| By Nancy Pellegrini Having Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama as spokespeople made Tibet an international flashpoint. But Tibetans are just one of the 56 ethnic minority groups that make up 8 percent of China's enormous population. They are scattered throughout the country but are concentrated in fringe areas: the wintry Northeast, the lush Southwest, the sandblasted Northwest, and of course, the mountains of Tibet. In theory, the Chinese government tries to preserve and encourage these distinct cultures. For example, minority groups are not bound by the one-child policy imposed on the Han Chinese (the 92 percent majority group). They can marry two years earlier, attend college for free, and sometimes receive extra points on extremely competitive university-entrance or civil service exams. Han Chinese may feel some ambivalence here. Travelers take minority tours, buy traditional minority handicrafts, and smile for pictures next to costumed minority people. Many Han are envious of their government-legislated privileges, and can be frightened by some groups' animosity. For their part, some minority groups are angered by the "Hanification" of their land. The Tuwa people were forced to become ranchers when hunting laws changed, while the Kazak (Hassake) people are being "encouraged" to give up their nomadic lifestyle and move into small "reservations." "If you put the Hassake people too close together," my Xinjiang guide explained, "there will be problems; they're not used to it." Groups in parts of Tibet and Xinjiang have regular clashes with the Chinese military. The Uighur people inspire the Han's strongest reaction. "Freedom fighters" commit acts of violence and terrorism in their native Xinjiang, while migrant workers increase Beijing's petty crime rate. But the Chinese consider ethnic minorities an invaluable part of China's history. Groups have different languages, cultures, dress, and religions -- Islam, Buddhist, and Shamanist being the most common of the latter. The minorities often originated in lands that were later absorbed into the Chinese empire -- the Korean Chinese, the Kazaks, the Tibetans, and the Uighurs, to name a few. Others are descended from invaders. The Manchus (Manzu), for example, conquered China and established the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912); many of today's Beijingers are of Manchu ancestry. Another people born of invasion are the Mongols (Meng). Genghis Kahn united the tribes of Mongolia and swept into China in 1206; his grandson Kublai Kahn established the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), and became the first foreign ruler of China. The approximately 48 million Mongol people now occupy a wide swath of land that stretches from the northeast to the northwest corners of China. They speak three dialects of Mongolian; only the formally educated would understand Mandarin. Like the Kazaks, the Mongols are herders. They raise sheep, cows, horses, and camels on the grassy plains. The Mongol diet is largely mutton and milk. A popular event for travelers is the lamb roast, when a whole lamb is seasoned and roasted on a spit. Stewed meat is more traditional fare; after the sheep is slaughtered and disemboweled, the remaining meat is boiled and then cut with a Mongolian knife. Both dishes are eaten without utensils. Milk is the other central feature of the Mongol diet. Mongolian tea is half milk, half brick tea (tea cubes), and a generous helping of salt: It?s better than it sounds. Mongol people boil milk from cows, sheep, horses, or camels and make cream, which they add to food or stir-fry with rice or noodles; boiled cream yields butter. "Milk skin" is dried and eaten as a snack. Mongol people also boil fermented milk in a leather bag, collecting the vapor as alcohol and drying the dregs as cheese ( it's similar to parmesan, but with a sweet flavor). Mongolians also drink fermented milk, which tastes like warm yogurt with a kick. Mongol people drink a lot. A LOT. Guests are passed a small silver or gold bowl on a hada ? a long piece of silk symbolizing hospitality in Mongolian and Tibetan cultures. Deliberate sobriety is seen as suspicious and untrustworthy. Non-drinking visitors (even those with medical conditions) must take a small, token sip, after which they can return the bowl to the host or have another guest finish it. Refusing outright causes irreparable damage to the guest-host relationship, a crucial one in Mongolian culture. Mongols traditionally dress in robes of varying degrees of thickness and boots made of either leather or cloth. For ceremonial occasions, they add scarves, headgear, and jewelry, which vary according to age, gender, and marital status. Mongols live in yurts (mengu baos), large, white cylindrical tents with conical tops, some of which can sleep 20. According to a Mongolian folk song, the round shape symbolizes the sky, and the white color represents fleecy clouds. The insides are insulated with felt, the door always faces southeast, and there is a "skylight" in the tent for the chimney of the little cooking stove. These houses are easily packed and moved by camel caravan as the family follows the fresh grassland for their herds. As the Mongol people's standard of living rises, they have been incorporating steel frames and windows for ventilation into their architecture and increasing vegetables and grains in their diet. Some fortunate ones may even have a television or radio. But although China's economy is growing rapidly, the urban dwellers have reaped most of the benefits; the Mongols' increased prosperity comes largely from the tourist industry. Newly wealthy Beijingers spend weekends in Inner Mongolia horseback riding, eating roasted lamb, and sleeping off strong alcohol in a "tourist mengu bao," a cozy nest lined with richly colored carpets and thick quilts. But tourism may be beneficial here. As with most of China's minority groups, more and more young Mongolians are lured to the city by the promise of good jobs and comfortable living. It may just be the tourist industry that keeps this glorious culture alive. Nancy Pellegrini is based in Beijing. She has authored several magazine articles on travel and is a regular book reviewer for Eye Candy Magazine. |
| June Feature Story Chinese ethnic minorities invaluable part of Chinese history |
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| The doors to a Mengu Bao (a Mongol tent) is decorated with beautiful handcrafted designs that carry viewers to the Mongols' past, present, and future. |
| A Mongol man, wearing a traditional costume and drinking alcohol from a ceremonial bowl. The bowl is gold or silver, and rests on a hada, a piece of ceremonial silk. |
| A decorated trunk found in a minority people's house in Inner Mongolia. |
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