On The "Dan-Min" Problem In Guangdong Province: The Measures Taken By The CPC And The Government After The Liberation And Their Effects

The ethnic group Dan-min ("Boat Dwellers") was relegated as a outcaste in the Hongwu Reign of the Min Dynasty. Thereafter, Dan-min was discriminated for a very long time. From Yong-zheng Emperor onwards, the Qing government took some measures to "liberate" Dan-min, but, because of the aim of thegovernment being refined to "transforming the social traditions", the effects of these measures were very limited. After the Republic of China was established, the government also decided to take some measures to "liberate" Dan-min and promised that Dan-min should enjoy the same rights as the other ethnic groups did. However, the measures promised by the government were not put into effect and Dan-min was discriminated all the same. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government took the Dan-min problem very seriously. Through comprehensive investigations they realized that Dan-min problem was related not only to the class confrontations between the evil forces of the Han nationality and the ethnic group Dan-min, but also to the ethnic conflicts between the Han mass and Dan-min. The CPC and the government determined to take varied measures to solve the Dan-min problem. The class contradictions were settled through class struggle. The ethnic contradictions were minimized through class education. Some special measures were taken to help Dan-min, such as regional ethnic autonomy, particular aids, and moving them ashore, etc. These measures got notable effects, and enabled Dan-min to get political and economic rights and social status equal to the other ethnic groups. Eventually, Dan-min was successfully mixed into the main stream of the socialist society. The Dan-min problem in Guangdong province was solved thoroughly.