. These may also be important factors hindering the high-quality development of ethnic communication, interaction, and integration, thereby hampering the high-quality development of the local tourism economy to a certain extent.

Findings also suggest tourism not only can meet the needs of the people for a better life but also promote ethnic communication,interaction, and integration. Given the improvement of people’s income level and the enrichment of the tourism service experience, the demand for tourism has begun to move from shallow sightseeing to a more positive tourism experience; in addition, people not only appear to have a stronger desire to find their true nature and spiritual belonging, but also have a higher expectation for cultural “roots” as well as an immersive exploration of other ethnic cultures. Tourism, moreover, can be an important carrier in promoting the exchange and integration of various ethnic groups, and multi-level ethnic exchange and integration in the “time and space progression” can also be developed on the physical basis of tourism. Furthermore, the role of tourism in serving the economic and social development of ethnic minority areas, meeting the tourism needs of people of all ethnic groups, enhancing the spiritual strength of the people, and forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation, has become more prominent.

Guided by quantitative research, using the analytic hierarchy process and the entropy weight method to obtain the compound weight, and using the comprehensive weight method to obtain the comprehensive evaluation value of the evaluation object, this article conducts a comparative study on case sites to analyze the degree of the community residents’ willingness to participate together with the ups and downs of their participation in the development of local tourism. Using both the system theory and community participation theory, this study constructs an evaluation index system of tourism community participation in ethnic minority areas, and analyzes the error of regarding all default indicators as positive ones while selecting indicators in previous evaluation models. Using a new evaluation method, this study corrects the sorting deviation caused by earlier improper methods when using the original data to calculate the comprehensive evaluation value in previous evaluation models. In this way, the comprehensive evaluation value can not only reflect the ranking of advantages and disadvantages but also reflects the development stage and internal structure of the evaluation object. As a result, a general methodology of tourism development in ethnic minority areas against the background of “ethnic communication, interaction, and integration” has been finally obtained.

KeyWords:communication, interaction, and integration; tourism in ethnic areas; tourism community;comprehensive evaluation system

TheImpactofLaborMobilityonMultidimensionalPovertyVulnerabilityofRelocatedPeopleinEthnicMinorityAreas:MicroEvidencefrom12239RelocatedHouseholdsforPovertyAlleviationintheTibetan-Qiang-YiCorridor

LiaoGuirong1,ShengWei1,ZhouLingling2

(1. School of Economics, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan;

2. Development Research Center of the State Council, Beijing, 100010, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 74-90, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.008

Abstract:Based on the micro-data of 12,239 relocated households for poverty alleviation in the Tibetan-Qiang-Yi Corridor, this paper measures the vulnerability to multidimensional poverty of workers in terms of income, assets, health, education, and social integration. In addition, it systematically examines the effect of labor flow on the reduction of multidimensional poverty vulnerability in ethnic minority areas and adopts the method of instrumental variables to try to solve the endogenous problem. From the perspective of income growth mechanisms, this paper discusses the mediating effect of labor mobility and its intensity on decreasing the vulnerability to multidimensional poverty. Compared with non-migrant labor, the study found that the vulnerability to multidimensional poverty of migrant labor was reduced by 0.065 on average, and the longer the laborers went out for work, the stronger the lessening effect on vulnerability to multidimensional poorness.

Based on the findings of this study, this paper additionally discusses relevant policy implications. When it comes to the implementation of poverty alleviation relocation programs, it could be noticed that after being relocated, the resettled families had their own new homes and didn’t have to worry about the safety of the house, water sanitation, and the potential impact of natural disasters. Most of the new settlements are located in places with accessible and well-functioning transportation. The “geographical contraction effect” generated by relocation has been conducive to reducing the distance between the relocated population and the local economic center, while convenient transportation facilities have reduced the transportation time and travel expenses of migrant workers. In the process of migrant work, employees not just have been able to improve their own human capital level through the spillover effect of human capital such as knowledge and skills: This has also effectively reduced multidimensional poverty vulnerability for themselves and their families by directly enjoying a higher level of basic public services in their workplace locations. This vulnerability reduction of the workers themselves and their families to multidimensional poverty has encouraged employees to go out for work.

