JHASS

Article http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.04.007

Research on the Lack of Historical Narrative of Multi-ethnic Integration and the Dilemma of Community Identity Construction Along the Great Wall in the Hexi Corridor

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Xiaoli Ma

School of Foreign Languages, Lanzhou University of Arts and Science, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China.

*Corresponding author: Xiaoli Ma

The Construction Research of the Great Wall Cultural Landscape in the Hexi Corridor (Project No.: 2025YB122), a phased research outcome of the Gansu Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Program.

Published: April 27,2026

Abstract

The Hexi Corridor along the Great Wall is a historical corridor of long-term communication and integration among multiple ethnic groups. However, the existing narrative system has a tendency towards ethnocentrism and text fragmentation, resulting in a large amount of fusion memories being obscured. Research has found that the tension between official and folk narratives, the strengthening of ethnic boundaries, the silence of local knowledge, and barriers to intergenerational transmission of identity collectively constitute the structural dilemma of com-munity identity construction. The solution lies in systematically mining and integrating historical materials, extracting and sharing cultural symbols, establishing a community participatory memory reproduction mechanism, and promoting the narrative integration of the education system and public space. Retelling the Great Wall from a ‘border’ to a ‘contact zone’ can help provide a genuine historical foundation and cultural resources for the recognition of the Chinese national community.

Keywords

Hexi Corridor; Along the Great Wall; Multi-ethnic integration; Communal Identity

References

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How to cite this paper

Research on the Lack of Historical Narrative of Multi-ethnic Integration and the Dilemma of Community Identity Construction Along the Great Wall in the Hexi Corridor

How to cite this paper: Xiaoli Ma. (2026) Research on the Lack of Historical Narrative of Multi-ethnic Integration and the Dilemma of Community Identity Construction Along the Great Wall in the Hexi Corridor. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 10(4), 438-442.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.04.007