Abstract:

Since the so-called “Kuige” period the 1940s, Gu Bao (1916–2012) accomplished three classic field research cases in his academic career: Huacheng Village in Chenggong, Yunnan, Zhuoni Tibetan Area in southern Gansu, and rural societies in southern Xinjiang. Covering different regions and ethnic groups, these studies are fundamentally significant in uncovering traditional local organizations. Explicitly or implicitly, Gu Bao revealed that the formation of grassroots communities is closely related to core anthropological themes, including land institutions and property rights. Notably, the acquisition of community membership based on human–land relations renders these cases comparable. Furthermore, his description and analysis of “common land” reflected both the diversity and coherence of understandings of “the common” from an indigenous perspective. Comparing these cases through textual analysis, academic contextualization and re-study can not only present China’s social and cultural landscapes in a more holistic way, but also promote indigenous theoretical innovation in anthropology beyond regional and ethnic boundaries.

Key words: Gu Bao, human–land relations, common land, case comparison, indigenous perspective