A Research on the Change of Livelihood in An Ethnic Minority Rural Community

（Panzhihua Institute， Panzhihua， 617000，Sichuan，China）

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 7， NO.2， 59-65， 2016 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2016.02.08

Abstract：

Tuojichang is a natural village of Pingdi （village） community， Pingdi township， Renhe

district， Panzhihua， Sichuan province. In the 1950s， an ethnic social history investigation team organized by relevant organizations conducted an investigation in this village， and did a detailed survey on the socio-economic situation and other related issues in Tuojichang before Liberation. Later， the team completed a report titled yongrenxian tuojichang yize shehui lishi diaocha （An Investigation on the Social History of the Yi in Tuojichang of Yongren County）， which was published in the book titled yunnan yizu shehui lishi diaochao （A Socio Historical Investigation of the Yi of Yunnan）. In recent years， Chinese ethnologists and anthropologists have begun to revisit on those well-known anthropological fieldwork sites from the past. Within this background， we conducted a primary survey on the changes in livelihoods in Tuojichang during the past 60 years. The main thrust of this research is on the livelihood changes of the ethnic minority villages and the rural families during the process of implementing the socialist market economy， and to give analysis and reflection on the driving forces and characteristics of the livelihood changes in Tuojichang.

I. The Driving Forces of Changes

This article divides the driving forces of changes in Tuojichang into a three-level system： macro， meso， and micro levels.

1.The Driving Forces on the Macro Level： the setting up of a unified national system ， as well as the implementation of a market economy and market system

On the one hand， the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 brought all the ethnic groups and villages of China into a framework controlled by a modern nation. Thus， the systematic arrangement of the nation and its changes became the macro context for the changes in the way of living and the livelihoods of all villages and residents belonging to ethnic minorities， including the ones in Tuojichang. On the other hand， the combination of the development of a market economy and the farmers needs for benefits became the driving force for the changes in Tuojichang. This was mainly expressed in the following aspects： （i） the first one was that the principle of supply and demand， as well as the principle of efficiency， pushed the change of the economic structure in the ethnic minority village of Tuojichang. （ii） The second one was the production and consumption demands produced by the market made various non-economic resources， including natural， labor and cultural resources， transform into economic resources， and thus， increased the economic income of the ethnic minorities. （iii） The third one was that the principle of market efficiency constantly increased the economic efficiency of the ethnic minorities， promoted their consumption ability， and diversified their consumption channels. Meanwhile， the luxury products in the market pushed the changes in the way of life of the ethnic minorities.

2.The Driving Forces on the Meso Level：The construction of an industrial base speeded up social transformation in Tuojichang.

Before the implementation of the “Third Front Movement” in last century， due to the remote and isolated

location of Tuojichang， its mode of production lagged behind. Its transportation was closed off； economic exchange was still through a kind of barter. Some people had never even seen RMB， and had never seen things such as trains or cars. The “Third Front Movement” covered the area along the Chengdu-Kunming railway from the south to the north in the western region. The program for highway construction also yielded an unprecedented development. It could be said that the “Third Front Movement” in Panzhihua， that started in 1965， played a role of “accelerator” to the social transformation in Tuojichang.

3 The Driving Forces on the Micro Level： The areas relatively convenient geographical location and good weather conditions provided both an external market base and a material economic base for livelihood changes in Tuojichang.

If a village really wants to integrate into the market economy， it should have two conditions： The first one is a convenient geographical location， which will lower the villagers cost， such as transportation cost， for entering market exchange， and promote the degree to which the villagers can enter the market. The geographical location of Tuojichang was very advantageous， which provided a convenient external market for the villagers of Tuojichang to develop a commodity economy. The second one is that there should be characteristic products which could satisfy the external market. The weather conditions of Tuojichang satisfied the condition for growing grapes， a cash crop. The grapes and wine could satisfy the needs of urban resident to improve the living quality of the residents. Thus， the livelihood changes of Tuojichang had a solid material base.

II.The Characteristics of Change

The changes in Tuojichang shared common characteristics with those of general societies， but it also had its own characteristics. Speaking about the common characteristics， the theory of change in the anthropology regards that change of one part within a system will bring about a change to another part； even the invention of a single technique might bring about a series of changes. Therefore， the livelihood changes in Tuojichang brought changes of ways of life just proved by this theory.

Generally speaking， change of livelihoods is the foundation， and the change of livelihoods will doubtlessly bring about change in the ways of living. This， then， will influence different aspects of the villagers social lives. In looking at changes from the perspective of Tuijichang， the first change was the changes of livelihood， which diversified the villagers production and way of life； it accelerated the pace of their lives， commodified their daily lives； improved the quality of their lives； and， this in turn， then， influenced and changed various aspects of the lives of the villagers. This process of change was essentially a comprehensive socio-economic-cultural change of the whole village， which included external changes， such as the change of livelihoods and ways of living. However， it also included internal changes， such as the changes in the concept and ideology of the villagers. It could be said that the change in Tuojichang was a series of changes and a change of the whole， but not a change of a single part or a certain field.

Speaking from the perspective of special characteristics， as an ethnic minority village， due to the change of the rural development strategy of the nation， the influence of marketization grew in intensity； and due to the changes in the mode of production and industrial structure， community organization， and community ways of living in the rural areas also increased constantly. Especially， the conditions of material life improved and the quality of life was promoted. Comparatively speaking， due to the influence of historical cultural traditions， the changes in traditional custom and values which took religious beliefs as their core usually changed slowly. However， through a survey in Tuojichang， we discovered that the changes in Tuojichang were relatively thorough. As an Yi village， except for the Torch Festival， the ethnic characteristics of Tuojichang villagers with regard to their traditional religious beliefs， customs and values are no longer obvious， or are even gradually disappearing. The Yis worship of tuzhu （soil god） cannot be found in Tuojichang anymore； there is no Bimo （religious specialist） in Tuojichang， or even in the whole area of Pingdi village. Various festivals， including the Spring Festival， are almost same as those of the Han. This change is not only due to a long historical process of fusion and exchange between the Yi and Han in Tujichang， but is also due to the influence of the powerful industrial culture and Han culture in Panzhihua. Moreover， it is a result of the Yis fusion into the market economy after the reform of the market economy.

III. Reflections

Same as other ethnic minority communities， Tuojichang has experienced a great change since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， especially after the conference of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee， and the reform in 1978. Seen from the perspective of the entire situation， the degree of economic development in Tuojichang is improving constantly； the level of political democracy level is continuously being promoted； and the villagers living conditions are gradually improving. However， in the process of change， there also some problems. For instance， the development of the economy brings problems with environmental protection， the scientific protection of the ethnic culture—especially the disappearance of the cultural characteristics of the Yi in Tuojichang mentioned above. All these problems need the efforts of the governments on different levels， as well as the villagers themselves. With the guidance of policy， we should make a sustainable development so as to fulfill the goal of building a wealthy and harmonious society.

Key Words：Tuojichang； livelihood； change； driving forces； characteristics

References：

Chinas Ethnic Minorities Social History Investigation Document Series Editing Committee， Yunnan Edition Team. yunnan yizu shehui lishi diaocha（Investigation on the Social History of the Yi in Yunnan）， Beijing：minzu chubanshe，2009.

Ethnic Religious Affair Bureau of Panzhihua.panzhihua shi shaoshu minzu zhi（The History of Ethnic Minority in Panzhihua）， Beijing：fanzhi chubanshe，2004.

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