Trans-century Ethnic Field Work

In Yunnan Province

The main objective of “Project 211”, a national project that aims at building 100 Chinese universities into schools of international fame in the 21^st century, is to strengthen the development of key or pioneering disciplines in institutions of higher education. Listed within the “Project 211”, Yunnan University is committed to building its ethnology into a key disciplinary area at the state level. The Ninth Five-Year Plan of the State has seen great progress in this field: remarkable increase in the number of ethnologists, fruitful academic achievements, and a swift rise in the research level. Entitled to confer the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor’s Degrees, the school of ethnology is preparing a post-doctoral program in ethnology from the year 2004. To explore the rich ethnic culture resources and to strengthen the development of both humane studies and natural sciences, in December 1999, 140 students and teachers, including 30 professors and associate professors, 80 doctors and masters, and 20 graduates, carried out an investigation targeting on the 25 minorities, each having a population of more than 5000 in Yunnan Province. The field work covered ethnic ecology, ethnic population, ethnic economy, ethnic society, ethnic politics, ethnic customary law, ethnic culture, ethnic education, ethnic science and technology, ethnic religion, ethnic history, and ethnic genetic information. The fieldworkers trekked thousands of miles, visiting 25 villages scattered in 13 prefectures and 23 counties. In March 2000, 25 books which total around 5 million Chinese characters in length have been completed after sorting out and studying the first-hand data. Major gratifying achievements are listed as follows:

1. Any amount of first-hand information about the minority nationalities has been collected and word-processed. Based on these materials, 12 monographs, including ethnic ecology, ethnic population, ethnic economy, ethnic politics, ethnic law, ethnic society, ethnic marriage and family, ethnic culture, ethnic education, ethnic science and technology, ethnic hygiene, and ethnic religion, have been accomplished and one comprehensive report has been finished with a total number of Chinese characters more than 280,000. One 5000-word long report on the ethnic genetic information has also been submitted.

2. Any number of audio-visual materials have been collected. The fieldworkers, into 25 groups, took more than 4,000 potographs on the ethnic milieu, ethnic tools, ethnic life, ethnic customs, and ethnic religious activities. Some groups made about 100 films, and some groups recorded ethnic languages and ethnic folksongs.

3. The largest database of Chinese ethnic genetic information has been established by collecting more than 1,300 blood samples among the ethnic peoples living in Yunnan Province.

4. The fieldworkers have improved themselves by combining theories with practice and have strengthened their friendship by going over difficulties together.

5. A great number of talents who are qualified for fieldwork and are capable of organizing and coordinating have been found.

6. Precious experience has been accumulated.

This trans-century ethnic field work about Yunnan Province was carried out on a large scale in the new historical era since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Its achievements and experience are bound to play a significant role in the development of Yunnan University and Yunnan Province’s economy and society.

With the completion of a great number of research reports and the establishment of 25 ethnic culture research bases, the ethnology of Yunnan University will become a leading one at home and abroad., and it will turn into one of the key ethnic research centers in China.