Abstract: The“Three Ethnic Groups”theory held that ancient ethnic people in southwest China belonged to the three ethnic groups of Diqiang,Baiyue and Baipu.Made against a background of national construction in the 1930s and 1940s,this hypothesis lacks the support of complete literature and archaeological evidence and has been proved wrong.However,despite of new discoveries made by the academic community, some historical accounts still indiscriminately follow the old hypothesis and led to confusing descriptions about the history of ancient ethnic groups in southwest China,which has to be corrected.The claims that ancient ethnic groups in southwest China had a common origin should be abandoned and changed. In order to correctly understand the history and culture of ancient ethnic groups in southwest China,related research must focus on examining such local cultural contexts as natural geography and tradition,return to“local historical accounts”from“foreign historical accounts”and interpret the materials in the the local ethnic and cultural context.A reflection on“foreign-origin”narrative tradition commonly accepted by Chinese academic community,including such theories as“grand narration”,“classic history”and“national common sense”,will help us start afresh in historical exploration.deepen our understanding of the basic logic of Chinese historical development and promote academic innovation.
Keywords: southwest China,ancient people,Three Ethnic Groups,academic review
The Chinese version appeared in Thinking, 2019(01).