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Against the era background of economic globalization and cultural pluralism,the imbalance caused by powerful cultures on the cultural ecology has caused the loss of humanities and aroused increasing vigilance across the world. As an integral part of Chinese culture,the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali states had been brilliant for more than one thousand years. It is not only the source of Yunnan's civilization,but also an important result of the blending and integration of Yunnan's culture and the surrounding ethnic cultures. It occupies a vital position in the development of the ancient civilization in Yunnan,having made important contributions to the formation of the feature of "the unity in diversity"of Chinese culture. It is a wonderful flower in the garden of diverse cultures across the world. How should we understand this historical period?How should we evaluate the historical role of Nanzhao and Dali states and their joint influence on the formation of ethnic relations in Yunnan?These are vital questions that contemporary researchers must give clear answers to.
However,the glorious history is not all recorded by vast history books. The longstanding culture has not been entirely preserved in people's memory. In the long years which have been fading like fog and smoke,Nanzhao and Dali states have a long civilization history, with many secrets hidden in the dust of history,awaiting contemporary researchers to explore. The history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali states are at the junction of the culture of the Han Ethnic Group,the Qinghai-Tibet culture and the Hinayana Buddhist culture in Southeast Asia. Therefore,Dali culture is obviously characterized by "marginal and interdisciplinary culture". The Dali area centering on Erhai occupies an important position in the ancient civilization of Yunnan. The history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali states are the products of the eastward development of the native ethnic culture around Erhai and the westward spread of the Central Plains culture. It's an excellent culture created by various ethnical groups with the Bai Ethnic Group as the main body and including ethnic groups such as Yi and others under the influence of the Confucian culture from the Chinese Central Plains and the Indian Buddhist culture. Nanzhao and Dali states took their own local cultures as the medium to disseminate the agricultural and handicraft production technology,spirit and culture of the Han Ethnic Group to other ethnic groups in Yunnan and even the people of surrounding countries,thus promoting the pluralistic integration of the Chinese nation and the extensive exchanges of Chinese and foreign cultures and making vital contributions to the reunification of China and the development of the civilization of the Chinese nation. The historical and cultural development of Nanzhao and Dali states shows that when major political issues occur,different ethnic groups are allying based on their common political goals and interests rather than on the division of ethnic groups. Among them,the common culture has always played a leading role.
It is an important subject of history,oriental cultural anthropology,geopolitics and geoculture to study how many historical and cultural phenomena in Nanzhao and Dali states were formed,how they developed,how they interrelated,why they declined,and how they will develop in the future. Especially,from the perspective of ethnic relations,how did Nanzhao and Dali states had successfully integrated various ethnic groups in the historical process to make them live and develop in unity and harmony?The inclusiveness and political wisdom of Nanzhao and Dali cultures in the historical integration with the Tang(618—907)and Song(960—1279)dynasties and Tubo and other regimes made the ethnic problems in Southwest China much simpler than those in other border ethnic areas. These characteristics of Nanzhao and Dali cultures,even today,are of great relevance to reality,thus having great research value and worldwide significance. Nanzhao and Dali cultures are the highlights of the culture of Yunnan. For this reason,Mr. Li Lincan,a well-known Taiwanese scholar,predicted that"the study of Nanzhao and Dali will become a world-wide study after the study of Dunhuang". You Guoen, Bao Bin, Xiang Da, Xu Jiarui, Fei Xiaotong, Ma Changshou,Fang Guoyu,Ma Yao,Shao Xianshu,Xu Langguang,Li Lincan,Wang Gulin and other famous scholars of the older generation have devoted their energy to the study of the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali states,having made pioneering contributions.
Dali University has been a forerunner in the study on the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali. While completing a number of academic achievements, Dali University has also cultivated a large number of researchers. With its long-term academic traditions and its attention,Dali University has produced a number of remarkable scientific research results on"the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali". After the merger and establishment of Dali University,the academic traditions of the cultural research on Nanzhao and Dali have been inherited. Dali University has prioritized funding for some research projects. Teachers and researchers of various liberal arts academies and institutes have taken the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali as their main research directions. Essays on the Ethnic Culture of Dali ,edited by Institute of National Culture Research of Dali University,has been taking the form of annual journals to publish research results on the culture of Nanzhao and Dali,which has played a good role in academic exchanges and attracted wide attention. Some of these papers have been cited by the academic circle. In March 2003,Institute of National Culture Research of Dali University was established as a specialized academic institution. Each year,special research funds are allocated to the research on the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali. Experts and scholars researching on the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali have been emerging generation after generation,having accumulated rich research results.
In 2007,it was a historical choice to settle in Dali"Research Base on Nanzhao and Dali Historical and Cultural Inheritance and Development"(hereinafter referred to as the Research Base),one of the first batch of philosophical and social sciences research bases in Yunnan Province. As a prefectural comprehensive university,Dali University has been entrusted with the task of building a research base by the era. In building a research base,experts and scholars of humanities and social sciences in Dali University have been vigorously improving their research level,carried out extensive academic cooperation and exchange activities,and actively participated in developing local cultures,by centering around their characteristic academic fields on the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali,having made commendable achievements. A number of research results have been released,having published nearly five million Chinese characters and 10 academic works. Among them, Dali's History of 4, 000 Years won the Nomination Award of the National Third Chinese Excellent Publications(Audio-visual Publications). Some academic works have won Outstanding Achievements Awards of Yunnan Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences. The research characteristics and advantages of the Research Base are gradually recognized by the society. Focusing on the advantages of the study of the history and culture of the frontier ethnic groups,the Research Base gives full play to the expertise of the experts of the Research Base,and firmly grasps the academic foundations of Nanzhao and Dali's history and culture,such as"source and flow""tradition and reality""native land and cross-border",and"pluralism and integration of Chinese culture". Honoring not identities but knowledge,the Research Base has integrated the research forces inside and outside,having won a number of vertical,horizontal and international cooperation projects,and laying a good foundation for the research development of the Research Base. In a short period of the past three years,the Research Base has been granted with four projects from the National Social Science Fund of China,six projects from provincial and ministerial humanities and social science funds,and eight international cooperation funds and horizontal projects. In 2010,relying on the Research Base,Dali Universy succeeded in applying for the master's degree program of the first-level discipline of ethnology. It has expanded the space for the study of the history and culture of Nanzhao and Dali. Having made outstanding achievements in the research of historical documents,literature,archaeology of cultural relics,science and technology,religion,military affairs,official system and so on,the Research Base has a research level ranking at the top across China. Meanwhile,in terms of research content and methods,the Research Base has developed from a single research model that focuses on ethnic groups to a thematic,systematic and in-depth direction. By developing from focusing solely on historical records to the combination of documentation,archaeology,ethnology and modern scientific and technological means,the Research Base has preliminarily formed a comprehensive, systematic and complementary research pattern of multiple disciplines,methods and channels,having yielded considerable systematic research results.
To give a concentrated display of the research results,strengthen academic exchanges and promote excellent ethnic cultures,our Translation Series of Academic Works on Bai Culture , which contains academic works from different research perspectives and fields,will be successively and officially published. What we are trying to do,after all,is just to think about these matters together with the readers over and over again. Our research team is growing,research methods and research level constantly improved and perfected. It's our heartfelt hope to receive sincere criticism from experts,scholars and readers from all walks of life.
Wang Peizhi
Director of the Research Base on Nanzhao and Dali
Historical and Cultural Inheritance and Development
January 6,2011