In the United States there is this idea that if anyone comes to "our" country they need to be able to speak "our" language. This is a very complex, and often political, issue and I couldn't help but compare the American perspective with the Chinese perspective when touring Dongbei. Throughout the Northeast there is an abundance of ethnic minorities that may be politically Chinese, but they speak a variety of languages and sometimes practice very different lifestyles from the typical Han Chinese. In most towns you don't even have to look at the people to know there is a diverse population in the area, just look at the shop signs. This shop sign has Mongolian, Chinese, and Russian. If people in this area had the same attitude as some Americans they would never be able to communicate with their neighbors and local dialects along with minority customs would be at risk. America is certainly a melting pot, but there is another term, "salad bowl," that is used to describe places where multiple cultures come together but they maintain their distinctiveness rather than adapt to the majority culture. I think China may be somewhere in the middle.
No comments:
Post a Comment