Dai Village Research Articles

Sustainable Tourism and Community Benefits: Experiences from Yunnan Province, China

Sustainable ecotourism has been considered an alternative approach to tourism development specifically to enhance community benefits vis-a-vis the protection of natural and cultural heritage in the indigenous settlements. This study takes the case of the indigenous communities of Xishuangbanna to examine the potential community benefits of ecotourism development and the key issues responsible for promoting sustainable development. It has adopted an exploratory approach to review secondary sources, such as previous research papers and reports specifically on eco-tourism, ethnic cultural heritage, and community development in the Dai villages of Xishuangbanna. Face-to-face and online interviews with tourism academics from China were also conducted. Empirical research conducted by both Chinese and overseas scholars, particularly in the Dai villages of Xishuangbanna, was selected as a reference to perform critical analysis. Findings revealed that local communities have received significant economic benefits from tourism development; however, their local culture and heritage values have been manipulated in the interests of capital and political needs. Indigenous authenticity has been largely influenced by the entrepreneurial interests, bureaucratic mandates, and economic necessities of the local people. As such, the prevailing model of tourism development generally favors the tourism entrepreneurs and the state with less attention to Dai ethnic people. This study suggests adopting inclusive community participation and collaborative efforts to promote sustainable ecotourism and community development in ethnic settlements around the globe especially country like Nepal. The article makes an effort to examine the case of the indigenous communities of Xishuangbanna, the Peoples' Republic of China the theoretical lens of PMPD.

Research on the Design Strategy of Space Renewal of Handicraft Culture in Huayao Dai Village of Gasa Based on Non-genetic Inheritance

Research on the Design Strategy of Space Renewal of Handicraft Culture in Huayao Dai Village of Gasa Based on Non-genetic Inheritance

Water as a relational being in Xishuangbanna: presence, scarcity and management

Water is more than a natural resource in Dai communities in Xishuangbanna (Sipsongpanna) Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, China. It is a relational being embodying both worldly and transcendental values among Dai people. Water is the critical source of irrigation for Dai people’s wet-rice cultivation and has been an important component of their Theravada Buddhist ritual practices since ancient times. However, over the past seventy years, the intensive expansion of rubber plantations, continual deforestation and large-scale diversion of rivers have led to water shortage crises in many Dai villages. Against this backdrop, this article investigates how Dai people relate to water and the challenges that water management poses for relatively low-value but water-intensive wet-rice cultivation. In recounting the stories of the Dai people, the article sheds light on the broader issue of how adaptation to a growing water crisis has shaped and will continue to shape everyday life, religious practices and politics among rice-cultivating people.

Earthen\u2013wooden hybrid houses built by the Dai in Dehong Prefecture, South China

The Dai (or Tai) are an indigenous ethnic group distributed across the upper part of Southeast Asia and South China. Whereas the majority of the Dai living on the Southeast Asian mainland build wooden houses on stilts, Dai populations in South China, especially in Dehong Prefecture, are known for the distinctive architectural style of their hybrid earthen–wooden houses, which stems from their enduring social contact and cultural assimilation with Chinese settlers. This paper, which draws on comprehensive fieldwork conducted in Dai villages in Dehong Prefecture, explores the Dai’s hybrid earthen–wooden architecture. Specifically, it examines the development of forms, the relationship between settlement layouts and house plans, as well as building materials, structures and constructions characterising this architecture using data from qualitative surveys, architectural measurements and interviews. The hybrid architecture of the Dehong Dai demonstrates the fusion of two building cultures—earthen and wooden—that has shaped a vernacular architectural identity that is unique to this area. This paper also presents illustrative examples of earthen–wooden houses, thereby contributing to advancing knowledge about this eclectic, hybrid architecture that remains a gap in the academic literature.

Inheritance and reflection: \u201cre-study\u201d of three anthropology fieldwork sites in China\u2019s Yunnan Province

This article is a research report involving three anthropological studies conducted during the period of “Kuige” and their “re-studies.” By narrating the project, I set forth my views on the connections and differences between Chinese anthropological explorations from two historical periods. These anthropological explorations refer to the study of Lu Village conducted by Fei Xiaotong, that of “West Town” (Xizhou) by Francis L. K. Hsu, and that of “Pai-IPai” (Dai) villages by Tien Ju-Kang. They were all completed in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Each writer extracted a framework to analyze the land system, ancestor worship, and the relationship between humans and gods from the writer’s own field experience. Despite the difference in research methods, all three studies noticed the cultural differences between rural society and modernity. Since 2000, Peking University and Yunnan Minzu University have launched a “Province-university Cooperation Project.” During the project, a research team formed of several young scholars revisited Lu Village, “West Town” (Xizhou), and Namu Village. These writers’ works were based on the data acquired in their fieldwork and drew upon the opinions raised by global anthropologists on “re-study” in recent decades. Considering the dual effects of social change and shifts in academic concepts around “follow-up research,” the scholars put forward several points of view with their ethnographies, which all featured the characteristics of inheritance and reflection. Based on the results of the three “re-studies,” this article emphasizes the importance of the study of public rituals for the research of rural society. This article also attempts to re-examine the methodology of “human ecology,” which profoundly impacts Chinese anthropology and sociology.

