Thanks for replying. I will keep a lookout for more stories featuring border people. Or if you have them somewhere, send me the link. I used to travel in China a fair bit in the early 2000s. One of my friend those days was a Kazakh person from the very north of Xinjiang. I loved talking to her as she had stories about always trying to fit herself into different identities. https://smallthingsmostly.me/tibetan-tea-and-nur-china
Thank you for sharing your story and the link! I love hearing about your friend from Xinjiang and her experiences.
What a coincidence—I also have a friend with a similar background! He's Mongolian but lives in Shanghai, with his hometown in Xinjiang. He has relatives not only in Kazakhstan but also in Kalmykia, Russia, and he frequently travels to those regions for family weddings.
Your story has given me even more inspiration for a long-standing idea I have to write about these people and their lives. Stay tuned!
I stumbled on this post by accident and it was a good read. I recently met a Lisu girl and we were discussing how their people are divided across China, India and Burma, close to where the borders meet.
Interestingly Arunachal people are perhaps the least antagonist of India of all the states in that region. Recently, I read about an Arunachal person who made a statement in support of learning Hindi as a non native speaker, and invited some critisicm from people in other parts of India who dislike language imposition.
Thanks for sharing, Ray — the part about Arunachal’s attitude toward Hindi and your conversation with the Lisu girl was really interesting. Borderland communities like these show how identity shifts across regions. Are you interested in other groups along the China border too? There are quite a few with fascinating stories.
Thanks for replying. I will keep a lookout for more stories featuring border people. Or if you have them somewhere, send me the link. I used to travel in China a fair bit in the early 2000s. One of my friend those days was a Kazakh person from the very north of Xinjiang. I loved talking to her as she had stories about always trying to fit herself into different identities. https://smallthingsmostly.me/tibetan-tea-and-nur-china
Thank you for sharing your story and the link! I love hearing about your friend from Xinjiang and her experiences.
What a coincidence—I also have a friend with a similar background! He's Mongolian but lives in Shanghai, with his hometown in Xinjiang. He has relatives not only in Kazakhstan but also in Kalmykia, Russia, and he frequently travels to those regions for family weddings.
Your story has given me even more inspiration for a long-standing idea I have to write about these people and their lives. Stay tuned!
I stumbled on this post by accident and it was a good read. I recently met a Lisu girl and we were discussing how their people are divided across China, India and Burma, close to where the borders meet.
Interestingly Arunachal people are perhaps the least antagonist of India of all the states in that region. Recently, I read about an Arunachal person who made a statement in support of learning Hindi as a non native speaker, and invited some critisicm from people in other parts of India who dislike language imposition.
Thanks for sharing, Ray — the part about Arunachal’s attitude toward Hindi and your conversation with the Lisu girl was really interesting. Borderland communities like these show how identity shifts across regions. Are you interested in other groups along the China border too? There are quite a few with fascinating stories.