Rubber Plantation And The Social And Cultural Changes

Located on the border between China and Laos, both Guofang village of China and Baku village of Laos are Akha villages. Sharing a similar history and culture whereas from two different nation states, these two neighboring villages has been closely connected socially, culturally, and economically. In recent decades, with the cross-border cooperation of rubber plantation, local eco-environment has experienced tremendous change in terms of society, culture and economy. At the same time, change has happened in fields of content and mode of villagers association which leads to great change in ethnic identity and nation state identity during this period.After the two stages of establishing state-run rubber farm and developing private operation, rubber plantation has been successfully accepted by ethnic minority villages of Xishuangbanna, like Guofang village, and rubber economy has become local pillar industry. Local villagers make good use of their connection with the village of a same ethnic group from a different nation to develop cross-border rubber plantation. At present, rubber plantation has become the main mode of production of Guofang village and Baku village, and rubber economy the dominant force of social progress of local villages. Income has so much increased that villagers'consumption capacity has grown as a result of rubber economy development. As the dominance of rubber economy in local villages, previous means of livelihood and ways of life have all been changed, and corresponding changes has come into fields of feast day, land system, and traditional organizational system of local villages. As a result, local villager's value of consumption has greatly improved and hazard awareness has emerged at this time.The success of cross-border rubber plantation of Hani/Akha villages of China and Laos is the joint efforts of state force, market economy and ethnic identity. Market economy stimulates the enlargement of rubber plantation, however, the following problems, such as deterioration of eco-environment and intensity of social relations, cannot be solved by market itself, which necessarily implores relevant departments of both states to make applied policies. More importantly, a basic element to better preserve eco-environment is to realize the connection between economic development and environmental protection from the perspective of rubber cultivator in a long range. The change of means of livelihood has strengthened the awareness of land property right which clearly distinct the borderline between villagers and villages so that state border has gain increasing significance among villagers of both villages. Therefore, ethnic identity is no longer the priority of villagers, whereas state awareness has comparatively become more and more important. Setting up various types of rules and regulations of cross-border rubber economic cooperation on the foundation of more efficient communication of both states and relevant departments is of great value to secure eco-environment preservation and social economic development of this region.