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 Cheng Xiufang, general manager of Tangke Palace Hotel Tourism Development Co., Ltd., in Tangke, a town in Ruoergai, a county in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Ruoergai, a county in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, is known for its vast, high-altitude grassland and wetland. The county's residents come from 12 — including Tibetan, Han, Hui, Qiang and Yi — of China's 56 ethnic groups. Tibetans, though, account for more than 90 percent of the population.
Cheng Xiufang, general manager of Tangke Palace Hotel Tourism Development Co., Ltd., has lived in Tangke, a town in Ruoergai, for 30-plus years. She has devoted herself to both running her businesses and maintaining a harmonious family life. In addition, she has integrated the promotion of ethnic unity and progress into every aspect of her life.
Cheng, who is ethnic Han, married Dongzhou, a Tibetan herdsman, in Tangke, in 1989. To adapt to her life with Tibetans, she spent a lot of time learning both the Tibetan language and culture. In 1992, to improve the family's life, the couple settled down in the center of Tangke.
At that time, many herdsmen traveled, by motorcycle, between pastures in Sichuan, Northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces. As Dongzhou was good at repairing motorcycles, he and Cheng decided to open a motorbike-repair shop in Tangke. As the couple was able to provide high-quality, bilingual (Tibetan and Mandarin) services, the shop developed a solid reputation and quickly gained in popularity.
During the late 1990s, tourism began thriving in Tangke. Why? The Yellow River merges with Baihe River in the town, and that confluence forms a peculiar, and splendid, landscape. Some travelers popped into Cheng and Dongzhou's shop to ask for directions to the Yellow River scenic area. When Cheng realized Tangke did not have any accommodations for tourists, not even a hostel, she and Dongzhou decided to open a Tibetan-style hostel that offered tents for tourists to live near the river.
The hostel soon became popular among tourists, who endorsed it for the attentive and thoughtful services provided by staff. During peak season, in the summer, the 15 tents were always booked up.
Given their success, Cheng and Dongzhou decided to open the first hotel in Tangke. They hoped that would encourage more tourists to visit the area, and to experience the local culture.
In 2004, they opened Dongzhou Homeland Hotel. The building combines the architectural styles of the Han and Tibetan ethnic groups. During the following 10-plus years, the couple signed contracts to manage two more hotels. They opened Tangke Palace Hotel in 2016.
Cheng, who sincerely loves Tibetan culture, has integrated cultural inheritance and promotion into her management of the hotels. She provides Tibetan-style tents and buttered tea to her customers, and she organizes traditional Guozhuang dance performances in the hotels.
To protect Tibetan proverbs and the etiquette of nomadic tribes from being lost, Cheng has compiled a book on the Tibetan customs in Tangke. She has also organized Tibetan-culture lectures, to explain the unique customs of Tibetans living on the grassland near the Yellow River. The customs include etiquette related to weddings and treating guests, the culture of serving tea and wine, and the traditions of worshiping sacred lakes and mountains. During the lectures, she has showcased her collection of items — including Tibetan costumes, leather bags and agricultural tools — used by herdsmen in the past.
Cheng is head of Tangke Tourism Association. During the past 10 years, she has led the association in establishing a tourism-based, poverty-alleviation alliance, and she has helped herdsmen get involved in cultural tourism. Approximately 80 percent of the Tibetan households in Tangke have become engaged in tourism, and their incomes have increased as a result. In 2018, Cheng invested 3 million yuan (US $441,176) in a collectively owned homestay in Gaerma, a village in Tangke. That homestay has become the calling card of the town's tourism industry.
"The Yellow River, our mother river, has offered good economic opportunities to us. Many Tibetans in Tangke established hotels, but they lacked knowledge about high-quality services. When they have asked me for advice, I have done my best to help them," Cheng says.
To regulate the local market, Cheng helped form Tangke Tourism Service Convention. As a member of the Aba Prefectural Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Cheng has made several proposals concerning the development of tourism industry in the prefecture.
Cheng has always helped people in need. Women, the elderly and people coping with difficulties account for a large number of her employees. When an earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou, a county in Aba, in 2017, Cheng provided free accommodations to more than 300 tour guides and tourists, all of whom sought help in Tangke. She regularly visits families facing difficulties, and she celebrates festivals with residents in her hotels.
In 2023, Cheng was named a National Woman Pacesetter for Achievements, and in 2025, she was named a role model for ethnic unity and progress in Sichuan Province.
Cheng believes unremitting efforts are needed to promote ethnic unity and progress, and to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. "I will carry forward my family's tradition of taking pleasure in helping others. I will contribute to the mission of promoting ethnic unity, and to achieving common prosperity in ethnic areas," Cheng vows.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly July 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
