Abstract: In the process of interaction, communication and integration among various ethnic groups, economic exchange has always been a crucial component. Since the Ming (1368–1644) and the Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, the multi-ethnic populations in northwestern Yunnan Province have strengthened their connections and promoted cultural integration and complementarity through sustained economic exchanges made possible by traditional trade routes and population migration corridors. This process has given rise to a multi-ethnic development pattern characterized by the you-in-me-and-me-in-you state. In this process, marketplaces have flourished and played a vital role. They not only facilitated the exchange of goods among different ethnic groups but also served as important platforms for social interaction, integration, and emotional communication, effectively promoting acceptance and adoption of the sense of community for the Chinese nation in local societies. Taking as analytical cases the temple fairs and regular markets in Heqing County, Yunnan Province, this study further clarifies how border regions, by constructing a market system that complements mountainous and basin areas, have strengthened networks of economic symbiosis, facilitated inter-ethnic interactions and cultivated shared cultural identities. In doing so, the author provides a concrete historical picture and contemporary example for understanding the sustained advancement of the practice of forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation in northwestern Yunnan.

Key words: community for the Chinese nation, northwest Yunnan Province, marketplace in Heqing County, economic symbiosis network, inter-ethnic interaction, communication and integration