Identification And Conflict:Study Of The Relationship Between The Yi And Han During The Republican Period

China’s ethnic identification in the1950s has merged and integrated the ethnic group of Yi, bringing new political and cultural significance to this group. In the history, the Yi was known as " barbarians " other than Huaxia. They coexisted and co-developed with the Han Chinese, which was always intertwined with estrangement, conflict and contradiction. The Republican period of China was an important transition period of institutional change and the frontier crisis, when the Han and Yi, then the two most populous and powerful ethnic bodies in Yunnan, interacted greatly with each other in the political, economic and cultural aspects. The relationship between the Yi and Han of this period reflected many features of the times, as well as the historical development. Investigation of the relationship between the Yi and Han, the Yi’s self identification under the ideologies of country and nation, as well as identification and interaction between the Yi and Han, are explorations of academic value and realistic significance.The first part of the paper combs the cultural and social development of the Luoluo during the Republican period. It reviews the relationship of the Yi and Han in Yunnan since bureaucratization of native officers in the mid-Qing dynasty. Based on the research of three sets of relationships-the residences of Han Chinese and minorities, Han officials and" barbarican", civilization and savage-the author analyses the differences of the Yi and Han in political, economic and cultural aspects, revealing the historic factors which affected the relationship between the Yi and Han in the Republican period.The research emphasis of this paper is the relationship between the Yi and Han under the government’s adminstration. The ethnic policies of the Yi hierarchy cannot be neglected in the research of the relationship between the Yi and Han during the Republic period of China. Long Yun, as an ethnic ruler of Yunnan during this period, possessed multiple ethnic identities, which made his administration of minority areas shifted subtly between country and nation, between the Han and ethnic minorities. This paper revealed the basic content and specificity of the ethnic policies of the Yunnan government under his leadership, as well as the impact on the relationship between the Yi and Han.In the first half of the twentieth century, China practiced the unity of Chinese nation.This was a great integration of Chinese national relationship,and significantly affected the relationship between the Yi and Han. Although some minority groups like the Luoluo had no distinct national identity, the sense of country and nation Had been strengthened in the unity of Chinese nation. Then national government attempted to eliminate the differences and emphasize the homogeneity and integrity, by conducting a series of measures like bureaucratization of native officers, removing the ethnic insurgency, and national assimilation. Inevitably, these measures encountered much historic and national resistance, but produced certain impetus to the amalgamation and understaning of the Yi and Han.Ethnic insurgency is a special form of the relationship between the Yi and Han in the Republic period. The governing policy could not give all the answers to this problem. National identity is closely related to the formation of national relationship. Its effect was particularly apparent, when it was used as a tool to deal with foreign pressure, or to plunder benefits and resources. Therefore, ethnic insurgency was the result of joint forces of the governing policy and nationality in Yunnan province during the Republican period.In short, the relationship between the Yi and Han during the Republic period in Yunnan showed the traces of history and the characteristics of the age, echoing the gradual understanding and amalgamation as well as dramatic conflict and confrontation, and reflecting the variety in content and form of the ethnic relationships in the period of social transition. The down-to-earth national governance of the local government and the macro national integration of the central government functioned together to trigger the response and participation of ethinic groups, which objectively made some adjustments on the relationship between the Yi and Han. However, due to the theory flaw and institutional inequality, there was no radical cure for the conflict between the Han Chinese and ethnic minorities.