In order to encourage labor mobility, reduce the vulnerability to multidimensional poverty of the relocated population, and consolidate the poverty alleviation achievements of the relocation policies, this paper suggests that one would need to focus on the following three series of steps related to employment: 1) To further remove the barriers to labor mobility, enhance the employment absorption capacity of urban areas and create more and better migrant work opportunities for relocated people through employment support policies; 2) to provide targeted assistance for the relocated labor force, and provide corresponding job placement services and technical training for them to improve the “feasible ability” and enthusiasm of migrant laborers; and 3) to improve public urban service policies and guarantee systems for their children’s education, healthcare, housing, employment, and insurance, improve the coverage and level of basic public services, and strive to promote a people-centered new type of urbanization.

KeyWords:vulnerability to multidimensional poverty; labor mobility; relocation programs for poverty alleviation; Tibetan-Qiang-Yi corridor

FrontierGovernanceandCommunityConstruction:TheChineseGovernment’sPrinciplesforResolvingBorderIssuesbetweenChina’sXizangandNeighboringCountries

ZhangShijun

(School of Tourism and Historical Culture, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu,610041,Sichuan,China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 91-101, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.009

Abstract:After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in order to establish good-neighborly and friendly relations with bordering countries, China successively resolved border issues left over by history with Myanmar and Nepal, which adjoin the Xizang region of China, through meetings and negotiations. However, the Chinese government still hasn’t resolved the border issues left over by history with the Republic of India and the Kingdom of Bhutan, which has become one of the obstacles for the Chinese government to establish good neighborly and friendly relations with these two countries.

When resolving border issues between China’s Xizang and neighboring countries, 1)the Chinese government first normalized international relations by establishing diplomatic relations with neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Nepal, making “normalization of relations between countries” a successful experience in resolving border issues. 2)Achieving a “win-win” outcome for China and its neighboring countries in resolving border issues left over from history based on “equality and mutual benefit” is a basic principle for the Chinese government and had proven to be a successful experience for effectively resolving border issues. 3)“Peaceful negotiations” are considered an important means of maintaining peace and tranquility in the border lands between China and its neighboring countries. It is also has shown to be an important method and joint experience for China and adjoining countries to resolve border issues left over from history. 4)Achieving the goal of “good neighborliness and security” has been the ideal outcome for resolving border issues, and is also the ultimate goal of the development of neighboring international relations. 5)Only adhering to the principle of “taking account of history and caring for reality” to resolve border disputes has demonstrated to resolve border disputes left over from history by peaceful means. 6)However, when the principle of “peaceful negotiations” cannot resolve border disputes, military action should be taken to “safeguard the country’s core interests”, reflecting the position of a democratic country with independent sovereignty in safeguarding its core national interests. 7)Taking Myanmar and Nepal as a model for resolving border issues left over from history through peaceful negotiations, the Chinese government made China’s neighboring countries see the goodwill of the new China and it turned out to be a significant breakthrough point for resolving border issues. 8)When resolving border issues left over from history, the principle of “taking account of the feelings of border people” and “unification of national interests and ethnic will” on ethnic issues has been adhered, which had proven to play a positive role in promoting the resolution of international border issues. 9)In resolving border issues inherited from history, the Chinese government has been attaching importance to balancing short and long-term interests,and achieving long-term peace and security in the border regions of the country with the principle of “forward-looking security”.

The “nine principles” in resolving the border issue between China’s Xizang and neighboring countries have effectively solved the problems of safeguarding the country’s territorial sovereignty and stabilizing the surrounding international environment in practice, and become vital experience for the Chinese government in dealing with border issues between China and adjoining countries. These experiences have important implications for resolving the remaining border issues between China, the Republic of India, and the Kingdom of Bhutan, safeguarding the country’s territorial sovereignty and unity.

