Spiritual Forests—A Nature Conservation Model of Ethnic Minority Communities in Central Viet Nam

This paper aims to analyze and evaluate a model of forest conservation and management of ethnic minority (or indigenous) people in central Vietnam, often referred to as the spiritual forest. These forests, called sacred forest or ghost forests by the ethnic minority people in Thua Thien Hue province, have existed for a long time among forest residents. However, they have recently declined, both in quality and quantity, due to various factors, including changes in society, economy, environment, and perception, among other reasons. Based on research conducted in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province with household interviews, group discussions, and field surveys, we find that spiritual forest retains religious and human significance. They are also often among the last remaining natural forests left due to deforestation by human activities. The research results indicate challenges that conservation of spiritual forest may face, while giving recommendations derived from communities for sustainable forest development and conservation in the region.

Cardiovascular diseases in European ethnic minorities: Beyond the traditional cardiovascular risk factors

This editorial is intended to be a reflection on cardiovascular disease(CVD)burden in European ethnic minorities.In some European countries,ethnic minority realities,due to their recent appearance,are still to be studied in depth.The experience of several European countries,where the migration processes started earlier,even more than a century ago,can help by being an example.Many studies have shown that major differences in CVD burden exist not only between countries,but also within the same country when considering different social strata and ethnic groups.The CV risk factors underlying heart disease have been well established.Important epidemiological studies have helped us understand that the underlying causes of heart disease as well as the behaviors that can help prevent them are the same.We are now well aware that CVD should be treated by considering a holistic approach.This is why the social determinants(SDs)of health that may worsen the disease burden or that,vice versa,may improve the treatment,and even more significantly,the prognosis of a patient’s illness should be taken into consideration.For ethnic minority patients,this holistic,hermeneutic approach is of importance.Several SDs of health that influence CVDs have been identified but their relevance for the health of ethnic minorities has not yet been clearly defined.In some European countries,most ethnic minorities are largely also religious minorities.Only a few studies have evaluated the role of religion,which is an important SD that affects the probability of having CV risk factors and diseases.Adolescents,particularly those belonging to the second generation,seem to be the weak link.If we believe that these young people are really citizens of their country of birth,then a way of recognizing their belonging to the community starts from a will to better understand their condition,in order to assist them while they grow physically and mentally.Thinking about safeguarding the health of this population should be more than a health task,rather a goal of social justice.

The trend of low fertility and aging in ethnic minority areas and the policy responses in China:An analysis based on data from the latest three censuses

Low fertility and population aging are important factors affecting economic and social development.From 2000 to 2020,the development of low fertility in ethnic minority areas shows three trends of accelerated declining,slow declining and first falling and then rising,which are the results of the balance between the inhibiting effect of controlling birth policy and the rapidly rising birth cost,and the promoting effect of encouraging birth policy on the fertility desire of social members.The development of aging in ethnic minority areas shows two trends of acceleration and deceleration,which are the results of the balance between the promoting effect of controlling birth policy,the outflow of young and middle-aged labor force and the rise of life expectancy,and the inhibiting effect of the encouraging birth policy,the restraint of talent return and talent introduction.Combined with the development degree of low fertility and aging,we can accurately classify and implement policies for different ethnic minority areas.The areas with serious low fertility and population aging problems need economic policies to change the population age structure as soon as possible.The areas with slight low fertility and population aging problems should carry out ideological policies in priority to maintain the benign structure of population age.

A Study on the Chess Culture of Ethnic Minority Groups in Gansu Province

As a region inhabited by large populations of ethnic minority groups, Gansu province boasts rich ethnic cultural resources which reflect traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage that had taken shape thousands of years ago. Among these are various ethnic folk chess games. They are time-honored with many types such as the “Fang” chess of the Hui ethnic group, the “Jiu” chess of the Tibetans, the “King and Ministers” chess, the Mongolian chess, the Mongolian military chess, etc. These games embody distinctive ethnic and regional characteristics, as well as the cultural elements of a particular ethnic minority group. It is of great significance, therefore, to study the ethnic chess by collecting, documenting and comparing different types of related chess. The paper explores ways to standardize, protect and promote them scientifically in joint efforts, and draws a conclusion that examining their significance in the present era and the ethnic characteristics is the key to understanding the profound culture behind the chess.

