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Author: Zhou Jianhua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-09-02
Features: The "Ethnic Knowledge Series" was organized by the Nationalities Publishing House, starting in the early 1980s, with many renowned scholars and experts engaged in ethnic minority research contributing to its compilation. Designed to feature one book per of China's 55 ethnic minorities, the series spanned 21 years, from the publication of the first book, "Hezhe Ethnicity," in 1981, to the last book, "Lahu Ethnicity," in 2002. Therefore, whether in terms of the author team, the scale of the series, or the time span of its compilation, this series can be regarded as an authoritative and comprehensive reading material that systematically introduces the basic knowledge of China's ethnic minorities, following the publication of the five sets of ethnic issues series in China. The content of the series mainly includes brief histories of each ethnic group's development, their socio-economic conditions in the early days of the People's Republic of China, their cultural characteristics, customs, and current development status. The compilers were mostly long-term experts in ethnic issues research, many of whom had personally participated in the national ethnic surveys organized by the Chinese government in the 1950s. These scholars possess solid academic foundations, and in their writing, they not only abundant historical documents but also utilized a wealth of firsthand, precious field survey materials, giving the series a distinctive originality. Additionally, in terms of its compilation format and writing style, the series also emphasized knowledge and. It can be said that with one volume of ethnic knowledge in hand, one can understand the basic profile of an ethnic group. As a result, after its publication, the series received strong affirmation from domestic and international experts and scholars and widespread praise from readers, now becoming one of the essential books for understanding and researching China's ethnic minorities. Due to the long publication period and limited print runs, finding a complete set of the books has been very difficult, posing challenges for library collections and readers' purchases. In recent years, with the deepening development of the Western China Initiative, an increasing number of readers have shown interest in the development of ethnic minorities and the prosperity of ethnic cultures, leading to growing demand for ethnic knowledge literature. Many readers have written to request the republication of this series. Therefore, the publishing house has decided to revise and republish the series to meet the readers' urgent needs. This revision work, apart from substantial modifications to a few books, maintains the original framework and format for most of them. Some books have had outdated content removed and new content added, such as cultural characteristics and ethnic customs, which are of general interest. Updated population statistics and other development data have been included, along with additional images and a redesigned layout. Symbolic patterns for each ethnic group have been designed based on the ethnic relief patterns of the China Millennium Monument, presenting the series in a brand-new light. We believe that this series, as a patriotic education tool, a promotional material for ethnic policies and knowledge, a popular reading material for general readers to understand ethnic minorities, and a suitable book for public libraries, military unit reading rooms, primary and secondary school libraries, and township cultural stations, will be highly welcomed by a broad readership.