Modern Road Construction And Traditional Social Changes Of Ethnic Minorities

There is a popular saying that “both the blooming and decline of Puxiong are due to Chengdu-Kunming Railway” among Puxiong Yi people in Yuexi County,Liangshan Prefecture.This paper is to make a profound anthropological research on how “blooming”and “decline” are showed and practiced in Puxiong.Referring related theoretical paradigm and research results of China national corridor,“roadology” and road anthropology,this paper make a diachronic study of the overall outlook of the construction and operation of Chengdu-Kunming railway,and its impact on the Puxiong Yi people’s society,and make a deep description of Puxiong Yi people’s life and their behaviors in the "Slow Train" from the micro level.The ultimate purpose of this paper is to provide a new research perspective on social changes of minority villages,which is from the perspective of modern roads.As for specific research technique,this paper adopts combination of synchronic and diachronic research,of historical data and field research,of static and dynamic,and multipoint ethnographic research methods.Although Puxiong is only a micro community,due to its importance in the transportation network of Liangshan Yi area,it should not only be regarded as a "small place",but as a part of the "big place" of regional society connected by roads.Therefore,this paper discusses Puxiong in a larger space and time context,so as to comprehensively grasp and macroscopically consider its social and cultural changes.By examining the influence of Chengdu-Kunming Railway on Puxiong in different periods,we can get a glimpse of the drastic changes of the Yi society in Puxiong in the past 50 years.Through the historical retrospection and investigation of the four development periods of Puxiong town from the macro level,as well as the deep description of the lifestyle and specific behavior of the Puxiong Yi people in the "Slow Train" from the micro level,this paper draws the following conclusions: First,because of the people,logistics,information flow,power and ideology input through Chengdu-Kunming railway,some local elites(village cadres or Degu)make full use of the political and power capital they have accumulated among the people,and become the leaders and biggest beneficiary of the rapid development of the local area,which leads to the obvious differences and differentiation within the village in terms of occupation,political power and wealth.Thus,this brokes the equalitarian ideology and non-stratified social structure in traditional Yi society based on its special structure of Jiazhi,which leads to the economic and social stratification in Puxiong Yi society,then Puxiong Yi society transformed to be an open society from a closed one gradually.Secondly,“Community of the Other” formed with Chengdu-Kunming railway facilitates "roadside" economy in Puxiong,which has unconsciously influenced the Yi people in Puxiong in the process of long-term development,then some Puxiong Yi people become street pedlar along the road,selling a wide range of products,which contributes to the prosperity of Puxiong bazaar.And some Puxiong Yi people become mobile pedlar in the “Slow Train”.The "Slow rain" offers an open and flowing space for the circulation of goods in Pu Xiong,thus promotes overall social development of Pu Xiong,and Pu Xiong Yi society has transformed to be a well-off and open society.In the process of economic and social transformation and development,Puxiong Yi people gradually abandoned the traditional concept of "scorn business" and formed the sense of business and ideas different from Yi people in other regions.Third,Chengdu-Kunming Railway has achieved its goal of "promoting the economic and social development of ethnic minority areas along the line",and the material civilization of Puxiong Yi society has been greatly improved.However,due to the special historical background and the special cultural background of Puxiong Yi society,the bad social atmosphere of raking trains occurred in Puxiong from the end of 1980 s to the beginning of this century.At the same time,Chengdu-Kunming railway accelerated the circulation of drugs in Puxiong,which led to social problems and phenomena such as drug trafficking,AIDS,gambling and usury.It can be seen that the above mentioned social problems are associated with economic and social development driven by roads.This shows that any development needs to strike a balance between material and spiritual progress,and neither should be neglected.Just like China’s reform and opening-up over the past four decades,while its material civilization has been greatly enriched and improved,core socialist values still need to be consolidated.Fortunately,the state forces intervened in time,and Puxiong Yi people also realized these problems and took the initiative to make adjustments.Thus Puxiong solved the above-mentioned social by applying local knowledge and state power,and finally explored a development suitable way for the new environment.This also shows that the local society has certain resilience in the face of the heterogeneity and external forces input accompanied by the road.Four,based on the case of Puxiong,this paper prospects the relation between modern roads and the sustainable development in minority areas.In the context of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization,the transportation infrastructure in minority areas has been greatly improved,and these areas are connected efficiently and smoothly with surrounding areas,thus weakening the barriers caused by geography and other natural environments.These minority areas will become more inclusive and open,gradually integrating into the process of economic globalization,while constantly constructing their own modernity.But at the same time,we should also note that the road has the dual characteristics of accessibility and marginality,which will produce a kind of continuous differentiation.While,the continuous operation of "Slow Train" in Liangshan is a successful case of the localization of railway modernity.In minority areas,attention should be paid to the coordinated development of "fast" and "slow" for transportation infrastructure,so as to effectively help people in these areas to achieve the great goal of common prosperity.This paper also holds that we should attach importance to the subjectivity construction of minority culture.We should fully stimulate their endogenous driving force for development,so that they have the ability to adjust themselves in the face of the impact of factors such as the modern road,build a new economic growth point,and then realize sustainable development caused by the modern road and other external forces in these less developed areas.