Conclusion: Some Major Issues in Ethnic Classification

Abstract

This contribution begins with some major points about a number of policies towards China's ethnic minorities and their population, with some attention given to Yunnan Province. It points out the main issues raised in the collection of articles on the Ethnic Classification of 1954 in Yunnan and adds personal comment on these issues. It agrees with the contributors on most matters, including about the political nature of the ethnic classification, but puts forward a different perspective on a few of them, such as whether the CCP was acting in a colonial or imperial way in controlling Yunnan's minorities.