China is a vast nation comprised of hundreds of distinct ethnic communities, each with its own language, history, and culture. This book recounts the history of the most sweeping attempt to sort and categorize the nation's enormous population: the 1954 Ethnic Classification project (minzu shibie).

List of Illustrations List of Tables Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Identity Crisis in Postimperial China 2. Ethnicity as Language 3. Plausible Communities 4. The Consent of the Categorized 5. Counting to Fifty-Six Conclusion: A History of the Future Appendix A: Ethnotaxonomy of Yunnan, 1951, According to the Yunnan Nationalities Affairs Commission Appendix B: Ethnotaxonomy of Yunnan, 1953, According to the Yunnan Nationalities Affairs Commission Appendix C: Minzu Entries, 1953--1954 Census, by Population Appendix D: Classification Squads, Phases One and Two Appendix E: Population Sizes of Groups Researched during Phase One and Phase Two Notes Character Glossary Bibliography Index

"We all know that China has 56 official ethnic groups, but until now none of us knew precisely why. Thomas Mullaney has now given us a big part of the answer, with his pioneering investigation into the process of Ethnic Identification in Yunnan. Like all good history, Mullaney's story also illustrates a larger point, in this case the way modern states classify things and why it makes a difference."—Stevan Harrell, author of Ways of Being Ethnic in Southwest China"Ethnic identity is a key sociopolitical concept for the 21st century. Mullaney's marvelous history not only provides a deep account of Chinese ethnicity, it also deploys strikingly original tools to think with. It is both a delight to read and a body of work for many disciplines to ponder."—Geoffrey C. Bowker, co-author of Sorting Things Out: Classification and its Consequences"The details of the far-reaching Ethnic Classification Project of 1954 have so far remained shrouded in mystery, but thanks to declassified archives, hitherto undiscovered documents and interviews with surviving members of the Yunnan expedition, Mullaney's splendid account throws light not only on one of the most sweeping registration documents in the history of the modern state, but also on how the Qing empire became the nation we know today as 'China.'"—Frank Dikotter, University of Hong Kong"This is the most brilliant study yet of how nationality, or 'ethnicity,' is created in a specific, and highly contingent, series of historical events. The details provide an intrinsically fascinating account of Chinese bureaucratic planning for the nation, with its unexpected recourse to British imperial planning. They also remind us that every case of this sort of thing is likely to be different from every other one."—Ian Hacking, author of Making Up People"A fascinating tale about the politics of the census and the making of modern China. This book is critical reading for anyone interested in ethnicity, identity, and the role of social scientists in policy formation."—Francine Hirsch, author or Empire of Nations: Ethnographic Knowledge and the Making of the Soviet Union

"This rich, nuanced and erudite book is a great accomplishment." -- Elena Barabantseva University of Manchester The China Journal "A very important contribution to our understanding of the birth of the modern Chinese nation." -- Jeff Kyong-McClain Journal Of World History "An exemplary piece of scholarship... Tackles broad historiographical questions with a manageable and concrete set of new data." -- Howard Chiang, Princeton University British Jrnl For The History Of Science "Brief but elegantly argued... Mullaney makes brilliant sense of mountains of data." -- Ruth Rogaski, Vanderbilt University Hist Stds In The Natural Sciences