My research will examine the socialist state's endeavor to intregrate and establish legitimacy in Gejiu's multi-ethnic tin mining community during the Maoist and reform eras. To do so, I will explore the interaction between the everyday practices and ideologies of party officials, managers, and workers at the Yunnan Tin Corporation (YTC) in Gejiu as they articulate and implement the institutions and policies of the central government. This study spans the socialist nationalization and current restructuring of the YTC, and elucidates the processes of frontier integration and state-building in this non-Han region of China. I will affiliate with Yunnan University and be mentored there by Professors Lin Chaomin and Yin Shaoting. I have clearance from Honghe Prefecture and Gejiu officials and from the YTC's director.