Dai Identity in the Chinese Ecological Civilization: Negotiating Culture, Environment, and Development in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

Abstract

The Ecological Civilization (Eco-Civilization) is a Chinese political framework to advance a renewed human–nature relationship that engenders a sustainable form of economic development, and its narratives provide political impetus to conserve ethnic minority cultures whose traditional practices are aligned with state-sanctioned efforts for environmental protection. This official rhetoric is important in Xishuangbanna, a prefecture in Yunnan province renowned for its lush tropical rainforests and Dai ethnic minority. This article explores the relationship between Dai cultural identity and the Chinese state in the context of environmental concerns and development goals. Historical analyses of ethnic policies and transformations of landscapes and livelihoods are presented alongside descriptions of contemporary efforts by Dai community members and the Chinese state to enact Eco-Civilization directives, and they illustrate paradoxical circumstances in which political rhetoric and practice are seemingly at odds with one another, yet often contradict in such ways so as to further the Chinese state agenda. Moreover, case studies demonstrate how new policies and sustainable development efforts have often perpetuated structures and ideologies of the Maoist era to reinforce inequalities between central state powers and already marginalized ethnic minorities. These dynamics warrant further consideration as the Chinese government continues to champion its leadership in environmental governance.

Integrating biodiversity conservation and local community perspectives in China through human dimensions research

“…Indeed, a recent shift towards such bottom‐up empowerment has partly been a response to the reform of China's national park system (Wang, 2019; Zhou & Grumbine, 2011). However, narratives that aim to identify and define the dynamics of such systems can be problematic if they are predominantly constructed by actors from outside of the landscape instead of by local communities (Zeng, 2019).…”

“…However, narratives that aim to identify and define the dynamics of such systems can be problematic if they are predominantly constructed by actors from outside of the landscape instead of by local communities (Zeng, 2019).…”

Gender and Power in China’s Environmental Turn: A Case Study of Three Women-Led Initiatives

“…As a civilization narrative, it seeks to uphold the moral legitimacy of the party, shaping a unified national identity and guiding an imagination of the future (Dynon 2008;Schmitt 2018;Geall and Ely 2018;Marinelli 2018). Today, ecological civilization serves as an umbrella for strengthened environmental policies and regulations, the promotion of more public participation in environmental management, and the raising of environmental consciousness (Delman 2018;Ahlers and Shen 2018;Li and Shapiro 2020;Zeng 2019).…”

Tree Diversity and Regeneration in Sacred Groves and Nature Reserves in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

“…Holy Hills have been documented to contain rare and endangered species (Liu et al 2002). However, changes in local management have left visible impacts, ranging from clear-cuts for rubber plantations to selective harvesting of timber species (Reuse 2010;Zeng 2018aZeng , 2019Zeng and Reuse 2016;Zeng et al 2017).…”

“…Accordingly, building on previous work, we use methods for characterizing regeneration (i.e., coefficients of skewness in stem size and ratios of seedlings to adults while accounting for successional guild), in addi-tion to measures of species richness and diversity, to analyze species composition, as well as population and community structure, within three Holy Hill forest fragments and two nature reserves with continuous forest. Coupled with ethnographic data to understand unique site histories for better contextualization and interpretation of results (see Zeng 2018aZeng , 2018bZeng , 2019Zeng , 2022Zeng and Reuse 2016;Zeng et al 2017), we ask:…”