Introduction

To cultivate students' research abilities, enhance their understanding of the realities of Chinese society, and improve their academic research literacy, Tsinghua University's Xinya College has collaborated with the School of Ethnology and Sociology of Yunnan University to jointly offer a practice course titled "Social Practice". From July 14 to 27, 2024, with the strong support of People's Government of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, more than 60 teachers and students from both universities (including 31 from Tsinghua University) participated in a social investigation activity jointly planned by Chairwoman Gui Hongmei of the Wenshan Federation of Social Sciences, Professor Guo Taihui from Yunnan University, and Dean Mei Ciqi from Xinya College. Under the main theme of "Local Response to National Policies", the participants were divided into four research teams. They respectively conducted social practice and investigation on the following topics: the status of ethnic unity and progress demonstration in Guangnan County, the implementation of the "Revitalizing Border Areas and Enriching Residents' Lives" policy in Maguan County, the development of the biomedical industry focusing on notoginseng in Wenshan City, and the status of national gateway education in Malipo County.

On the morning of July 15, the opening ceremony for the first "Tsinghua University-Yunnan University Undergraduate Joint Summer Field Camp" was officially held in the lecture hall on the second floor of the Anthropology Museum of Yunnan University, hosted by Professor Guo Taihui. In his speech, Dean Mei Ciqi expressed his expectations for this social investigation through "three firm beliefs": a firm belief in the power of interdisciplinary approaches, a firm belief in the strength of border regions, and a firm belief in the power of research. In the subsequent thematic lectures, Professor He Ming, Dean of the School of Ethnology and Sociology of Yunnan University, and Associate Professor You Tianlong, Head of the Department of Sociology, delivered lectures titled "Colorful Yunnan—The Coupling of Ecological Diversity, Biological Diversity, and Cultural Diversity" and "The Skills of Field Research", respectively, introducing the unique situation of Yunnan Province and the methods and experience of conducting field investigations.

From July 15 to 26, teachers and students of each research team conducted investigations in Guangnan County, Maguan County, Wenshan City, and Malipo County, respectively. This two-week research experience has not only helped students grasp the basic methods of social investigation but also fostered academic exchanges between the two universities. A large number of promotional and research articles have been produced on platforms at the prefecture and county levels, with positive social responses received.

On July 27, the closing ceremony for this joint summer social investigation was held at Yunnan University. Dean He Ming of Yunnan University's School of Ethnology and Sociology delivered a speech, and each research team presented their respective summaries and reports. The Malipo team conducted in-depth research on the current situation of national gateway education in local areas. Through interviews, questionnaires, and other methods, the team found that local schools actively responded to national policies and explored diversified models for national gateway education. They performed particularly well in safety education. However, they also faced challenges such as the severe issue of left-behind children. The Maguan team focused on the local implementation of the "Revitalizing Border Areas and Enriching Residents' Lives" policy, proposing to introduce new governance subjects such as "rural CEOs" through mechanism innovation. This aims to alleviate the burdens on grassroots officials and stimulate governance vitality, making "she-power" and "grassroots Party building" a beautiful landscape along the border. The Wenshan team was further divided into three smaller groups to explore various aspects such as the layout of industrial parks and the whole industrial chain of notoginseng, organizational models of professional cooperatives and notoginseng planting entities, and oral histories from micro-subjects (enterprises, cooperatives, individual farmers) in the notoginseng industry. The aim is to approach, demystify, and understand both the past and present of this herb. The Guangnan team chose to focus on "Modern Economy in Traditional Mechanisms: An Analysis and Comparative Study of Pain Points in the Development of Guangnan's Cultural Tourism Industry", comparing the development status of cultural tourism industries across different townships, identifying common challenges faced by ethnic minority areas in the cultural tourism development, and attempting to propose possible solutions.

Articles illuminate moral principles, just as the mountains and rivers recognize kindred spirits. The deep friendship between the teachers and students of Xinya College and colorful Yunnan and magnificent Wenshan will yield even more fruitful outcomes in the future.