Chapter V Relations Among Nationalities Within a National Autonomous Area

Article 48 The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall guarantee equal rights for the various nationalities in the area.

The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall unite the cadres and masses of the various nationalities and give full play to their initiative in a joint effort to develop the area.

Article 49 The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall persuade and encourage cadres of the various nationalities to learn each other's spoken and written languages. Cadres of Han nationality should learn the spoken and written languages of the local minority nationalities. While learning and using the spoken and written languages of their own nationalities, cadres of minority nationalities should also learn putonghua and the standard written Chinese (Han) language commonly used throughout the country.

Awards should be given to State functionaries in national autonomous areas who can use skillfully two or more spoken or written languages that are commonly used in the locality.

Article 50 The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall help other minority nationalities living in concentrated communities in the area establish appropriate autonomous areas or nationality townships.

The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall help the various nationalities in the area develop their economic, educational, scientific and technological, cultural, public health and physical culture affairs.

The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall give consideration to the characteristics and needs of nationalities living in settlements scattered over the area.

Article 51 In dealing with special issues concerning the various nationalities within its area, the organ of self-government of a national autonomous area must conduct full consultation with their representatives and respect their opinions.

Article 52 The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall guarantee that citizens of the various nationalities in the area enjoy the rights of citizens prescribed in the Constitution and shall educate them in the need to perform their duties as citizens.

Article 53 The organ of self-government of a national autonomous area shall promote the civic virtues of love of the motherland, of the people, of labor, of science and of socialism and conduct education among the citizens of the various nationalities in the area in patriotism, communism and State policies concerning the nationalities. The cadres and masses of the various nationalities must be educated to trust, learn from and help one another and to respect the spoken and written languages, folkways and customs and religious beliefs of one another in a joint effort to safeguard the unification of the country and the unity of all the nationalities.