Spitfires In Burma Might Fly Again

[Flashermac]

I take your point, Flasher, but would you say ethnic minorities are particularly well treated ANYWHERE in Asia ? was surprised when I went to China in 2004 and they had programs in place to enable their minorities to retain their cultural identity, but the cynic in me has to wonder if it was more about tourism than a genuine desire by Han Chinese to maintain diversity. That said, Guanxi is dominated by the Zhuang people, so it might not be typical of what happens further north.

 

 

My wife's great grandmother was a Tai Leu from Sip Song Panna. She and some of her colleagues flew there with a tour group a few years ago. She said they could speak with the locals using their Kham Muang, the languages were close enough. But in the cities the people were mainly Han Chinese. The locals were discouraged from speaking Tai Lue except to the tourists. The palace of the last Chao of Sip Song Panna was burnt down during Mao's "cultural rveolution", along with most other traces of Tai Leu culture.