Study on Human Settlement Environment in Dai Traditional Villages of Different Regions

Traditional village is the most basic and fundamental unit in the traditional agricultural society of China, and the concept of this human settlement space has been a long-term concern for researchers. This paper analyses the Dai traditional villages in different regions of Yunnan Province in China, and summarizes their ethnic and regional characteristics and the influencing factors. Furthermore, the sustainable development concept is discussed from the methods of human settlement environment, cultural geography and architectural typology. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Dai traditional villages share a common sustainable development concept of human settlements, which is reflected in the environmental, village and residential spaces. (2) The villages reflect the ecological concept of respecting nature, adapting measures to local conditions and harmonious coexistence. (3) The primitive belief and Theravada Buddhism of Dai nationality constitute a “Two-in-One” religious form, which determines the unique spatial pattern and human settlement ideas. (4) In the history of Dai nationality’s migration along rivers, many settlement areas have been formed in similar or even the same environments, and the villages show the original ethnic attributes and different regional attributes. (5) The similarities and differences between ethnic and regional characteristics of Dai villages are mainly affected by the combined effects of “nature, religion, human”, which has also created a unique and sustainable ideology of Dai human settlement environment, until today still has a strong vitality.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Rural Settlements in Plateau Mountainous Multi-ethnic Gathering Area

In order to further promote the optimization of the rural settlement pattern in the plateau and mountainous multi-ethnic gathering areas, and provide a basis for the protection and development of plateau mountainous ethnic settlements in the new period, the landscape pattern index method and ArcGIS spatial analysis method were used to quantitatively analyze the horizontal and vertical spatial distribution characteristics of rural settlements and their influencing factors in the multi-ethnic gathering area of the plateau and mountainous areas based on the 2017 remote sensing digital image data. The results show that: (1) The overall rural settlements in Longyang District on the horizontal space pattern show a small scale. The Han, Yi, Bai and Dai village settlements are mainly small settlements and small settlements. The Bai people are mainly medium-sized settlements. Their present the characteristics of cluster distribution. The Yi ethnic group has the highest degree of aggregation, and the Dai ethnic group has the lowest degree of aggregation. The spatial distribution and aggregation of different ethnic groups have significant differences in the level of spatial distribution. (2) Affected by geographical conditions on the vertical gradient, the settlements have a normal distribution overall, and the Bai settlements are the most obvious. (3) The spatial distribution characteristics of rural settlements in Longyang District are related to terrain, water system, transportation, and urban built-up areas, but there are certain differences between different ethnic groups. The optimization of the rural settlement pattern in the multi-ethnic gathering areas of the plateau and mountains should be based on different terrain conditions and different national cultures to suit local conditions, ensure ecological security, and promote national unity.

Study on the Sustainable Development of Human Settlement Space Environment in Traditional Villages

The sustainability of the human settlement space environment is an eternal subject of human exploration. There hides the idea of human settlement space in an externally displayed material environment. This paper takes Dai villages in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan as the research object. Dai villages are the place where the ancestors of Dai people live, produce, and collectively construct human settlement, production, and spirit. Taking field investigation data and maps of Dai settlement areas as data sources, this paper explores Dai people’s view of human settlement space, analyzes the spatial cultural connotation of Dai villages, and the concept of sustainable human settlements ecology through the analysis of the factors of the villages’ spatial form. The survey results are as follows: (1) the villages are usually located at river valleys and basin areas, which are characteristic of facing the sun and near the water, embodying the persevering ecological concept of “adapting to local conditions and coexisting with nature”. (2) Dai people are one of the earliest “rice-growing nationalities”. Dai people’s settlements have formed a sustainable human settlement ecological space and the spatial pattern of “water-forest-field-village” is an organic whole. (3) The combination of Dai’s primitive religious ecology and Southern Buddhist culture has formed the characteristic of “advocating nature and Buddhism” and a unique concept of settlement space.

Development of Organic Farmers' Cooperatives in East China: A Case Study of Dai Village, Jurong City

The objective of this study is to understand the development of organic farmers' cooperatives in East China by exploring the introduction of an organic agriculture specialized farmers' cooperative in Jurong City, Jiangsu Province. This case study indicates that, with strong leadership and well-organized management, small farmers in China are able to become involved in organic farming. Deficiencies in sales capabilities and management personnel seem to be the primary difficulties currently faced by these small farmers. In addition, focus should also be placed on quality control during the expansion of organic farming in China.

