Southwest Ethnic Relations Infrastructure And Impact Factor Analysis

The ethnic relations, or the relations among nationalities often in China, are an important topic in the field of different subjects, such as the Ethnology (Cultural Anthropology), the Ethno-theory and policy. Different scholars, from different perspectives, have structurally discussed and also are still discussing this topic. This paper, entitled as The Elementary Structure of the Ethnic Relations in Southwestern China and its Influential Factors, puts focus on the historical and practical factors, which deeply influence the relations among varied ethnic groups or nationalities in this areas. Based on a relatively careful study of historical documents and also on some ethnography, the author puts forward his points of views as follows.In the first part of this paper, or Chapter I, Chapter II, the author tries to demonstrate that, there is an elementary structure in the ethnic relations in southwestern China, which the author calls it as tri-structures of ethnic relations. First of all, the relations among different ethnic groups, especially among the ethnic minorities. In this structure, the relations are so deeply rooted in their traditions, their different cultures, that it is valuable to carefully discuss the interactions between ethnic minorities from a wide perspective of their languages, their means of livelihood, their customs, their origins, and their territories as well. Secondly, the relation between the Han Chinese and the ethnic groups as a whole. In this structure, the main stream of Han culture historically influenced the southwestern China. According to the author, at least from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644A.D), the Han culture has been gradually dominated varied cultures created by native peoples. It was largely, of course, a result of the Han immigrations from inner China to the so-called remote boundary of southwest. The relation between two cultures, the dominating and the dominated, was carefully discussed in this paper. In addition, as a case, the Tunpu group community, located in central Guizhou province, was described and discussed from the perspective of complex ethnic relations. Thirdly, the relation between the central government and the local society (often named as the local-ethno society in this paper). In this structure, this paper focuses on two topics of such relation. One isthe inter-imagination at both sides of the central government and the local society. The imagination constructed a floating and varied boundary between the two sides in history. The other is the policy of the central government toward the southwestern China, which linked the two sides as a bridge.From Chapter III to Chapter V, the author gives some details of research on the key factors to the ethnic relations in southwestern China.In Chapter III, the author points out that, the eco-environments and the economic-cultural types of different ethnic groups are the basic elements, which influence deeply and largely the relations among different peoples. The eco-environments and the economic-cultural types provide a wide possibility of cultural interactions among these different peoples. Thus, the ethnic relations are of some multi-cultural. Furthermore, the author considers this characteristic in a critical re-consideration of the cultural relativism.In Chapter IV, the author regards the characteristics as a result of die policies of the central government to the southwestern China. But, how and when these policies happen? To answer these questions, it is valuable to construct a liner history, which emphasizes a handing-on policy history in China. It is obviously in this Chapter, that the policies of central government during different eras are researched and carefully studied in a long history. The author tries to give a new explanation of lots of historical documents. For example, the policy of nationality identification is so commonly regarded as a great national work after 1949. But according to many historical documents, the author shows out that, similar policy has a long history in China, and...