The Role of Nanzhao History in the Formation of Bai Identity
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Date
2008-06
Authors
Yang, Yuqing, 1977-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Concentrating on the man-made scenery of a theme park in Dali Bai Autonomous
Prefecture of China-Nanzhao Folk Island, this thesis explores the way in which the Bai
people acquire an identity by sharing a common history that is actively re-created. The
state designated minority status of the Bai has been made concrete first by the nationality
classification project of the 1950s; then continued by ethnic tourism in the reform era.
The history of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom (649-902) is recounted and reenacted on the
Nanzhao Folk Island following the ideological guideline for the creation and preservation
of the historical unity of China. The landscape of the Nanzhao Folk Island reveals the
interaction between the government's cultural strategy of promoting diversity and the
negotiation initiated by the Bai people. The cultural forms on display derived from
Nanzhao history are now the resource for a popular reflection of Bai identity.
Description
ix, 113 p.