An Investigation and Analysis of Cross—border Ethnic Marriage in the Sino—Vietnam Border Area

Fang Tianjian

（Southwest Nationalities Research Academy，Southwest University

for Nationalities，Chengdu，610041，Sichuan，China）

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY，VOL.6，NO.6，55-67，2015 （CN51-1731/C，in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2015.06.09

Abstract：

Crossborder ethnic marriage is a special form of marriage that is found in border areas.Although there is a historical basis and it is sanctioned morally， it is characterized by  loose unions with no  legal certification.This eventually has impacts，either positive or negative，on social management and social stability in the frontier region.In the areas along the long border of China，the phenomenon of crossborder ethnic marriage does not lack written documentation，and appears in various kinds of media.However，in terms of the current focus of domestic academic circles，the phenomenon of crossborder ethnic marriage in the SinoVietnam border area is of particular concern.Thus，this area has become one with typical case studies of crossborder ethnic marriage in Chinas border areas.Crossborder ethnic marriages among the frontier people who live in the SinoVietnam border area is a historical phenomenon.However，it was not until after the founding of New China （1949）that cases of crossborder ethnic marriages were systematically registered，and the data became more accurate.However，because of the mobility and hidden nature of the people involved with crossborder marriages，it makes the statistical data in the ChinaVietnam border area less reliable.Instead  of having specific data，we can only have estimates.

This feature is more prominent in Funing county of Yunnan province，which has more than 70 kilometers of border with Vietnam.Funing has two townships which directly border on Vietnam，Tianpeng township and Muyang township.The phenomenon of crossborder ethnic marriage in Funing concentrates almost exclusively in these two townships.The ethnic diversity  and complexity in crossborder ethnic marriages are worthy of the attention and indepth study of various academic circles.The author of this article has been concerned about this special form of marriage for many years，and has conducted followup surveys on it.Based on the data and materials collected from this survey，this article discusses the present situation，and the social impacts，as well as social problems caused by this phenomenon，and then puts forward suggestions and countermeasures in terms of the problems.

In the preface of this article，the author provides a literature review of the study of transnational marriages in the SinoVietnam border area.It specially focuses on an introduction to the research situation in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces，and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages in the two areas.Through a comparative analysis，the author states clearly the innovativeness and uniqueness of this research.

In the first part of this article，the author provides a brief introduction to Muning county，and the current status of crossborder ethnic marriages in its two frontier townships.The author selected several typical village committees and natural villages as his investigation sample，for example，the Mugui，Muzhuo，Daping，and Mugang village committees，and the natural villages Zhonghe，Dasai，Jiezi，Tianwei，and Sharenzhai.Based on his investigation，the author analyzes the basic structure of crossborder ethnic marriages in this area.

In the second part of this article，the author analyzes the social causes and the social impacts of crossborder ethnic marriages in Tianpeng township and Muyang township.The survey shows that the peasantworker economy and “preference of having boys to girls” are two key causes of the gender imbalance in this area.As a result，young men had to look for their brides in Vietnam.Seen from another angle，the crossborder ethnic marriage form，to a certain degree，has solved the problem of “leftover men”.Moreover，the relationships in these  kinds of specially constructed families，to a large extent，are harmonious.However，the negative social effects of this kind of marriage should not be ignored.

The third part of this article discusses serious problems created by crossborder ethnic marriage.The problems are as follows： First are the various social problems triggered by the vicious economic chain relating to crossborder ethnic marriages.For example，these marriages are overhyped： this can cause many unhappy factors in the marriage;cheating or “trickery” in this kind of marriage is very widespread and this leads to a lack of trust between the people; trying to escape from these marriages is common and results in many families beoming even poorer ;trafficking of women for these marriages is also serious，and the rate of crime in the SinoVietnam border area is high.The second problem is that a lot of social problems and security problems have been caused by persons slipping past the borders  for crossborder ethnic marriage，for example，cattle stealing.The third problem is that there is a lot of conflict within the crosscultural ethnic marriages themselves due to the language gap.The fourth problem  is the series of problems caused by the difficulties in registering the cross border spouses as Chinese citizens.The last problem is that bigamy is widespread.

In the last part of this article，the author puts forward some suggestions for countermeasures to solve the problems caused by the crossborder ethnic marriages.For instance，the author states that improving the income of the local people is the key to handle the vicious economic chain of crossborder ethnic marriage;changing the local peoples traditional preference for boys is also a sustainable way to handle the problem caused by crossborder ethnic marriage resulting from the problem of “leftover men”.Finally， developing various educational channels with frontier characteristics and expanding the channels for household registration is also necessary.

Key Words： SinoVietnam border;crossborder ethnic marriage;Funing county;Tianpeng township;Muyang township

References：

Gu Jiarong.diyu，shenfeng rentong—yunnan jinshuihe cun daizu kuaguo hunyin diaochao （Region，Status and Identity—the Investigation of Transnational Marriage for Dai People in Jinshuihe Village of  Yunnan Province）.In Qinghai Journal of Ethnic Studies，2009（4）.

Luo Liuning.lielun zhongyue bianjing kuaguo hunyin jianli de jichu—jianlun“wu guoji nvren de shengfen” （Discussing the Establishment of Transnational Marriage in the SinoVietnam Frontier Region—A Discussion on “the Identity of Women Without Citizenship”.In Guangxi Ethnics Studies，2010（1）.

Lv Zhengyuan，Nong Xiansheng.funing xian minzuzhi （The Ethnography of Funing County）.Kunming：yunnan minzu chubanshe，1998.