The Influence of the "Jiazhi" System on the Liangshan Yi Ethnic Group Before and After the Founding of the People's Republic of China

The "Jiazhi" system is a unique kinship-based organizational form of the Liangshan Yi Ethnic Group. Centered around patrilineal kinship, it has long played multiple roles in politics, economy, culture, and law within Yi society in Liangshan. Before the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Liangshan Yi region was under a slave society, where the "Jiazhi" system served as an important pillar for maintaining social order^[1].

After the PRC was founded in 1949, the state implemented a series of targeted democratic reforms, including land reform and agricultural collectivization, which gradually weakened the dominance of the "Jiazhi" system. Following the reform and opening up, the "Jiazhi" system showed signs of revival, yet its binding force and influence gradually diminished as social changes took place, integrating more into the modern rural governance system. This paper traces the historical development of the "Jiazhi" system and analyzes its profound influence on the Liangshan Yi region before and after the founding of the PRC, exploring its functions and transformations at different stages of society.