Ethnic Image Records

China Weekly Issue No. 1, 2019

Four decades are but the blink of an eye in human history, but for the various ethnic groups in China, the last 40 years have seen immense changes. Skyscrapers rose out of the once deserted riverbanks, and the monotonous skyline began to be decorated with streaks and streams of glowing neon in the night. Ethnic Image Records uses slices of life to reinvigorate the memory, and assemble village stories into history, thus recording a colorful history of reform and opening-up.

China’s ethnic minorities are widely distributed; most of these areas are strewn with mountains, plateaus, forests, and pastoral areas with abundant resources. The ecological environment is complex and varied. Due to natural and historical reasons, these regions were relatively economically backward and the market mechanisms far from perfect.

Over the past 40 years, the state has formulated a series of targeted policies for ethnic minority areas, and has given them great assistance in terms of capital, technology, and talents. These measures have greatly stimulated the enthusiasm for creating wealth, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The market mechanism and the law of value have also seeped into every micro-unit of the social economy, laying a solid foundation for the rapid economic development of ethnic regions.

People all over the country have truly felt the fruitful results of reform and opening-up. As members of the Chinese nation, ethnic minorities have also undergone earth-shaking changes in economic, political, social, and cultural aspects along with the progress of the national environment. They enjoy the same level of material and cultural progress as the Han people.