Mongolian Fluency Drops among Minority Students in Hulunbuir

“News 1 + 1,” a CCTV News Channel program, recently broadcast a show devoted to exploring the status of Mongolian fluency among students in Inner Mongolia. I didn't watch it, but you can read the transcript in Chinese here: 如何用母语诉说?. The following piece is based on the transcript, with some of my own thoughts at the … Continue reading Mongolian Fluency Drops among Minority Students in Hulunbuir

Miao-Han Dictionary to Launch within 2011

Update: As of mid-June 2012, this dictionary has reportedly been published by the Nationalities Publishing House of Yunnan (云南民族出版社) Chinanews.com reports (云南禄劝将出版《苗汉词典》) that a new bilingual reference book, the Miao-Han Dictionary (苗汉辞典), will be published by year-end 2011. Compilation began in 1996 and has been carried out by an editing committee of 45. It will include: … Continue reading Miao-Han Dictionary to Launch within 2011

Rejuvenating the Tujia Language No Easy Feat

A journalist’s recent visit with primary school teacher and Tujia scholar Chu Yongming (储永明在课间与孩子们进行土家与对话) highlights a man with a mission—to ensure that the next generation of Tujia have the tools they need to speak the language of their people. Working out of a primary school in Hubei’s Feng county, the 59-year-old has taken part in … Continue reading Rejuvenating the Tujia Language No Easy Feat

“Butterfly Mother” and “Dragon-Eagles”: Processing Folklore in Southwest China

In the latest edition of Oral Tradition (Processing Epics), Mark Bender explores—via highly readable notes on his field-work—how the Miao myth-epic Mai Bang (Butterfly Mother) and the Nuosu’s creation-epic Dragon-Eagles have gradually been rendered in written form: My title also contains the word “processing”—and by that I mean the process through which traditional texts are performed … Continue reading “Butterfly Mother” and “Dragon-Eagles”: Processing Folklore in Southwest China

Manchurian: 10 Million Manchus, A Handful of Native Speakers

The language of the last imperial dynasty to rule China, a Tungusic tongue called Manchurian (满洲话), will soon be accessible only in dictionaries. Verna Yu reports for the South China Morning Post from Sanjiazi village, Heilongjiang, in A Language Lost: When Ji Jinlu , 66, was a boy, he was unable to speak Putonghua until he … Continue reading Manchurian: 10 Million Manchus, A Handful of Native Speakers

“Mosuo Culture Bonfire Parties”: Hamming it up for the Tourists, Attendance Required

Canada's Globe and Mail recently ran a piece on the impact of modernity and tourism on the Mosuo (摩梭族), a matriarchal tribe that resides around Yunnan's Luguhu Lake (泸沽湖). In China, a Matriarchy under Threat has now been translated, edited and published as 《云南摩梭人遭遇现代化挑战》in the August 17, 2011 edition of Cankao Xiaoxi (参考消息). Cankao is a respected … Continue reading “Mosuo Culture Bonfire Parties”: Hamming it up for the Tourists, Attendance Required

Sinologist Wolfgang Kubin: What Makes for “Good Literature” and “Good Language”?

Controversial German Sinologist Wolfgang Kubin was recently in Shenzhen where he spoke at some length on three subjects: What makes for "good literature" (好的文学)? "Good language" (好的语言)? And if a Chinese author writes in a foreign tongue, what sorts of changes occur?   On August 10, China Reading Weekly (中华读书报) published What is Good Chinese Literature … Continue reading Sinologist Wolfgang Kubin: What Makes for “Good Literature” and “Good Language”?

