The historically complicated eth-nic migration and cultural interaction , as well as present day multi -ethnic interactive symbiosis in the “corridors” and “channels” of Southwest China constitutes a great challenge to the tradition-al “taxonomic-style” ethnic research and modern“mosaic-style” understanding of the region . Mo-reover , it also stimulates those in Southwest stud-ies to pay more attention to a regional model of“cross-cutting” and integration . Different from the “single ethnic group” research model , area studies in Southwest China emphasizes the break-down of administrative divisions , and the tran-scendence of ethnic boundaries .It attempts to ex-plore the feature of mobility and structure of rela-tionships contained in the “Southwest” itself based on the characteristics of the ethnic “corri-dors” and migration “channels” in this region. The rise of the topics , such as the zangyi zoulang ( Tibetan-Yi Corridor ) , the xinan sichou zhilu ( Southwest Silk Road ) , and the chama gudao ( the Ancient Tea Caravan Road ) in current aca-demic circles is pushing areas studies in Southwest China to a higher academic level and theoretical cognition .Based on a review and forecast of this academic trend , this article tries to give some thoughts on the future development , and possible breakthroughs , of contemporary anthropological studies in Southwest China from the aspects of re-search subjects , problem consciousness , and methodology . 1.The “ Corridor” Doctrine: A Model ofArea Studies in Southwest ChinaSince the 1980s, the direction of SouthwestStudies could be summarized into two aspects : 1)the creation of a comprehensive area studies pattern,for instances, the emergence of the researchon the “Tibetan-Yi Corridor”, and “Ancient TeaCaravan Route”; 2) the gradual development ofspecial research on a single ethnic group, for instance,the founding of various associations whichaimto study a specific ethnic group, such as theTibetology Association, Association for the YiStudies, and the Association for the Miao Studies.While the former takes regional socio-cultural characteristicsas its research theme, and represents akind of awakening of awareness of academic disciplines.The latter takes the ethnic group as an objectof study, which represents a kind of ethnicself-consciousness.Fei Xiaotong considered thatethnic studies which focus on a single group doubtlesslybring many theoretical dilemmas and issuesof reality. Therefore, around 1980 he proposedthe concept of minzu zoulang (ethnic corridor),and tried to break the limitations of “single ethnicgroup” study by using an approach of area studiesin order to manage the various problems related tocontemporary China′s ethnic classification.Basedon the investigation and summary of ethnic migrationsin Chinese history, Fei also proposed threecorridors concerning China′s ethnic migration andethnic cultural exchange: (i) the Northwest Corridor;(ii) the Tibetan-Yi Corridor; and (iii)the Nanling Corridor.Therefore, the formation of minzu zoulang doctrine has an important meaningfor the concept of “The pattern of diversity in unityof the Chinese nation”, and it also reveals thematuration of a regional vision in ethnic anthropological studies in China. Actually, the usage of “ corridor ” and“channel” to summarize geographical characteristicsand ethnic mobility in Southwest China also re -flected an academic consensus in early academiccircles both home and abroad.Since the reconstructionof ethnology and anthropology in 1980,Southwest Studies have displayed its characteristicsof “area studies”.This is seen especially in thefoundation of the “Southwest China Ethnology andAnthropology Society ” in 1981, which furthermarked the opening of a regional vision and practicein the Southwest Studies.Driven by the society,the academic forces of Southwest Studies havebeen integrated and organized; and a series ofspecial investigations based upon characteristics ofarea studies, such as “watershed”, “corridor”or “channel”, have been conducted.The meaning of restarting Southwest researchin contemporary anthropology by using the conceptsof “ethnic corridor”, “mountain-water channel”fits with what Li Shaoming stressed when summari -zing the “regional paradigm” of Tibetan-Yi Corridorstudies.He said: “It provides a regional,dynamic and interrelated research perspective toobserve ethnic interaction and cultural influence indifferent historical periods by taking the Tibetan-Yicorridor as a totality.On this basis, we can understandwhy the Chinese nation is a totality of diversityin unity, and explains the specific reasonsfor the formation and development of the Chinesenation.” This also represents a significant contributionmade by area studies in Southwest China tothe development of the discipline in contemporarysocial sciences.It not only overcomes the past disadvantagesof administrative divisions and fragmentationin the ethnic studies, but also deeply revealsthe historical fact of multi-ethnic interactivesymbiosis in Southwest China, as a migrationchannel and ethnic corridor.Moreover, it alsostimulates real academic dialogue with two big anthropologicalresearch paradigms in China, i.e.“rural community research” and “single ethnicstudies”. 2.