“ The Miao-Man Peoples of Kweichow ” and Lin Yueh-hwa’s Thoughts and Methods in His Early Ethnic Studies

LinYueh-hwa’s doctoral dissertation “The Miao-Man Peoples of Kweichow” is the first work of his research on Han turning to the study of ethnic minorities.The article was completed in 1940 when the country was being devided.This article embodies Lin’s academic insights and patriotism.Lin used historical documents,anthropological theories and ethnographic materials to annotate the historical and social characteristics of the Miao-Man people described in “Ch’ien-nan Chih-fang Chi-lüeh”.From 1930s to 1940s,scholars tried to classify nationalities from the perspective of physique，language and culture.Through historical research,Lin found that the political groups in the history of Southwest China provided a framework for ethnic boundaries,and the southwest ethnic groups were naturally political,while physique and culture were only expressions of ethnic boundaries.Modern country needs to realize the change of political system and economic mode in the border areas.“The Miao-Man Peoples of Kweichow” found there was hierarchy and equality in the border areas through the study of social customs,and modern country demands the transformation from hierarchy to equality，which promoted the study of political system of Yi and Tibetan.“The Miao-Man Peoples of Kweichow” found that the Miao-Man people had an economic habit of poor accumulation and generous consumption，which is related to Lin’s thougts on economic modernization of Yi.Lin’s judgement from the Miao-Man people’s history，which was combined with his fieldwork.It was also a case of the combination of “South Branch” and “North Branch” in China Ethnology.