Cheng Ren Li Ritual at Hualan Yao Village in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: Symbolic Interaction and Ethnicity in the Context of China's Poverty Alleviation

Abstract

The objective is to study the role of the Chengrenli ritual in maintaining the ethnicity of the Hualanyao people in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, in the context of China's poverty alleviation. The research found that the Hualan Yao people are an ethnic group of farmers. There is a unique cultural identity associated with the Cheng Ren Li Ritual. From 1978 onwards until the present day (2023), the Chinese government has implemented a poverty eradication strategy. This created a new economic system and drew many Hualan Yao people out of the village. Especially young people and working people Affecting the traditional social and cultural system Many villages are in cultural crisis. But the Hualan Yao people still maintain their ethnicity through the Cheng Ren Li ritual. The Cheng Ren Li ritual attracts young people back to the countryside and preserves their ethnicity. The Hualan Yao people also use this ritual to negotiate identity. with outsiders in various forms such as cultural tourism and production of products, souvenirs, etc. from ritual clothing. This qualitative research used semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis to study the Cheng Ren Li ritual in Hualan Yao Village, Guangxi, China. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with knowledge and experience of the ritual. The research lasted six months and the data was analyzed thematically. The findings were validated through member checking with the participants. The research focused on the role of the Cheng Ren Li ritual in maintaining the ethnicity of the Hualan Yao people in the context of China's poverty alleviation policies. The main finding of this research is that rituals are not created solely to be sacred. But it is the maintenance of ethnicity. In addition, rituals are an important mechanism for effectively negotiating identity with outside society.