KeyWords:Chinese government; neighboring countries; border issues;principles

AReviewofAchievedProgresstogetherwithTrendProspectsofWaterCulturesofEthnicGroupsinSouthwestChinaBasedonKnowledgeMapping

CuiHaiyang1,YuanQianying1,ChenZihua2

(1. School of Economics, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou; 2. Research Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 102-111, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.010

Abstract:This paper reviews the progress of research on the water culture of various ethnic groups in Southwest China through knowledge mapping analysis. First of all, the current global water culture research is mainly based on ecology, biology, water resources, and a comprehensive perspectives, with global climate and water-resource challenges as primary hotspots. Meanwhile, water culture research has not only been given attention by anthropology and ethnology, but also combines the concepts and methodologies of philosophy, political science, economics, sociology, and other disciplines. Secondly, the study of water management includes a localized application of the theory of synergistic evolution of culture and environment. Based on successful explorations of the theory of synergistic evolution in Chinese academia, eco-ethnologists have begun to conduct more in-depth discussions on the internal mechanisms and triggering elements of synergistic evolution. Furthermore, in the face of the water environment and water resources crises, scholars have begun to explore the water culture and ecological pollution, ecological security-related research, while some scholars have been paying attention to the study of water pollution as well as water conservancy facilities as part of the ecological and cultural compensation strategies in Southwest China’s ethnic areas. In addition, with President Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization, the concept of harmonious coexistence of humans and nature has become a scientific summary of water governance as well as a law of development of water cognition, and therefore scholars have begun to focus on the study of the interaction between ethnic water culture and the construction of a ecological civilization in Southwest China.

It can be found that the research results on water culture from the perspective of Chinese ethnology have been relatively fruitful, forming a moderately fixed academic perspective; yet few of its contributors have gone beyond the confines of ethnic research, and there have been problems such as generalization of definitions, rigidification of methodology, and excessive simplicity of study objects. This article thus suggests that water culture research should not be positioned as a one-sided, generalized cultural representation perspective, but instead should be closely related to the reality of the hydrological and ecological environments, and moreover should respond positively and directly to the national water situation, the status of ecological civilization construction, and other major issues. Therefore, based on understanding the coexistence and symbiosis between ethnic groups and their water environments, a spatial and temporal database on the multiple elements of water culture of the ethnic groups of Southwest China should be constructed as soon as possible in order to standardize and organize the survey data related to water development, and to set up a theoretical framework of synergistic evolution for the water culture of ethnic groups in Southwest China as well as a multidisciplinary research system for the study of water culture in Southwest China. At the same time, the study of water management should be linked to the major national strategies, the developmental status, and security issues in Southwest China, in an effort to explore in greater depth the relevance of Southwest China’s ethnic water culture to the work of forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation and the construction of a socialist ecological civilization.

KeyWords:water culture; southwest ethnic groups; ecological ethnology; knowledge mapping; co-citation relationship

AnAnalysisofGuizhou’sEthnicMusicalInstrumentsandDanceFolkloreinthe“MiaoTu”oftheQingDynasty:WithaSpecialFocusonFiveKindsofMiaoTuCollectedbyKyotoUniversity

LuoJia

(School of Arts, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 112-120, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.011

Abstract:In the 1980s, the introduction of music iconography into China and its promotion in domestic music circles expanded the research perspective on the history of folk music and music culture. Therefore, many studies have explored or restored the evolution history of some traditional Chinese musical instruments and dance by taking Chinese ancient bronzes and stone objects, Han dynasty stone portraits, paintings, steles, and other musical images as their research objects. In 1751, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty ordered local officials to submit a picture book of the ethnic customs and people’s conditions in their area to the court so that the central government could better govern the border areas; these are the origins of “ Miao Tu”in the Qing Dynasty.Therefore,“Miao Tu” or “Bai Miao Tu” is a picture book drawn in the Qing Dynasty mostly displaying various ethnic customs and conditions in Guizhou back in the day. Its vivid and realistic images have been extensively studied by ethnology and history circles, and the research results have been remarkable. There are many scenes of musical instruments and dance folklore in the books, which are rare research materials for music iconography; regrettably, however, they have not been paid much attention to. Based on this, this paper takes the newly publishedFiveKindsofMiaoTuCollectedbyKyotoUniversityas its research object and tries to analyze the musical instruments and dance folklore of the Guizhou in the Qing Dynasty as depicted in “Miao Tu’”from the perspective of music iconography.

