Communist China replaced racial hierarchy with a class rhetoric while retaining ethnic categorization.

Evidence

While the CCP appealed to the notion of “class” as a unifying concept, it did not abandon the politically vital distinction between a Han majority on the one hand and a range of minorities on the other. Not only did the CCP perpetuate the generic representation of linguistically and culturally diverse people in China as a homogeneous group called Han minzu, but they also swiftly proceeded to officially recognize 41 so-called “minority nationalities” (shaoshu minzu) who applied for nationality recognition after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, a number which increased to 56 by the time of the 1982 census. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3343

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general theme of how revolutionary regimes recycle rather than abolish prior race/ethnic categories — parallels Soviet nationality policy and the Milgrom/Shapiro pieces on institutions.