User:Roarkstata/Ethnic villages of China

Ethnic villages are a basic administrative district within China designated for minority ethnic groups. The villages are designated by the government within geographical

regions where minority groups live. The approval and establishment of a village is most often the responsibility of provincial governments and prefectural governments, however villages are often established with different requirement standards. According to a local ordinance regarding the protection of interests relating to minority group villages, a meeting is held where 30% of participants belong to a minority group; if the local government approves of the formation of the new establishment, the region is designated an ethnic village. In Hubei province, villages where minorities account for 50% of the population are designated as minority group villages.

In 2005, the Program to Support the Ethnic Minorities with Small Populations (2005–2010) was formulated and implemented, covering 640 different ethnic-minority villages as recipients of assistance.

The People's Republic of China officially recognizes 55 distinct ethnic minorities along with the Han majority. Official recognition of ethnicity, which began in the 1950s, is stated on each citizen's identification card.

Background
Since the end of the Great Leap Forward and the implementation of the open-door policy, rapid urbanization has been a feature of the Chinese economy for four decades. As such, the role of rural ethnic groups are continuously recycled to facilitate economic development. Over the last century, some of these roles have included the cradle of Communist victory, ground zero of China's structural reforms, a source of excess labor, and a source of escapism for urban Chinese.

Government Relations
The obstacles to educating a large rural population have been recognized as one of the largest challenges facing the reform-era Chinese government. In 1986, the Chinese government legislated compulsory elementary and middle school attendance, yet among rural ethnic villagers, work is seen as a more reliable step towards upward mobility. Discontent with the educational system leads many to opt-out of compulsory schooling. On the national level, the Chinese government balances a national principle of unity with the desire for ethnic autonomy. In 1984, the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law granted local governments authority to regulate local minority culture so long as they do not conflict with national interests. Challenging the limits imposed by the national government, as the Tibetans and Uygurs have in their demands for self-determination, may lead to conflict with the state.

Ethnic Tourism
Government intervention in development is not limited to education. The Chinese Government is largely responsible for the planning and promotion of tourism. Tourism in rural China's ethnic villages has long been a staple of development; especially important to attracting tourists is an area's natural landscape and cultural heritage. Ethnic tourism is a blending of the ideals of Chinese nationalism with ethnic diversity. As part of the 11th Five Year Plan beginning in 2006, the Chinese Government declared that developing rural tourism would contribute to building a "New Socialist Countryside". Although rural tourism was not a new idea, the national delegation of 2006 as the year of "China Rural Tourism" was a way for the government to appropriate the growing tourism trends in China, and define the contribution of rural China to modernization. Often, the ethnic and rural traits of villages are played up in order to both build better tourism infrastructure and bring ethnic peoples more in line with the dominant ideas of modernity. Tourism authorities have been encouraged to produce development plans that rely on exotic cultural images based on the stereotypes of the urban Han patrons. These strategies include performing entertaining traditional songs and dances, beautifying local architecture, and using signage to attract drivers from the highway. To enhance a destination's appeal, government may seize control over determining the role of ethnic minorities in marketing and development.

Yunnan Ethnic Village
The Yunnan Nationalities Village, colloquially Yunnan Ethnic Village, (Chinese: 云南民族村; pinyin: Yúnnán Mínzú Cūn) is a theme park that displays the various folklore, culture, and religion of 26 ethnic groups in Yunnan Province, China next to Dianchi lake. The park covers an area of 89 hectares including 31 hectares of water.

Examples

 * Gaodang Buyi Village
 * Rucheng County
 * Rongshui County
 * Xijiang Town
 * Zhaoxing Dong Village