The Archives has preserved “Minzu diaocha biaoge” (“Ethnic Survey Forms”), compiled by Shun-sheng Ling (1901–1978) and published by the IHP in 1935 as a single volume. This work comprises 842 questions categorized into 23 classes concerning the material, spiritual, and social aspects of life, questions which not only reflect the epistemology and research interests of ethnologists at the time but also embody Ling’s practice in producing “scientific ethnography” through fieldwork.
The “Ethnic Survey Forms” were also included in Ling’s article “Minzuxue shidi diaocha fangfa” (“Methods of Ethnological Fieldwork”), written in 1934 when Ling was a research fellow at the IHP—then located in Kunming due to the war. Prior to its publication, he had been involved in the investigation of the Nanai (Goldi or Hezhen), Miao, She, and other peoples. Ling states therein that when researchers conduct fieldwork, survey forms should be carried regardless of their level of experience. He then continues that for an initial survey, asking questions according to forms is a safer option; but as one’s experience grows, such forms may be utilized more flexibly. This suggests that these forms were an essential tool for conducting fieldwork as well as serving as a guide for those just getting acquainted with ethnological practices.
For more, see Shun-sheng Ling, “Methods of Ethnological Fieldwork,” Bulletin of IOE, no. 1 (1936): 45–75 (in Chinese).
Tsui-ping Ho, Ling Shun-sheng’s Anthropological Journey: From the Sungari River to the Pacific Ocean (Taipei: Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, 2005) (in Chinese).
The “Ethnic Survey Forms” were also included in Ling’s article “Minzuxue shidi diaocha fangfa” (“Methods of Ethnological Fieldwork”), written in 1934 when Ling was a research fellow at the IHP—then located in Kunming due to the war. Prior to its publication, he had been involved in the investigation of the Nanai (Goldi or Hezhen), Miao, She, and other peoples. Ling states therein that when researchers conduct fieldwork, survey forms should be carried regardless of their level of experience. He then continues that for an initial survey, asking questions according to forms is a safer option; but as one’s experience grows, such forms may be utilized more flexibly. This suggests that these forms were an essential tool for conducting fieldwork as well as serving as a guide for those just getting acquainted with ethnological practices.
For more, see Shun-sheng Ling, “Methods of Ethnological Fieldwork,” Bulletin of IOE, no. 1 (1936): 45–75 (in Chinese).
Tsui-ping Ho, Ling Shun-sheng’s Anthropological Journey: From the Sungari River to the Pacific Ocean (Taipei: Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, 2005) (in Chinese).