Why a Booktrail?
21C: China is a made of several remote areas populated by various ethnic groups. Not all have a good relationship with Bejing – so what is their story?
The Emperor Far Away
What you need to know before your trail
China’s borderlands are populated by around one hundred million people who belong to minority groups. they are not the Han Chinese who live in the cities of Bejing and other large cities, but the power from Bejing encroaches here too and its reach is unwelcome.
David Eimer goes in search of the increasingly tense relationship between the Han Chinese and the ethnic minorities. Not many people from the West have ventured to these remote places – their view of China is an interesting one. He’s a former China correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph, and has a keen eye on its people, culture, travelling experiences and history.
Travel Guide
China’s unexplored frontiers border on fourteen other countries. These border regions shun the power and influence of Bejing and its government. Does this mean that China is a divided state? There is a old Chinese saying –
“The mountains are high and the emperor is far away.”
Reminded us of ‘While the cat’s away the mice will play” and it’s true that the government is still trying to know what to do with these remote areas. The Non Han communities and countries have had a range of troubled histories and each has a story to tell.
So where are these regions? and who are the people who live here?
There are around 100 million people in China who are not Han. They are as diverse as their landscape – Uighurs, Xibe, Khampa Nomads, Amdo , Dai? There are plenty more groups and ethic identities than this. Each has a different relationship with Bejing. Tibet is perhaps the one we know best of in the West and the animosity between the two nations.
This is a journey through the China that exists but which we rarely see – such as the Islamic areas of Xinjiang province, or Tibet which has been a thorn in China’s side for many years. Then there is Route 219, at the border with India which is an disputed border. Areas such as Yunnan, and Dongbei are among some of the most remote areas in the country.
Where Next?
