The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China, China's fundamental law on ethnic affairs, took effect on July 1, 2026.
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to work involving the nation's ethnic groups. Further, the CPC Central Committee has stressed that fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation should be a focus in the Party's work on ethnic affairs in the new era and a focus in the work on all fronts in ethnic regions. Xi's thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work have since been formed.
Women's federations, at all levels, have since focused on forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, and they have played their role as a bridge connecting the Party and the government and women. Through various women-oriented activities, the federations have guided women, of all ethnic groups, in unswervingly following the Party's lead, and in contributing their wisdom and strength to building a strong nation and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Women, from diverse ethnic groups, regions and social sectors, have been striving for excellence in their work, to live in harmony and reach out to each other in adversity, and to vividly demonstrate the profound meaning of "All ethnic groups are one family, jointly building the Chinese Dream together."
This article focuses on the story of Gulmira Daulet, village Party branch secretary and director of the village committee of Xia'erhete, a village in Jeminay County, Altay Prefecture, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Xia'erhete is a village in Jeminay, a town in Jeminay County, Altay Prefecture, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The village, adjacent to Jeminay Port, is situated on the China-Kazakhstan border, and most of the villagers are from the Kazak ethnic group.
In 2019, Gulmira Daulet, who is ethnic Kazak, was elected both village Party branch secretary and director of the village committee. She has since promoted ethnic unity and progress, and she has led the villagers in achieving common prosperity and development through rural revitalization. Today, Xia'erhete boasts thriving industries, social etiquette and civility, a pleasant living environment and neighborhood harmony.
In 2021, Gulmira Daulet was honored as an outstanding member of the CPC in Xinjiang. Three years later, she was named a National Model for Ethnic Unity and Progress by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.
"There are no small matters in ethnic unity. We should take care of ethnic unity as taking care of our eyes, cherish ethnic unity like cherishing our lives," Gulmira Daulet has often said. As a grassroots cadre, she has done everything she can to help care for and provide assistance to the villagers, especially seniors who live alone and families coping with difficulties.
Once, an elderly man, who lived alone, fell off a ladder and injured himself. Upon hearing of his accident, Gulmira Daulet took the man to the county's hospital for treatment. During the days he was hospitalized, Gulmira Daulet made the time, daily, to feed his livestock and clean his yard. After the man returned home, he was moved with emotion when he saw his tidy yard and healthy livestock. He held Gulmira Daulet's hand and said, "You are like my own daughter."
Whenever a villager needs help, Gulmira Daulet is the first in line. She has warmed the villagers' hearts, and her efforts have helped foster a harmonious and united atmosphere throughout the village.
The villagers regard her as "the most reliable person." As the village is located near several patriotic education bases, and Jeminay Town's Ethnic Unity and Progress Education Base, Gulmira Daulet has often arranged for the villagers to attend activities at the bases. Through the activities, the villagers have deepened their love for both the Party and the country, and they have deepened their resolve to guard the border.
Gulmira Daulet has formed teams of volunteers, who provide hundreds of volunteer-service activities, such as protecting the environment and caring for seniors who live alone. These activities have nourished people's hearts, and helped to cultivate new social norms.
Various cultural activities, such as bonfire parties, food festivals and village galas, have been held. These activities have allowed people, from different ethnic groups, to draw closer together amidst laughter and joy. As such, these activities have helped ensure the sense of community for the Chinese nation has taken root in every household. Other activities, such as selecting the model ethnic unity households, have also been held in the village.
As a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), Gulmira Daulet has offered suggestions on issues of public concern, such as rural substation construction and the integrated development of culture and tourism.
Every year, after the NPC session, in Beijing, Gulmira Daulet organizes briefings for the villagers. She uses her personal experiences, and simple language, to interpret national policies. This has enabled villagers to truly feel the care of the Party and the country, especially for border areas and ethnic minority groups.
Gulmira Daulet believes economic growth and prosperity for the people are solid foundations for ethnic unity. When she first took office, there was a garbage dump near the entrance of the village. With the help of forestry technicians, Gulmira Daulet led villagers in transforming the area into an apple orchard, generating a stable annual income for the village's collective economy.
After the orchard was established, a 400-squaremeter drying yard was built, to facilitate the drying process and solve the problem of storing and processing fresh fruit. Gulmira Daulet encouraged a villager, with entrepreneurial aspirations, to sign a contract to manage the drying yard, set up yurts and develop an agritainment business.
In collaboration with the town's government, Gulmira Daulet organized various cultural-tourism activities, such as Apple Blossom Festival, and those events have attracted tourists and, in turn, expanded villagers' income channels.
Gulmira Daulet has encouraged farmers who raise livestock to build high-standard breeding barns, and to raise superior breeds of cattle and sheep.
She also suggested women embroiderers learn Mandarin, and to begin using e-commerce platforms. Now, most of the women are fluent in Mandarin, and skilled in operating mobile apps. They have expanded their sales channels, through both online and offline platforms, and they have increased their incomes.
Under Gulmira Daulet's leadership, the total income of the village's collective economy has grown from 80,000 yuan (US $11,765), in 2019, to 780,000 yuan (US $114,706), in 2025. Villagers' per capita annual income has risen from 15,000 yuan (US $2,206) to 26,000 yuan (US $3,824) during the same period.
Gulmira Daulet says the next step is to improve the village's cross-border, tourism-related facilities, and to create a leisure-tourism route that is convenient for tourists. Efforts will be made to develop industries well-suited to local conditions, improve supporting tourism services, such as catering, accommodations, transportation and shopping, and organize more cultural and tourism activities.
"We aim to build our border village into a happy home, where tourists are eager to visit, and where villagers live more comfortable and prosperous lives. We hope the flower of ethnic unity will bloom even more vibrantly along the border," Gulmira Daulet says.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly July 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