The expansion of smallholder rubber farming in Xishuangbanna, China: A case study of two Dai villages

During the last half century, rubber plantations have spread widely and rapidly in Xishuangbanna, China. This study characterizes the process of expansion in smallholder rubber farming and the subsequent changes in upland use through an in-depth case study of two Dai villages in Xishuangbanna. The results show that the area of smallholder rubber farming has increased in the study villages, as observed in other parts of Xishuangbanna. The evolution of forest policy governing the community forest in Xishuangbanna is divided into three periods: the initial, transition and strict control periods. In the initial period, customary law governed the community forest, and planting rubber was a risky choice in the eyes of villagers, while the government-provided subsidy and techniques spurred the conversion from subsistence cropping to rubber gardens. In the transition period, forest governance by the government began to intervene in the land use customs. Villagers recognized the profitability of rubber farming, and they had chance to convert community forests into rubber gardens because the forest policy was ambiguous. The expansion of rubber farming had a substantial impact on forest cover in the transition period, while the village communities conserved a part of community forest because they have a stake in conserving forest resource. In the strict control period, the government initiated a strict control, especially targeting logging. Consequently, even though there remains a strong demand for the expansion of rubber farms, the new lands chosen for rubber farms were areas in which other crops were already established. In conclusion, strict government governance with a clear objective and support from local communities has been sufficient to control the encroachment of smallholder rubber farming into natural forests in Xishuangbanna.

Cultural impact of modernization and tourism on Dai villages in Xishuangbanna, China

The development of tourism can have a considerable sociocultural impact on ethnic communities, but few studies have attempted to separate the unique impact of ethnic tourism from the overall impact of modernization and describe its mechanism clearly. This paper describes a quasi-natural experiment performed in three typical Dai villages in different stages of tourism development. A crosswise and longitudinal comparative study was performed on Dai village culture. The study indicates the following: (1) spiritual culture has been transmitted relatively unchanged across generations in three Dai villages, but material culture has undergone various degrees of change. (2) The changes in material culture and some parts of institutional culture have been caused primarily by the pressure of overall social modernization. (3) Currently, the overall thrust of modernization in mainstream Chinese society has driven some ethnic cultural practices out of use, while the endogenous driving force of tourism development in ethnic communities has pulled them back into use. (4) Under the influence of modernization, the issue of whether ethnic tourism communities can be developed in a sustainable way depends on both bottom-up and top-down factors: the leading role played by community elites internally, developing useful parts of ethnic culture and discarding useless parts during repeated games in the tourism field, and government policy and guidance facilitating planning.

The process of expansion in commercial banana cropping in tropical China: A case study at a Dai village, Mengla County

During the last decade, commercial banana cropping has spread widely and rapidly in tropical China. In the present study, we focus on a Dai village to identify how villagers adopted commercial banana cropping and examine the conditions that might sustain this change. The results show that the introduction of commercial banana cropping caused a drastic conversion of cropping patterns in lowland fields to a banana mono-culture within a short period. Almost all villagers adopted banana farming within three years, and wealthier households grew more bananas by their greater ability to fund themselves and taking more credit. Market and institutional settings that built connections between villagers and outside the village and secured the domestic movement of goods, information and labor sustained this change.

Traditional use of wetland plants in Dai villages in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Traditional use of wetland plants in Dai villages in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Are Peasants Risk‐Averse Decision Makers?

Les AA. se proposent d'evaluer l'approche qui explique le conservatisme culturel de la petite agriculture de subsistance par la rationalite d'une analyse cout-benefice effectuee par les paysans, ou les individus prennent des decisions en fonction d'un comportement d'aversion au risque en raison de leur situation economique incertaine et precaire. A cet effet, ils combinent des recherches de terrain comparatives experimentales avec des recherches ethnographique economiques dans deux groupes de petites exploitations agricoles, les Mapuche du Chili et les Sangu de Tanzanie. Ces experimentations, malgre des lacunes methodologiques, mettent en doute les approches theoriques standards. Concues afin de mesurer les preferences pour le risque directement, elles montrent que les Mapuche et les Sangu expriment une preference pour le risque dans leurs prises de decisions - suggerant que de facon generale les agriculteurs de subsistance n'agissent pas en fonction d'une aversion envers le risque. D'autre part, la preference pour le risque semble s'expliquer essentiellement en fonction du groupe culturel. En conclusion, les AA. esquissent brievement une alternative theorique au modele standard.

Khmer Pottery Making in Chanlak Dai, Southern Cambodia

Pottery making technique at the Chanlak Dai village, southern Cambodia, is reported through observing that of a potter of the family who introduced pottery making into the village in the late 1930s. This observation will become a baseline for future studies on intra- and inter-village comparisons of pottery making. A provisional comparison with the pottery making in a village in which pottery making in Chanlak Dai is likely to have been eventually originated indicates slight differences on some aspects of the techniques and associated concepts. Further investigations into the pottery making at Chanlak Dai may also be able to clarify factors responsible for the localizaton of pottery making villages in Cambodia.