Minorities in China-Presentation

8/2/2019 Minorities in China-Presentation

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Summary ofMinorityNationalities inChina

Overview StatisticsPro-minoritypolicies

Minority policies ofconcern/contentious

issues

Case Study:Xinjiang

Case Study: Tibet


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Population:

2000 Chinese census: 106.43 million peopleclassified as an ethnicminority

8.41% of China'spopulation

Geography (mostly butnot limited to):

Xinjiang Tibet Inner Mongolia Yunnan Guizhou Guangxi


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Dialects:

Mandarin has beennational language

since 1914.

7 groups ofdialects, for manythe only thingthey have in

common is writtencharacters

Tibetan and Uyghurdialects' scripts

are totallydifferent


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Infrastructure development(CFR) Investments in Xinjiang

taking off in 90s Huge increases in

standards of living

Education policies(UNESCO): Largely ensured access of

all ethnic minoritychildren to nine-yearcompulsory education

Consistent governmentattention and increasingfinancial support

Boarding schools,bilingual education,exemption of tuition feesand provision of studygrants etc."

Preferential Treatment Exce tion to One-Child


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Criticism toEducational Policies Mandarin languageeducation and culturaleducation Xinjiang Tibet

Minorities as mascots Ex: Spring FestivalGalas

Tourism

Politicaldisenfranchisement Minorities consideredunder-represented inreal power positions ofgovernment

of journalists jailed

in China are ethnicminorities (mostly fromXinjiang and Tibet)


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Development policy or assimilation? Threats of cultural extinction

Western media bias vs. Chinese mediaEx: 2008 CNN photo controversy


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Overview of Xinjiang

Xinjiang UighurAutonomous Region(XUAR), a territory inwestern China, accountsfor 1/6 of China's land

Home to about 20 millionpeople from 13 majorethnic groups

Independent at

multiple points in itshistory, but Chinesewhite paper saysXinjiang has been aninseparable part of theunitary multi-ethnicChinese nation sincethe Western Han Dynasty


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Sources of Tension Economic development or

integrating theperiphery? Flux of immigrant Han

workers leads tocompetition for limitedjobs and natural resources

2009 Riots/ShaoguanIncident

Xinjiang's wealthconcentrated in oil-richcenters, leading to highlevels of income

disparity

Uighur "nostalgia" forindependence lead tocalls for creation ofUighur state

Xinjiang ( ) vs.Dongtu ( )


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Population: 2.84 million Region: Tibet, Qinghai, Western Sichuan Condensed History: 7th-9th century: Tibetan unification 1244: Mongols conquered Yuan Dynasty

1598: First Dalai Lama appointed 1724: Chinese Manchus assert control overAmdo/Qinghai and other Tibetan areas

1904: British Invade 1909: Dalai Lama flees to India 1911: Fall of Qing Dynasty, reassertion of DalaiLamas power in Tibet.

1912-1951: Tibetan de facto Independence 1951: Signing of Seventeen Point Agreement withChina, loss of autonomy

1959: Full scale uprising in Lhasa, death ofthousands, Dalai Lama escapes to India


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Development policies andinvestments: Began investments in

1980s

2011: Government invested26 billion yuan ($4.2

billion) in Tibet

163.3 billion (roughly$26 billion) invested inTibetan fixed-assetsafter completion of 11thFive Year Plan

Building ofinfrastructure: Railways Hospitals Schools Roads

Power plants Farmland irrigation Bankin


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Religious Freedom: Ex: Panchen Lama incident

March 2008: OlympicProtests/Riots

2009-present: Self ImmolationProtests in Western Sichuan

23 incidents and counting Spring Festival 2012


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A) China is extraordinarily diverse-55 minorities, 14 groups of dialects

B) Huge population exacerbates these problems-8% of Chinese population = roughly size of

Mexico

C) History, or your interpretation of it, matters-Issues of independence

D) Dilemmas of development and modernity

-Preservation of cultural heritage versusassimilationE) Vicious cycle of tension leading to riots


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Minorities in China-Presentation

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