Research samples show that the“Miao Tu” records display the representative musical instruments used by various ethnic groups in Guizhou during the Qing Dynasty; what is more, today these musical instruments are still commonly used] in the folk activities of various ethnic groups in Guizhou. That is to say, through the musical instrument drawn in “Miao Tu’”, we can roughly catch a glimpse of the basic features of the musical instruments used by various people groups in Guizhou in the Qing Dynasty. In this regard, the importance of “Miao Tu” to music iconography lies in that it provides image data long before the emergence of modern technologies such as video. This greatly makes up for the shortcomings of the written records of ethnic folk music culture in history, as it provides visual data with high recognition for historical studies of ethnic music. It also provides a foundation for the discovery of the music history of various ethnic groups in Southwest China. Secondly, “Miao Tu” is not a still life depiction but a vivid meaning picture composed of musical instruments, characters, and image scenes. It shows the “dynamics” of Guizhou ethnic musical instruments and dance in the representative folk scenes of festival celebrations, daily social interactions, funerals, and rituals during the Qing Dynasty. The “sound landscape”—composed of artifacts, sounds, and dances—can be picked up from the body modes of the painted figures: It provides a “visual sound cultural dimension and demonstrates its significance” for the study of the history of national music. Thirdly, the noticeable cross-ethnic sharing of the musical instruments involved in “Miao Tu” enables the understanding of the musical and cultural interaction of various ethnic groups in the history of Southwest China, and therefore is a significant historical record for studying the exchange and integration of the musical culture of various ethnic groups.

KeyWords:“Miao Tu” in the Qing Dynasty; ethnic musical instruments; music folklore

TheSignificanceofFightingCOVID-19inForgingaSenseofCommunityfortheChineseNationfromthePerspectiveofFieldTheory

CuiQingwu1;DengQian2,YanWenjing1,3

(1.School of Marxism, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan;2.Sichuan Judicial and Police Officers Professional College,Deyang, 618000,Sichuan;3.School of Community for the Chinese Nation, Southwest Minzu University,Chengdu, 610041,Sichuan,China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 121-129, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.012

Abstract:Field theory can be described as a conceptual model of human behavior: It holds that a person’s behavior is influenced by his or her field, which includes not only their physical environment but also the behavior of others and many factors related to it. Following this field theory, the social space of fighting the COVID-19 practice can be regarded as the “field of fighting the COVID-19” in this article. Meanwhile, this defines the Chinese prevention of the spread of COVID-19 as any and all action to fight COVID-19 in order to ensure the safety and health of the people abiding by the values and humanistic spirit of “people first and life first”. Therefore, the field and practice of the prevention and control strategy of COVID-19 has become a unique perspective in the study of forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation.

In the field of fighting COVID-19, the anti-epidemic measures not only strongly confirm the formidable strength strikingly displayed by Chinese national community consciousness, but also have provided a vivid practice and a rare opportunity for forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation. Looking back on the endeavor to curb the spread of COVID-19, on the one hand, the arduous practice of the fight confirms the Chinese nation’s overall awareness, worries of the country and the people, and the powerful condensed fighting force embodied by the strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and the spirit of the Chinese nation. On the other hand, 1) the Chinese practice of fighting COVID-19 and its achievements have vividly illustrated the principle that “One can do well only when one’s country and nation do well”, thereby greatly enhancing people’s recognition of the great motherland. 2) The great practice of the prevention and control strategy of COVID-19, overcoming its difficulties together, and its achievements have once again highlighted the importance of “the Chinese nation is one whole family” capable of survival and its development, which has intensely enhanced the identification of people of all ethnic groups with the Chinese nation. 3) The practice of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and its achievements have highlighted the vital importance of Chinese culture in the survival and further development of the Chinese nation, thus enhancing the recognition of Chinese culture among the members of all ethnic groups. 4) The procedure of the prevention and control strategy of COVID-19 and its accomplishments have made all ethnic peoples in China deeply realize once again that “the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the fundamental guarantee for the victory of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics”, further enhancing the recognition of the people of all ethnic groups to the CPC. 5) The practice of fighting COVID-19 and its achievements have once again proved that “only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China”, thus strengthening the recognition of people of all ethnic groups to socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Therefore, the practice of preventing the spread of COVID-19 has played a role in educating people. At the same time, the experience has made people of all ethnic groups more deeply understand and recognize the concept that all ethnic groups are part of the same community, where they “share weal and woe and the same future and stick together through thick and thin, and life and death”.

