Research On National Identity Of Ethnic Minorities In The Early Days Of New China(1949-1956)

National identity,as a kind of soft power,it plays a significant role for maintaining the unity of a multi-ethnic country,ensuring the stability of a multi-ethnic country,and promoting the prosperity of the country;which can unite individual individuals in the entire community of nations.In October 1949,the founding of the People’s Republic of China meant that a new era in which the Chinese people were masters of the country had arrived,providing political guarantees for the comprehensive progress and development of New China’s economy,society,and culture.From 1949 to 1956 was an important period for people of all ethnic groups to have a national identity for the People’s Republic of China.During this period,the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government implemented a series of political,economic,and cultural policies and measures,and gained the sincere support and advocacy of the working people.The political democracy,social stability,and economic recovery and development of the New China have won a high degree of recognition from the general public.A thorough and in-depth exploration of the experience of minority-state identification during this period will not only help deepen and enrich Marxist national theory and the theoretical system of the state,but also have important enlightenment and reference significance for enhancing national awareness of national identity and building up the awareness of the Chinese nation community.In the history of the Chinese nation,the national identity during the reign of the dynasty is a classical country identity with the characteristics of "grand unification";in the development of modern society,the Chinese nation’s consciousness changed from a comfortable state to a conscious state,the Chinese nation’s consciousness gradually awakened,and China’s national identity gradually changed to a modern national identity,which is inseparable from the national policy of the Communist Party of China(CPC).It is the CPC’s integration of the overall interests of the Chinese nation in the practice of revolution that strengthen the cohesion among the various ethnic groups in China.After the founding of the People’s Republic of China,a state in the modern sense was established,and ethnic identity and national identity were unified in the People’s Republic of China.Minorities’ consciousness of new China’s national identity began to sprout,grow and develop in the extremely difficult domestic and foreign environment.After the founding of the People’s Republic of China,the CPC and the government faced a very complicated and severe domestic and foreign situation.Internationally,Western capitalist countries,led by the United States,have adopted a comprehensive containment strategy of political isolation,economic blockade and military threats against New China in an attempt to bring down New China.In the country,the KMT-CPC conflicts,ethnic conflicts,and class conflicts are intricately complicated.Ethnic minority areas are faced with the problems of rampant ethnic separatist forces,indifferent political participation,and narrow and fuzzy cultural identity.As a result,the geographical specialities,cultural specificity,political attribution and interest integration of ethnic minority areas need to be examined at the national level,so as to provide possibilities for the construction of national identity of ethnic minorities.Under the complicated realities,the CPC has promoted the anti-hegemony work of the bandits and stabilized the social order in ethnic regions.It has carried out democratic construction of government,established unified national organs at all levels,and creatively established a system of regional ethnic autonomy to ensure equal rights of all ethnic groups;actively dredging ethnic relations and eliminating ethnic estrangement to a certain extent;cultivating a large number of ethnic minority cadres,which further reflects the mastership of ethnic minorities.The equal rights of all ethnic minorities have been guaranteed,the enthusiasm of the ethnic minority people has been fully exerted,and political guarantee has been provided for the national identity of ethnic minorities.At the same time,the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government also implemented a series of economic policies in ethnic minority areas,implemented land reform "prudently and steadily",improved agricultural tools and husbandry production technologies,and promoted industrial construction in ethnic minority areas.The trade work in ethnic minority areas has formulated fiscal and tax preferential care policies for ethnic minority areas,which has consolidated the economic foundation for the national identity of ethnic minority people.In addition,our party and government have also actively promoted cultural construction in ethnic minority areas to meet the subjective and actual needs of ethnic minority groups,strengthened the construction of mainstream ideology,and carried out tit-for-tat criticism of various erroneous ideas.Education for national unity,active creation for a public opinion atmosphere of national identity,guarantee of the freedom of religious belief of ethnic minorities,and a solid cultural support for national identity of ethnic minorities have been conducted.In general,in the early days of the founding of New China,the party and government nurtured and consolidated the sense of belonging,pride,and loyalty of the minority people for the nation through the process of political,economic,and cultural construction.The masses of the minorities have a clearer understanding of New China,and have developed a strong sense of identification with New China.The achievements are inseparable with these experiences:adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China,unswervingly take the socialist road;adhere to the principle of national equality and unity,and unwaveringly maintain national unity and the unity of the motherland;adhere to the common prosperity of all ethnic groups,and do everything possible to help the minority economic development;vigorously develop cultural and educational undertakings in ethnic areas,and realizing the comprehensive improvement of the ideological and moral qualities of the minority people,and the comprehensive improvement of scientific and cultural qualities of the minority people.Historical experience tells us that the building of national minority identity must accurately grasp the basic national conditions of China’s unified multi-ethnic country,and follow the Chinese road that is in line with national characteristics and the country’s reality;adhere to improve the regional ethnic autonomy system;take the aspirations of people of all ethnic groups for a better life as the goal,and accelerate the comprehensive economic,political,and cultural development of ethnic minorities and ethnic regions;leading by core values,take the communication and integration of all ethnic groups as the means and guarantee the legal system,strengthen the awareness of the people of all ethnic groups in the Chinese nation community,and build a common spiritual and cultural home for all ethnic groups.