Higher Education Admission Policy and Social Class of Ethnic Minority:The Case of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,China

Gaokao has been considered as the gatekeeper of intergenerational class reproduction in today’s slowing social mobility in China.In order to bolster the fairness of Gaokao,the Policy of Bonus Scores for Ethnic Minority Candidates(PBSEMC)has been issued,whose,however,effectiveness in promoting upward social class has not been adequately empirically explored.The difference-in-differences(DID)analysis based on cross-sectional data,which is distinct from the traditional DID analysis paradigm,was implemented to assess the Reform of PBSEMC in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1988.The results showed that PBSEMC had a significant and positive impact on the social classes of ethnic minorities,and gender,residence type and occupation type were also relevant to social class,aligning with the previous literature.The PBSEMC is effective in improving the social classes of ethnic minorities.However,the PBSEMC policy should be made more precise,in order to benefit the candidates who are in genuine need of assistance.

Protection and Utilization of Cultural Landscape in a Forest Park in Ethnic Minority Region ——With a Case of Zhangjiajie

Presently, more and more attention is paid to cultural landscapes by peo-ple at travel ing, especial y for folk culture in ethnic minority regions where rich hu-man landscapes could be ful y made use of to improve landscape quality. In the research, cultural landscapes in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park were surveyed and evaluated to analyze characters of cultural utilization, as wel as problems existing in the Park. In addition, highlights were given to protection on cultural landscapes in a forest park construction, presentation of ethnic minority culture, and ful development of tourism products.

English Listening Teaching： A Perspective from the Ethnic Minority in China

Listening and speaking is of great importance in language communication, which is being paid close attention to in TEFL in China. However, as most of ethnic minorities are living far away from developed districts, they lack necessary sources in English listening teaching, which makes the local learners＇ listening ability not so satisfactory. This paper, based on the questionnaire, analyzes the problems existing in current English listening teaching in ethnic minority districts, and puts forward some suggestive solutions.

Space Pattern of Rural Leisure Tourism Development in Southwest Minority Area——A Case Study of Ethnic Minority Area in Southeast Chongqing

On the basis of analysis of current research documents on rural leisure tourism, taking ethnic minority area of Southeast Chongqing for example, the paper expounded ecology, culture, authenticity and uniqueness of rural leisure tourist resources in ethnic minority area, and city-dependent, scenic area-dependent, traffic route-dependent and remote characteristic village type of space pattern.

Translation Principles of Chinese Ethnic Minority Classics:A Case Study on the English Translation of Yimakan Mandu Mergen

Different translation principles may result in different translation products Chinese and foreign scholars put forward a lot of insightful and perceptive views on translation principles based on their plentiful translation practice.Taken the Hezhe Peo ple’s oral tradition Yimakan Mandu Mergen as an example,the paper probes into the English translation principles and strategies of Chinese ethnic minority classics.

Farming Ritual and Festival Folk Custom of Dong Ethnic Minority Group

In order to pray for harvest and express gratitude, Dong ethnic arranged sacrifices of farming in accordance with periodicity of rice production and its requirements to festivals and calendar. Meanwhile, New Year, Pray in Spring and Return in Autumn not only play significant roles in agricultural production, but also evolve to farming holidays which are enriched with more social connotations. Centered on husbandry and production, some folklore that is rich in local color has been formed in Dong society. The writer introduced some farming ritual of Dong ethnic group, such as, sowing, Kai Yang Men, Rain-praying, Chang Xin, reaping and Lunar New Year, summarized their belief in the land worship, festival ritual, ancestor ritual and ceres ritual. It is concluded that sacrifice is a production-related folklore, which is formed by repeated operation and constant practice. Some taboos were also prohibited in agricultural sacrifice because people were not able to change the unfavorable reality of farming with their insufficient experience and knowledge; however, they resorted to witchcraft for the purpose of harvest. It is believed that the activity of sacrifice will also be kept in the life of Dong ethnic group due to their dependency on agriculture and the land.

A Research into English Learning Strategies of Preparatory Ethnic Minority Education

On the basis of survey, students of Preparatory Ethnic Minority are not interested in English learning, and they lack language learning strategies, listening and oral abilities when they are studying English. According to theories of Second Language Acquisition, connected with teaching practice, new English Learning Model is discussed and constructed. It includes"1+2+3" curriculum model, which advocates"Student centered"teaching method and setting up optional courses so that students will at tain the set goal smoothly.

