A Study on the Relationship between Multiculturalism and Economic Development in Yunnan from the Perspective of Border Governance

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jse.202511506

Author(s)

Rong Ye1, Xiaohui Lu2, Xun Xu3, Kunlin Li4, Ziyi Li5, Fulei He6,*

Affiliation(s)

1Postdoctoral Research Station, Fudian Bank Financial Research Institute, Kunming, Yunnan, China 2Kunming Foreign Language School, Kunming, Yunnan, China 3School of Management and Economics, ChuXiong Normal University, Chuxiong, Yunnan, China 4Development Research Center of the People's Government of Mengzi City, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Honghe, Yunnan, China 5The Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Center of the Agriculture, Rural Affairs, and Science and Technology Bureau of Shiping County, Honghe, Yunnan, China 6Yunnan Vocational College of Finance and Economics, Kunming, Yunnan, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

As a crucial line of defense for national sovereignty, border regions play a pivotal role in the political spatial layout. Yunnan, situated in China's southwestern frontier and characterized by its multi-ethnic population, exhibits a complex and interdependent relationship between its unique cultural diversity and economic development. Spanning a 4,061-kilometer border and home to 26 ethnic groups, Yunnan serves as a quintessential example of border governance and the integration of culture and economy against the backdrop of national strategic initiatives such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the "Belt and Road" initiative. This study, viewed through the lens of border governance, reveals that the historical tensions among geographical isolation, corridor openness, and dynastic integration have fostered a pluralistic symbiotic system characterized by the principle of "unity in diversity." In the contemporary context, the synergy between traditional festivals and modern tourism, intangible cultural heritage techniques and e-commerce, as well as cross-border ethnic networks and port trade, transforms cultural resources into industrial capital. This transformation significantly reduces transaction costs through informal institutions such as ethnic festival credit, bilingual communities, and relational networks. On the governance front, a quintuple mechanism for stabilizing borders-including infrastructure interconnectivity, institutional innovation in free trade zones, and diverse governance forces-integrates security governance with open cooperation within a unified framework. Moving forward, it is essential to balance development and protection through innovative cultural governance and establish mechanisms for cross-border standard mutual recognition and benefit-sharing, ensuring that multiculturalism becomes a sustainable driving force for the high-quality economic development of border regions. This has profound implications for exploring a border governance model with Chinese characteristics.

Keywords

Border Governance; Multiculturalism; Economic Development; Yunnan Region

References

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