China's Minority Nationalities: Traditional and Party Elites

C OMMUNIST CHINA officially recognizes 54 minority nationalities with a total population of approximately 38 million.* Though this is less than six per cent of China's population, minorities, who occupy 6o per cent of Chinese land area, much of it in strategic border regions, have received attention of Peking to a much greater extent than mere numbers would warrant. In their planning for minorities areas, Chinese Communist leaders have been concerned with securing, at minimum, acquiescence in Party's rule and, at maximum, wholehearted acceptance of its leadership and of its interpretation of ideal Communist society. Consonant with these aims, leadership has created Party and government organizations to deal with the nationalities problem. On highest level these include Party Central Committee's United Front Work Department (UFWD), Nationalities Affairs Commission of State Council, and Nationalities Committee of National People's Congress. On lower levels a system of has been established through which minorities theoretically exercise self-government; these range from five provincial-level autonomous regions for more numerous nationalities-Mongols, Uighurs, Chuang, Hui (Chinese Muslims) and Tibetans, respectively-down through autonomous chou (districts) and autonomous hsien (counties). A short-lived experiment with autonomous hsiang (townships) begun late in s955 was ended when such small units proved impractical in agricultural collectivization of I957.1 From UFWD policy-directives for minority areas were sent for implementation to Nationalities Affairs Commission of State Council. The Commission also handled more routine business, and functioning much like a regular ministry, had considerable powers. The Nationalities Committee of National People's Congress, which met approximately