Analysis of the Ecological Migration Pattern in Ethnic Minority Areas——A Case Study of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

By taking Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as an example,this paper analyzes the ecological migration pattern in ethnic minority areas.The basic patterns of development for poverty relief in Ningxia are in-situ migration and new area development pattern.The new area development pattern includes three types,namely small town development pattern around urban radiation districts,urban labor migration pattern,and large-scale ecological migration pattern.Finally,successful experience of ecological migration in Ningxia is summarized.First,scientific industrial planning shall be made on the basis of proper selection of ecological migration location in immigrant settlement regions.Second,scientific and comprehensive ecological migration policies should be formulated.

Genetic polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA HVS-I and HVS-II of Chinese Tu ethnic minority group

We analyzed the two hypervariable segments HVS-I and HVS-II of 108 Chinese Tu ethnic minority group samples for forensic and population genetics purposes, Comparing with Anderson sequence, 79 polymorphic loci in HVS-I and 40 in HVS-II were found in Chinese Tu ethnic minority group mtDNA sequences, and 90 and 64 haplotypes were then defined. Haplotype diversity and the mean pairwise differences were 0.9903±0.0013 and 5.7785 in HVS-I, and 0.9777±0.0013 and 3.5819 in HVS-II, respectively. By analyzing the hypervariable domain from nucleotide 1,6180 to 1,6193 in HVS-I, we defined some new types of sequence variations. We also compared the relationship between Tu population and other populations using mtDNA HVS-I sequences. According to Rst genetic distances, the phylogenetic tree showed that the Tu population, the Xi＇an Han population, the Chinese Korean, and the Mongol ethnic group were in a clade. This indicated a close genetic relationship between them. There were far relations between the Tu population and other Chinese southern Han populations, Siberian, European, African, and other foreign populations. The results suggest that Tu population has a multi-origin and has also merged with other local populations.

Are“Internet+”tactics the key to poverty alleviation in China’s rural ethnic minority areas? Empirical evidence from Sichuan Province

China has made great efforts to alleviate poverty in rural ethnic minority areas and targeted achieving the poverty-alleviation task by the end of 2020.Aba,Ganzi,and Liangshan,three of the poorest ethnic prefectures in Sichuan Province,Southwest China,have all implemented“Internet+”tactics since 2013,which have had the positive effect of increasing family revenues by improving communication infrastructure and encouraging the large-scale use of e-commerce.This paper aims to comprehensively investigate whether“Internet+”tactics play a key role in poverty alleviation in Sichuan’s rural ethnic minority areas and to propose further measures to enhance the efficiency of e-commerce practice.To this end,we conduct an analysis using the framework of classic growth theory and use panel data from 2000 to 2018 to examine the relationship between Communication Infrastructure Investment(CII)and a set of poverty-alleviation indicators,including local GDP growth rate(LGGR),local government revenue(LGR),and per-capita income of residents(PCIR).The results indicate that strengthening CII improves the PCIR and local economic growth,playing a key role in poverty alleviation.However,the stimulation of CII on LGGR and LGR wanes as time passes.More financial and technical actions will be needed to improve the efficiency and quality of current strategies for sustainable development in those areas.

Early Bilingual Vocabulary Development Among Low-SES Ethnic Minority Learners in China:The Case of Uyghur and Kazak Children

Vocabulary knowledge is one of the most important aspects of language development. For bilingual students, early vocabulary development often predicts their future bilingual success. This paper examines early bilingual receptive vocabulary knowledge of ethnic minority children(N=135) from two large ethnic language communities(Uyghur and Kazak) in three national-level povertystricken counties in Xinjiang, China. The children’s bilingual vocabulary knowledge was assessed using translated versions of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV(PPTV-IV) in Putonghua(PTH) and their mother tongue(MT) Uyghur or Kazak. Data were analyzed through four General Linear Models(GLM). The analyses showed that both groups scored higher in MT vocabulary knowledge than that in their PTH, although the Kazak students’ MT vocabulary scores were lower than those of the Uyghurs. While gender, age, L1, or residence location were not significant factors in differences across the two groups in PTH, among the Kazak children, the main effect of age was significant in MT;and among Uyghur children, residence location had a significant effect. The two groups also differed in patterns of acquisition in different parts of speech(nouns, verbs, and attributes) with Uyghur children performing strongest in MT and PTH verbs. The findings have important implications for ensuring the quality of early bilingual education among impoverished Chinese minority communities.

