[Photo provided to China Daily]
Measures to forge ethnic unity in Ningxia include youth and tourism exchanges, and community projects in cities and counties that provide different ethnicities with mixed residential areas for educational and social activities.
Regional authorities said they are accelerating the construction of a demonstration area for "forging the consciousness of the Chinese nation" by building a common home for all people and "promoting all ethnic groups to jointly move toward socialist modernization".
Ma Hancheng, a member of the standing committee of the Party committee of Ningxia, said the region has a strong tradition of unity, with integration of various ethnic groups a major part of its history.
"Ningxia has always attached great importance to ethnic harmony, carrying out major projects in previous decades to that effect," he said. "We strive to promote the exchanges and integration of various ethnic groups, such as improving policies and guidelines and long-term mechanisms for cultural inclusiveness, and economic prosperity."
Ma Hailun was born into a family of Party members. She said her father, a former soldier, often told his children, "Without the CPC, the Kirgiz herders deep in the mountains would not have been able to make the transition from nomadic practices to settlement."
In 2022, Ma's work required her to transfer to the Ningxia rehabilitation center for the disabled as a result of policies to help ethnic group members with disabilities regain confidence and also aid the development of their communities.
"As a family, we share weal and woe," Ma said. "We share a common destiny together."