KeyWords:Field Theory; the field of fighting COVID-19 in China; Chinese national community consciousness; spirit of the Chinese nation

ResearchonEpidemicPreventionandControlinBorderAreasandForgingaStrongSenseofCommunityfortheChineseNation:BasedontheExaminationoftheFebruary4, 2022EpidemicEventinBaise,Guangxi

ZhangShan

(Research Base for Forging a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, 100081,China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 130-138, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.013

Abstract:Whether it is epidemic prevention and control or the forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, border areas are important parts. Therefore, whether from the perspective of academic research expansion or the perspective of practical work promotion, actively exploring case models in border areas has shown to be necessary and urgently needed in order to provide empirical support and practical experience for epidemic prevention and control and forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

Baise is located in the western part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. There are seven indigenous ethnic groups living in Baise, including the Han, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Yi, Gelao, and Hui, with the ethnic minority population accounting for no less than 87%. The southern region of Baise borders Vietnam and has a border length of 359.5 kilometers. On February 4, 2022, an epidemic broke out in Baise, and it spread rapidly to many counties and urban areas, ultimately leading to a total of 271 confirmed local cases. After the outbreak of the epidemic, the comprehensive group of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council went to Baise as soon as possible to guide the epidemic prevention and control work on site. The local government immediately established a joint epidemic response mechanism at the autonomous region, city, and county levels and quickly activated an emergency response plan. With the support and assistance of various sectors of society, the cadres and people of all ethnic groups in Baise worked closely together. In only about 10 days, Baise had reached zero-COVID status at the community level and successfully prevented the spread of the epidemic.

This containment of the disease spread in Baise therefore fully demonstrated the bi-directional interaction between epidemic prevention and control in border areas and the forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. To put it another way, the strong sense of community for the Chinese nation is the ideological guarantee for a successful implementation of epidemic prevention and control in border areas, and conversely a proper prevention and control of epidemics in borderlands can be seen as a concrete practice of effectively forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. In summary, the work of epidemic prevention and control in frontier regions and the forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation complement each other and therefore complete each other in the development process of Chinese modernization. However, the study also revealed the disadvantages of the related work in border areas, including the unique geographical location and surrounding environment, a relatively lagging economic and social development, as well as frequent internet rumors and stigmatization.At present, China has currently entered a new phase of COVID-19 response. In order to jointly promote the prevention and control of epidemics in border areas and forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, it is still deemed necessary to continue promoting the development and modernization processes in borderlands to boost local economies, as well as promote exchange and interaction between people in border areas and other regions in an effort to jointly build a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation.

KeyWords:border areas; epidemic prevention and control; forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation; Baise of Guangxi; Chinese modernization

PresentSituationandRealizationPathofHigh-Quality DevelopmentofPreschoolEducationinEthnicMinorityAreas:TakingAbaPrefectureofSichuanProvinceasanExample

BaiYang,DaiXianhua

(Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, Sichuan, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 139-145, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.014

Abstract:High-quality development of preschool education in ethnic minority areas has proven to be a vital basis for achieving modernization of education in ethnic minority areas as well as a powerful driving force for promoting economic and social development in those areas.Findings show some provinces and cities have implemented high-quality development of ethnic education during the preschool education stage, but there still are problems such as inadequate management systems and planning, unsatisfactory implementation of cultural construction policies in kindergartens, and gaps compared with county-level kindergartens. Therefore, this article focuses on the innovative practice of high-quality development of preschool education in ethnic minority areas and explores a potential breakthrough path for high-quality development of preschool education in ethnic minority areas through an exploratory study of the case of Aba Prefecture in Sichuan Province.

The practical experience of promoting high-quality development of preschool education in Aba Prefecture includes a new model of “integrated” management, organized teacher team construction, and promoting “coordinated education” between government, family, and kindergarten. All these can provide a course of action for future high-quality development of preschool education in ethnic minority areas. More precisely, based on the Aba experience, this article proposes the following pathways :