Disparities in the impact of economic well-being on self-esteem in adulthood:Race and ethnicity

BACKGROUND Most studies have defined economic well-being as socioeconomic status,with little attention given to whether other indicators influence self-esteem.Little is known about racial/ethnic disparities in the relationship between economic wellbeing and self-esteem during adulthood.AIM To explore the impact of economic well-being on self-esteem in adulthood and differences in the association across race/ethnicity.METHODS The current study used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.The final sample consisted of 2267 African Americans,1425 Hispanics,and 3678 non-Hispanic Whites.Ordinary linear regression analyses and logistic regression analyses were conducted.RESULTS African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be in poverty in comparison with non-Hispanic Whites.More African Americans were unemployed than Whites.Those who received fringe benefits,were more satisfied with jobs,and were employed were more likely to have higher levels of self-esteem.Poverty was negatively associated with self-esteem.Interaction effects were found between African Americans and job satisfaction predicting self-esteem.CONCLUSION The role of employers is important in cultivating employees’self-esteem.Satisfactory outcomes or feelings of happiness from the workplace may be more important to non-Hispanic Whites compared to African Americans and Hispanics.

Study on the Influence of Informal institution on Rural Legal Construction in Northwest Ethnic Minority Region

The Informal institution in Northwest Ethnic Minority Region has dual effects on rural legal construction. In the process of rural legal construction,it can make up for the defects of formal institution to reduce the cost of legal construction,and increase benefit. It also has negative influence on social function,and can't be conducive to the social stability,development and harmony. Civil law is to be more valued,thus avoiding and hampering the implementation of national laws and even covering the operation of national laws,so it is impossible to achieve rule of law. The coordinated development of Informal institution and socio-economic development in Northwest Ethnic Minority Region will contribute to stable and harmonious social development in Northwest Region.

Influence of Urbanization on Growth of Rural Residents' Consumption in Western Ethnic Minority Areas of China

To make clear the relation between urbanization and growth of rural resident consumption in western ethnic minority areas of China,this paper selected cross-sectional area of 12 provinces( cities) in western ethnic minority areas in 2005- 2013 and made an empirical analysis through building panel data of influence of urbanization on rural resident consumption. Results indicate that there is positive correlation between urbanization and rural resident consumption growth in western ethnic minority areas. Urbanization increases income level of rural residents,strengthens demonstration effect of urban residents on rural resident consumption,and accordingly promotes rural resident consumption growth in western ethnic minority areas. Therefore,it is required to accelerate urbanization development,expand channels of increasing farmers' income,improve resident consumption environment,and bring into play promotion function of counties,to drive rural resident consumption growth in western ethnic minority areas.

Factors Influencing Rural Teacher Flow in Yunnan Ethnic Minority Areas

Ethnic minority areas area old revolutionary base areas,areas inhabited by ethnic minorities,remote areas,impoverished areas, and also difficult areas for construction of socialist harmonious society.Studying on factors influencing rural teacher flow in ethnic minority areas is of great significance to improving local teacher team structure and promoting balanced development of urban and rural education.However,it lacks empirical analysis based on field survey for the nonce.In this study,based on interview and questionnaire data of education departments and school leaders in 4 ethnic minority areas of Yunnan Province,it established binary Logistic model,analyzed factors influencing rural teacher flow in ethnic minority areas of Yunnan Province,and finally present policy recommendations.

Development in China's Ethnic Minority Regions:Progress, Inadequacies and Solutions

Since the dawn of the new era, significant progress has been made in the economic, political, cultural, social and ecological development of China's ethnic minority regions under the strategy to "build a moderately prosperous society in all respects,deepen reform, implement the rule of law, and strengthen Party discipline." Nevertheless,in order to fully satisfy the growing needs of people in ethnic minority regions, China must continuously promote endogenous development, rural income growth, skills training,urbanization, poverty reduction effectiveness, social governance and the common values of the Chinese nation, and address the issues related to imbalanced and insufficient development. In light of China's goal to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects for people of all ethnic groups and regions, this paper raises policy recommendations to enhance skills training and vocational education, promote fair access to basic public services, enhance targeted poverty reduction in deeply poor regions, create a public cultural service system involving diverse stakeholders, increase the fairness of ethnic policy for people of different ethnic groups and regions, and balance the relationship between ecological protection and economic development in ethnic minority regions.