Northwest Frontier Harmonious Ethnic Relations Model To Explore

State, ethnic groups and boarder are three integral parts of one unit, which is a long-time focus of former rulers, politicians and today's scholars. Today, when China is in a process of developing socialist course, the construction of harmonious society and the steps to the great rejuvenation, we ethnographers should give due concerns and studies on the issue of boarder, ethnic groups and state.The existing studies on ethnic relations in China are mainly on the northwestern boarder areas and the further focus is on Xinjing Uygur Autonomous Region of Northwestern China. As the biggest provincial area of China, Xinjiang is a region of various ethnic groups, many autonomous areas and unique cross-boarder ethnic groups, which is also the place with the most complicated ethnic relations. So it is of great academic and practical significance to stuy the ethnic relations in the Northwestern China, especial Xinjiang. However, among the existing studies on the Northwestern China and Xinjiang, scholars mainly give concern to either the places with higher social development or the places with sensitive social, economic, political and international problems. For the places with everage social development and social problems, or the remote places with statble social development and harmonious ethnic relations, the concern and studies from scholars are still scanty.Tacheng is a typical place with various ethnic groups in Northwestern China and also called the "boarder of a boarder area". It is the place of all the field work and studies. The economic development of Tacheng is just in an everage position among the prefectures and cities of Xinjiang. For a long time, Tacheng has a harmous ethnic relations and stable social development, which is a unique characteristic in Xinjiang and even in the boarder areas of Northwestern China. Scholars have not given enough concern on the situation of Tacheng.The studies on the ethnic relations of Tacheng are still in a primary stage, which only give concerns on some specific field. Comprehensive studies on the ethnic relations of Tacheng are still not found. To some degree, for ethnographers Tacheng is "both a familiar and strange boarder area". So it is quite necessary to make a deep and thorough study on the ethnic relations of Tacheng.Based on large quantities of historical documents and data from field work in Tacheng, this dissertation not only exlores the historical development and the present situation of the ethnic relations of Tacheng from various pespectives, but also inquiries the profound reasons and its formation of its mode of ethnic relations. Furthermore, the way to form harmonious ethnic relations in the northwestern boarder ares is also explored. Taking Tacheng as a good example, this dissertation hopes to abtain an overview of the whole northwestern boarder area. This way of research is not only a further development on the traditional theories of ethnic studies, but also an application to the issues on boarder areas. It gives a new perspective and new ideas to the issue on the relations between boarder, ethnic groups and state.This dissertation is composed of introducton, six chapters and conclusion, giving a background of the research. Introduction gives how the study commenced, its significance, literature review, methodology, the field work, the structure of the dissertation and the new ideas.Chapter One is the theories on ethnic relations in boarder area, which is also the theoretical foundation of this dissertation. These theories are mainly on boarder and boarder ethnic groups, the relations between state and ethnic relations, boarder area ethnic relations, socialist harmonious society and boarder area ethnic relations, ethnic culture and boarder ethnic relations, advanced socialist culture and boarder ethnic relations. On these theories, the interpretation of basic concepts, the elaboration of relations and the theories introductions are given. Ethnic cultures are the core of the studies on the boarder ethnic relations.Chapter Two is a survey of Tacheng. This chapter introduces Tacheng's the geographical location, physical environment, economic development, ethnic groups, cultural development, government administration and history. This introduction attaches importatnce to the unique characteristic of ethnic composition and ethnic relations, the richness of ethnic culture and history. All of these show that as a representative case, the ethnic relations in Tacheng are of further and careful academic studies.Chapter Three is a historical overview on the ethnic relations of Tacheng in four parts by time, which are "before the unification of Xinjiang in Ching Dynasty","after the unification of Xinjiang in Ching Dynasty","the period of Republic of China from1912-1949" and "from the founding of new China in1949to the opening-up". This chapter focuses on the development of how the various ethnic cultures came together and coexisted and learned from each other. The historical development of ethnic relations in Tacheng lays a solid foundation for today's multi-ethnic composition, multi-ethnic integration, multi-ethnic cultural exchanges, and the coexistence of multi-regions. This process formed a tradion for their mutual existence sharing wear and woe and the patriotism in garding the boarder of the state.Chapter Four is the status quo and the features of the ethnic relations in Tacheng. By the method of qualitive and quantitive analysis, this chapter gives a multi-pespective and deep enquiry on the ethnic relations from the following eitht repects:living patterns and the settling-down of herdsmen, social ettique and relition, daily communications and intermarriage, social life and culture identity, cross-boarder ethnic groups and citizen identity, language education and training of professionals, ethnic policy and basic-level government, military stations and local people. The same to give concise analysis on the features of the ethnic relations in Tacheng, the problems are also pointed out. The etnic relations in today's Tacheng can be states that "harmonious ethnic relations, stable social development and cultural coexistance". The ethnic relations are on the way to "mutual appreciation, mutual development and coexistence".Chapter Five is the exploration on the reasons for harmonious ethnic relation in Tacheng. The analysis is from the following seven aspects:cultural integration, historical tradition, policy of the Party, ecominic development, social stability, georgrapical environment and the corresponding outside assistance. This chapter also points out that for the harmonious ethnic relations the cultural integration and coexistence is the foundation, the patriotism showed in garding the boarder is the soul, the implementation of Party's policy on ethnic groups is the key factor, the economic and social development is the basis, the social stability is the guarantee, the unique georgrpahical location is the necessary condition while the outside assistance is the help. The construction of harmonious ethnic relations in Tacheng is the process to seek common foothold among cultural diversity, to discover common integration from difference, to keep harmony in multiculature and to obtain innovaion in development. The core of all these is the cultural harmony with openness, tolerance and innovation.Chapter Six is a tentative interpretation to the forming of harmonious ethnic relations in the boarder area of Northwestern China. Drawing experience from the practice of Tacheng, the elaboration is from the following six aspects:cultural environment, welfare improment, ecological protection, opening up, feeling of ethnic groups and harmonious society. The forming the mode of harmonious ethnic relations in Northwestern China is to form a boarder area with the coexistance of various cultures, the improment of social welfare, the environmetal-friendly development, the open socity and the harmony. In order to achieve this, we should emphasize the leadership of advanced socialist culture, the importance of improving the social welfare, the opportunity of ecological protection, the platform of the opening-up policy, the core of mutual help and the goal of keeping stability.The Conclusion is the analysis and rethinking on the relationship between boarder ethnic relations and state development, stability and scurity. It is also not only the refinement of the connotation of boarder ethnic relations, but also the forming of new theories on boarder ethnic relations. Boarder area is of the state and the ethnic groups on it. Whether the boarder ethnic relations is harmonious or not, whether the boarder area development is stable or not, are all of great importance to the unity of the whole country and the unity of various boarder ethic groups. The harmonious boarder ethnic relations can help to form state conciousness and ethnic identity, hence to maintain the unity of the state, the security, stability and development of boarder area. Only when "all people enjoy a peaceful life", the society can be "everything and everwere are harmonious".In general, boarder area social and ethnic relations are a topic with practical significance for modern society. The studies on the mode of harmonious ethnic relations in Northwestern China are not only a responsible attitude to history and tradition, but also a revelation of historical experience. Of course it is the due need of our era.