Firstly, one should enhance social awarenessand overall participation, and create a new pattern of collaborative education. Moreover, community education should be promoted and the coverage and quality of collaborative early childhood education be improved. It’s considered important 1) to encourage community organizations and volunteers to participate in preschool education and establish a mechanism for sharing community preschool education resources; 2) to establish preschool education places within the local communities and provide preschool education services; 3) to strengthen the connection between community education and already existing preschool education institutions, launch an interactive mechanism between preschool education institutions and their respective communities, and improve the efficiency of utilizing educational resources; and 4) to increase investment in community education, support the digital construction of community education assets, improve the sharing and mobility of educational resources, better meet the needs of preschool education resources in ethnic areas, improve the popularity and quality of preschool education, and thus achieve a sustainable investment in preschool education assets. Secondly, diversified training should be provided to teacher resources to enhance their social service skills. It is necessary to construct a good social interaction mechanism, and build a cultural and ethical form with the basic purpose of harmonious coexistence, a cycle of virtue, comprehensive development, and sustained prosperity between teachers and nature, teachers and teachers, and teachers and society. The third point is to gather educational and cultural resources through “government-kindergarten-family-community” dialogue and linkage, providing rich educational content and kindergarten-themed activities and community group activities to enhance the social and emotional education of young children. This attention to emotional education in kindergartens in ethnic minority areas should additionally be rooted in cultural vitality, cohesion, and creativity based on multicultural presentation and cultural identity. In closing, one should make cultural confidence become the fundamental driving force for the operation of various systems in a harmonious society, fully leverage the educational support function of cultural construction in kindergartens, and achieve modernization and sustainable development of preschool education in ethnic minority areas.

KeyWords:ethnic minority areas; preschool education; high-quality development

TheCultivationofCoreCompetenciesofEthnicMinorityCollegeStudentsWhoHeadBackHomeforaJobintheNewEra

ZhaoDan1,2,ZengSujun3

(1. School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, Sichuan; 2. Institute of Community for the Chinese Nation, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan; 3. School of Marxism, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China)

JOURNALOFETHNOLOGY, VOL. 14, NO.7, 146-153, 2023 (CN51-1731/C, in Chinese)

DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.7.015

Abstract:Ethnic minority college students returning to ethnic minority areas for employment are to assume the task of further implementing the program of Developing Border Areas and Improving Local People’s Lives, connecting ethnic areas and border areas to consolidate poverty alleviation achievements and rural revitalization. The focus of the cultivation of ethnic minority college students also needs to change from the education of knowledge, technology, and ability to the schooling of core competencies that are conducive to the long-term development of ethnic minority areas in the new era. Based on a premised historical mission and responsibility of ethnic minority college students heading back home for jobs, this study explores the content and path for cultivating the above-mentioned ethnic minority college students’ core competencies.

Results show that the cultivation of ethnic college students’ essential qualities currently mainly has been facing the following difficulties and challenges: 1) Research on minority college students’ competencies started late; 2) the development of the concept and system of core competencies education has been lagging; 3) teachers lack awareness and skills needed in the schooling of competencies; 4) enterprises in ethnic minority areas have been paying more attention to comprehensive competencies; and finally 5) it has become urgent to improve the employment competencies of ethnic minority college students.

From the results it may also be stated that the core competencies of ethnic minority college students returning to their hometown should be future-oriented and reflect the new requirements of the economic and social development of ethnic minority areas for talents in the new era. To be specific, as the principal quality in the area of values, community consciousness is deemed the essential competency to realize the governance and development of ethnic minority areas; moreover, an innovation competency is considered a realistic requirement for economic and social development in ethnic minority areas; and information competencies are objective requirements for the technicalization and informationization of industrial development in ethnic minority areas. Furthermore, the cultivation of ethnic minority college students’ core competencies is a systematic project, which needs to start from the education system. Therefore, the suggestions are as follows: i) Forming a multi-party linkage mechanism to cultivate and optimize the education system of Minzu colleges and universities that focuses on core competencies; ii) teaching the competency of community consciousness and building a community with a shared future for the Chinese nation;iii) promoting an innovation competency in business to improve an innovative development ability; and iv) clarifying the standards of information competencies to improve information practice skills.

The social, economic, and population structures, as well as the employment situation of ethnic minority areas have undergone significant changes, and given the findings of this study ethnic higher education needs to focus on cultivating the core qualities of ethnic minority college students who head back to their hometown for employment. Excellent education on community awareness is significant for both the construction of the Chinese national community and its common spiritual home, as well as the fostering of values of ethnic minority college students. Finally, innovation and information competencies are considered the basis for ethnic minority college students to strive for the achievement of rural revitalization and common prosperity in ethnic rural areas.

KeyWords:New Era; returning home for employment; core competencies; community consciousness