“Channel” Studies: an Expansion of AreaStudies in Southwest China After the “reform and open policy”, threeresearch paradigms, including “ area studies”,the “ ethnicity model ” and the “ transnationalmodel” have gradually appeared in SouthwestStudies.While the latter two research paradigmshave obvious characteristics of individualism and atrend towards world systematism, and represent apassive academic reflection of modern ideology andpolitical economic structure, the paradigm of “areastudies” is much closer to social and historicalreality, and its practice has a strong sense of disciplinaryawareness.As an important tradition andsign of this academic field, the paradigm of “areastudies” in Southwest Studies is just such an innovativeresearch paradigm which can break throughadministrative and ethnic boundaries, and is constructedfrom the regional characteristics of ethnology.The Southwest, as an ethnic corridor andmigration channel filled with mobility and interaction,has been a concern by more and more scholars.The “channel” concept of Southwest Chinahas broken down the bias that this region is“closed and isolated”.Different from the doctrineof “corridor”, which pays more attention on themigration mobility and cultural contacts, the conceptof “channel” studies pays more attention tothe commercial mobility and mutual transmission ofcivilizations.Trans-cultural trade and trans-civilizationpolitical interaction has become the focus ofSouthwest studies in recent years, especially topicsconcerning tea, horse, salt, wood, etc.Therelationship of the Southwest to its surrounding civ -ilizations, and the connections within the regionhas become a new hot topic related to “channel”studies in recent years. Since 2005, the anthropological research relatedto “ courier routes ” has emerged inGuizhou.Different from a commercial route, the“courier route” itself was a product of the state,and was an important measure for understandinghow the “empire state” opened up and managedits frontier areas.Compared with the study of“commercial routes” in Yunnan, the investigationof the “courier routes” in Guizhou not only concernsthe “external and internal” interactions amongvarious ethnic groups, it also stresses a“top-down” connection between the state and thelocal region, which displayed the kinds of effortsmade by the state to deepen and expand the areastudies in Southwest China. The construction of modern highways is noteworthyduring the process of modernization inSouthwest China.The change in social relationsand cultural conceptions which resulted from theconstruction of modern roads is just one topicwhich is concerned in the anthropological study ofroads.Road construction in Southwest China isclosely related to the “ nationalization ” and“ marketization ” of modernity. Therefore, theroad connects not only geographical space , but alsoconnects the local system with the entire worldsystem.To a certain degree, the introduction ofthe study of roads makes “channel studies” inSouthwest China closer to the contemporaryscenes, and also broadens “problem consciousness”in area studies in Southwest China.However,neither traditional “channel ” studies nor therise of the new study of roads regional integrationand ethnic interaction are the main topic for thediscussion.These studies are complementary tothe doctrine of “corridor”, and further expandthe regional model of Southwest research . 3.“ Relationship ” Investigation: The Essenceof Area Studies in Southwest China In current anthropological circles, one groupof scholars have stepped into a so-called “isolated”mode, and have become specialists on thestudy of a particular “tribe”, or “community”;and the other group have left the “practical” regions,and become politicians who care about the“state” and “ world system”.Therefore, whatanthropology in Southwest Studies needs to consid -er is how to break through the limitations and dilemmascreated by the core conceptions in contemporarysocial sciences, such as “society”, “culture”,“nationality” and “state” etc.on thetheoretical purport and methodology.The rise of“area studies” is a supplement and correction tothe ethnic classification of “ethnic model”, andnational boundaries of “transnational model”.Inrecent years, in various academic discussions on Southwest studies, scholars have been trying tounderstand the regional cultural features of South -west China from the angle of cultural relations;Professor Wang Mingming specifically presents akind of Southwest Studies concerning “RelationalismEthnology”. The “regional model”, which is based onthe doctrine of “corridor” and “channel” studies,takes interaction and mobility as the focus ofthe research, and interprets the socio-cultural relationshipstructure in China in depth.This isgood for China′s anthropology to obtain a worldschema which is in more accord with Chinese historicaland cultural experiences, and also is helpfulfor researchers to obtain real cultural consciousnessand cognitive subjectivity.Anthropologicalstudies in Southwest China must be conducted froma large “regional” perspective, and must searchfor problem consciousness of Southwest Studies in arelationship pattern.In this way it can avoid themodern narrative of “ethnicity”, transcend thosequestions such as “ethnic identity”, and finallyreturn to local social-historical reality and the morphologicaltraits of humanities, deepen the indepthunderstanding of Southwest China , havemore in-depth theoretical dialogues, and raise realquestions to modern social science itself.