Throat Singing: UNESCO Deems Mongolian Art Form to be Made-in-China

In A Showdown over Traditional Throat Singing, the Washington Post reports: ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — For nearly two decades, Odsuren Baatar [pictured], a master of Mongolian throat singing, has been visiting China to teach his craft — making the human voice soar, quiver and drone, its pitches in eerie unison like a bagpipe.When he first started … Continue reading Throat Singing: UNESCO Deems Mongolian Art Form to be Made-in-China

Hani Author Cun Wenxue: Questioning Value of Made-in-China Modernity

In An Author Who Confronts our Demons, Liu Jun (刘浚) highlights the writing of a contemporary Hani (哈尼族) author: Yunnan writer Cun Wenxue [存文学] grabs readers by the throat and thrusts them into the mountain-locked life of the Lisu people [傈僳族] on page one of his novel Biluo Snow Mountain [碧洛雪山]. No wonder a film … Continue reading Hani Author Cun Wenxue: Questioning Value of Made-in-China Modernity

书评:范稳的《碧色寨》

《碧色寨》 书 评 (赵敏:annie.zhao2010@gmail.com) 小小的碧色寨随着火车和洋老咪(洋人)的到来发生了巨大的变化。宁静的生活被打扰、彝人的神灵被激怒,洋人们用火车带来了西方的工业文明、洋火、洋皂、洋布,同时送走了一车有一车的矿产。 刚来昆明时,听范先生介绍滇越铁路感觉在听天方夜谭。读完小说后才知道一直记忆深刻的剪子形状的那座桥叫“戈登桥”,是滇越铁路的一部分。我曾多次感叹:为什么在昆明、大理到处可以见到法国人?云南的咖啡文化如此盛行,昆明、丽江、大理、西双版纳走到哪都能喝到 cappuccino、espresso、cafe latte , 还有正宗的西式点心。法国人真把这当家了,喝杯咖啡、学学中文、泡个吧、交交女朋友,不亦乐乎。 从希腊的克里特岛乘坐“澳大利亚人”号来到碧色寨淘金的大卡洛斯和弟弟小卡洛斯,在碧色寨做了工地主任、哥胪士洋行的主人、各自面对了一段不幸的爱情。印证了:在西方做流浪汉的白人,在碧色寨这样的地方却做上了老爷。 我不知道碧色寨曾经怎样辉煌过,到今天还会不会还有燃烧过的残渣。搜到了一片叫《碧色寨之恋》的小说。简介是这样的:小说讲述了一个十七岁法国少女丽莎和一个三十多岁的中国男人周亦然之间的爱情故事。我倒是对所谓“中国男人第一次获得了全部的主动权”不感兴趣。让我好奇的是:在白人作为上等人的时期,一个法人少女是怎么喜欢上一个中国男性。而这个设定和比杜拉斯的《情人》何其相似。 毕摩独鲁是彝人的巫师。在小说中能招来百兽对洋人带来的火车进行攻击。始终坚持不用洋人的自来水、不坐洋人的火车、不接受洋人用现代文明“迷惑”彝人的伎俩。毕摩独鲁最后被国民政府定罪为“汉奸”。 现在土司是不存在了,不知道彝族人还有没有他们自己的巫师。我公司的牛肝菌加工厂离彝人古镇车程不到一刻钟。那里夜夜灯火辉煌,每晚都过火把节。当然,这是商业表演。穿着虎纹的彝族年轻男人和衣着亮丽的女人围着广场表演传统节目。马车载上“今晚的第一把火”,现场拍卖给观众。有个广东绍兴的中年男人出到 1000,爬上马车开始了点火仪式。接着大家开始拉成圈跟着广播里的音乐跳舞。里边有位穿着黑衣、带着牛角配饰的老者,我认为是他们的巫师。 普田虎土司因为让给法国铁路公司1米地,使得一条足足能穿过整个碧色寨的火车铁轨打搅了彝人的平静生活。这个土司晚上变成老虎和他的四个姨太们睡觉。 小说给我的启发:在云南的南方有个碧色寨的小镇。这里曾经有过凄惨的北方工人修路经历,有过短暂的辉煌,有过一条连接越南海防到昆明的铁路线,它叫滇越铁路 – 由当时的法兰西帝国持有 – 被日本人的飞机轰炸 – 后来由国民政府占为己有。