| What is it?

Name: The Monument to the Oath of Ethnic Unity

Historical Period: 1951

Length: 142 cm, Width: 65 cm, Thickness: 12 cm

Housed in: Pu'er Ethnic Unity Park, Ning'er Hani and Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province

| What's the story?

The Monument to the Oath of Ethnic Unity holds the prestigious title of being the "First Monument of Ethnic Unity in the People's Republic of China." It stands as a profound symbol of the socialist ethnic relations characterized by equality, solidarity, mutual assistance, and harmony fostered by the Communist Party of China (CPC).

A heartwarming National Day celebration

Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the government took innovative steps to strengthen ethnic relations by organizing nationwide tours for ethnic minorities. In 1950, as part of this initiative, representatives from diverse ethnic groups were invited to attend the inaugural National Day celebration in Beijing.

However, representatives from Pu'er District in Yunnan Province initially harbored concerns due to the recent liberation and the influence of negative propaganda from domestic and foreign reactionary forces. Some declined the invitation due to fear of the trip to Beijing being a deadly trap.

Notably, La Meng, leader of the Wa ethnic group, set forth stringent conditions: they demanded that Han officials should accompany them, Gong Guoqing, son of the district head, be held as a hostage and the village receive provisions of 500 kilograms of salt and 100 pieces of handwoven cloth.

After strenuous negotiations and mobilization efforts by the Pu'er District Committee, a delegation comprising 43 chieftains, tribal leaders, and representatives was formed.

During a meeting on October 3, 1950, at the Huai Ren Hall in Zhongnanhai, Mao Zedong engaged with the delegation. He proposed halting the traditional practice of sacrificing human heads, suggesting monkey heads as an alternative. La Meng countered, suggesting tiger heads, albeit acknowledging their scarcity. Chairman Mao left the decision to the Wa people, who subsequently opted for cattle heads in their sacrificial ceremonies.

After participating in the National Day parade, the Pu'er delegation visited several cities, including Tianjin, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing, and Kunming. Everywhere they went, they received warm welcomes from the local people, experiencing firsthand the unity and warmth of the broader Chinese community.

An oath of Ethnic Unity

On December 26, 1950, after the observation delegation returned to Pu'er, the First Congress of Brotherly Ethnic Representatives of the Pu'er Special Zone convened. Leaders and chiefs from 26 minority ethnic groups attended the meeting, where they gained fresh insights into China's new ethnic policies after receiving the delegation's report on their visit to Beijing.

On New Year's Day in 1951, over 3,000 representatives from ethnic minorities gathered at Red Square in the county town of Pu'er (now Ning'er County). Following the southwestern ethnic minorities' tradition in Yunnan, they held an "Ethnic Unity Oath" ceremony. Among the representatives were Zhao Cunxin from the Dai ethnic group, Li Bao from the Lisu ethnic group, La Meng from the Wa ethnic group, and Congress Chairman Zhang Jun. After taking the oath, they, along with 48 others, signed their names in Dai, Lahu, and Chinese. The oath was then engraved on a stone monument erected beside the east side of the city tower in Red Square.

The inscription on the monument reads:

We, the representatives of the twenty-six ethnic groups, representing all our ethnic kin across Pu'er, solemnly conducted the ceremony of sacrificing cattle and drinking sacred water here. Henceforth, we stand united in heart and soul, committed to unity until the end. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, we pledge to strive for the establishment of a grand family founded on equality, freedom, and happiness. This is our solemn oath.

The path to harmony

Since its inception, the CPC has been dedicated to finding the right path to address domestic ethnic relations.

● In 1922, during the Second National Congress of the CPC, a program addressing ethnic issues was introduced.

● In 1928, at the Sixth National Congress of the CPC, a resolution was adopted, acknowledging the significant importance of ethnic matters for the revolution. Over time, the CPC gradually charted the course of ethnic regional autonomy.

● In October 1936, China witnessed the establishment of its first county-level ethnic autonomous government.

● In July 1937, the Central Committee of the CPC formed the Committee for Ethnic Affairs.

● By 1947, Inner Mongolia had inaugurated its first provincial-level ethnic autonomous region.

Before and after the founding of the PRC, the CPC actively sought input on the preferred national structure. Ultimately, it chose to implement ethnic regional autonomy within a unitary state framework, incorporating this approach into the Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the PRC's inaugural Constitution.

The story of "The Monument to the Oath of Ethnic Unity" epitomizes the CPC's century-long endeavor to address China's ethnic relations with its unique characteristics. Despite decades of semi-colonialism, wars, and social upheaval following the Opium War, the CPC's commitment to equality and respect has built trust among ethnic minorities.

Liu Xian /Editor    Chi Jianfeng /Translator

Yang Xinhua /Chief Editor    Ren Qiang /Coordinator

Liu Li /Reviewer

Zhang Weiwei /Copyeditor    Tan Yujie /Image Editor

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