Abstract: Playing a significant role in the construction of the rule of law in China, fine traditional ethnic cultures can effectively dissolve the practical barriers to the implementation of the rule of law and inject endogenous cultural momentum into sound governance in border regions. In recent years, Yunnan, grounded in its realities as a multi-ethnic border province, has fully revitalized its ethnic cultural resources and promoted the integrated development of ethnic culture and rule-of-law construction. With legal pluralism and the theory of indigenous resources as the departure points, this study systematically examines, on the basis of elucidating the triple logic of how ethnic culture empowers rule-of-law construction, three types of practical models in Yunnan: the “intangible cultural heritage law popularization matrix,” the “local mediation brand” and the “path of co-governance through virtue and law.” The research demonstrates that the grassroots governance model in Yunnan, formed from the perspective of cultural empowerment, can effectively resolve the challenge of localizing the rule of law in border areas, not only facilitating the development of local demonstration zones for ethnic unity and progress but also providing, as reference, practical and theoretical models for rule-of-law construction in other multi-ethnic border regions across China. Cultural empowerment of rule-of-law construction in Yunnan, nevertheless, faces issues such as superficial cultural excavation, poor inter-departmental coordination and uneven digitalization development. The underlying causes thereof lie in cognitive biases, lagging institutional frameworks and insufficient supply of interdisciplinary personnel. This paper proposes, accordingly, establishing mechanisms for transforming cultural resources into rule-of-law resources, improving multi-departmental collaborative support systems, and advancing the integration of digitalization with cultural adaptation so as to provide, as reference, practical solutions for rule-of-law construction in multi-ethnic border regions.

Key words: cultural empowerment, rule of law in ethnic region, border region governance, diversified dispute resolution, legal pluralism