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Letters and Blogs
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-20 07:50 Not China's 'wild' west Last August, as a Beijing teacher, I came to China's so-called wild west - Hotan, one of the few major cities in Xinjiang that is mainly inhabited by the Uygur minority, to teach in a local school. I've been staying there for one year teaching Uygur students English. It was my first time on this wonderland. It was so strange a place for me when I newly arrived there. At the corner of every street, there are men wearing little embroidered hats and women wearing colorful atlas silk dresses with headscarves or gauzy pieces of cloth on hair. Everywhere, I heard a different language, of which I couldn't understand a single word. Along both sides of the road, there are overcrowded bazaars, selling jade, dry fruits and daily necessities. A 10-minute bicycle ride took me to the famous Taklimakan desert - so huge that it was like a frozen sea. Being an oasis in the desert, Hotan has a dry and dusty weather. It seldom rains or snows, but has sandstorms frequently. With the concerted and unremitting effort of the Chinese government and people, the once bustling city is becoming vigorous again. Its infrastructure has improved. There are department stores, karaoke and disco bars, restaurants and other entertainments of modern life. The Chinese government has given top priority to building good schools even in less developed villages. Beautiful schools were often the first thing that caught my eye when I visited villages. Inside the school where I worked, it is like a small-sized university with a spacious and clean playground, surrounded by trees and lawns, along with three teaching buildings where both Uygur and Han students are studying together. There's no prejudice or contempt among different ethnic groups. I remember on Tree Planting Day, all the teachers and students, whatever their ethnicity, came to the desert area to plant trees. Both teachers and students toiled all day in the scorching sun. We had just one hope in our heart: to make our living place greener and less dusty. Every weekend, some cute Uygur kids would visit my dorm for English tutorials. They were quick learners and well-behaved. Some of the kids once told me that their parents wanted to treat me to dinner in their homes. During the one-year stay in Hotan, I made a few Uygur friends, including an old man whom we call Uncle Ah. He used to take us to buy grapes and dry fruits and we often consulted him about the genuineness of some pieces of jade we had bought. Now I've already acquired a smattering of Uygur language. Last year, six consecutive terrorist attacks took place in Hotan. One happened just 50 m away from my school in broad daylight at about 6 pm. A terrorist stabbed two men who were playing cards. One was stabbed in the neck and died on the spot, while the other got a wound in the stomach. Another tragedy happened to a student of my school. Both of her parents were killed at home at midnight by a group of terrorists. Even worse, they set fire to the house. We must blame terrorism and separatism, especially the masterminds behind them. I believe the common Uygurs and Hans are innocent people. We all want to live a peaceful life without fear. We shall replace divisions with the generous spirit of a people who feel at home with one another. The Uygurs and the Han Chinese are of one family. Wang Su, a teacher in Beijing via e-mail (China Daily 08/20/2009 page8) |
