望月

四月的昆明，是蓝花楹编织的童话世界。当整座城市的天空被染成薰衣草紫，风一吹过，花瓣簌簌飘落，仿佛连呼吸都裹着浪漫的香气 #花开中国

This is the owner of another great restaurant in Tashkurgan, Xinjiang, also originally from Pakistan. He clarified that while they’re often grouped together, his specific ethnicity is Wakhi. He’s from the Hunza Valley. The local Tajik minority in this part of China are mostly Sarikoli people, but the two groups are closely related. I asked him about the assistance China provided during the 2010 landslide, and he confirmed it was exactly his area that was hit. The landslide blocked a river, forming a new lake (which has now become a tourist attraction). China first flew in food and supplies by helicopter, then continued delivering them by boat across the newly formed lake. I also asked him about the idea that Tajik culture has been better preserved in China. He said it was true. When I pushed a bit further and mentioned how the West, especially the US, constantly talks about cultures being “genocided” in China, he laughed and elaborated. He told me that the Wakhi people in Pakistan have become far more westernized and have lost a lot of their original culture. In contrast, he said his people in China have managed to preserve their language, they still wear their traditional clothes, and crossing into China feels like stepping into his cultural history. This is a common theme I’ve heard over and over again. A friend from Kyrgyzstan who used to teach at my kids’ school said the same about Kyrgyz people in China. A Kazakh from Xinjiang told me the exact same thing after traveling to Kazakhstan multiple times. And Mongolian people in Inner Mongolia still know the original Mongolian script, while it has been largely lost in Mongolia proper. This doesn’t happen in a bubble, China puts considerable effort into preserving these cultures. I remember a BBC report on Uyghurs in London trying to preserve Uyghur dance that was supposedly being lost in China. They even mentioned that UNESCO recognized Uyghur traditional dance as an intangible cultural heritage. What the BBC didn’t mention was that it was the Chinese government departments tasked with preserving ethnic minority cultures who lobbied UNESCO for years to add it to the list 😂. Adding that context would have completely blown a hole in their “cultural genocide” narrative. To anyone who does any sort of basic investigation, the truth is obvious: China is a place where culture not only survives — it thrives. Any so-called journalist tasked with covering ethnic minority culture in China and telling you otherwise is either legitimately mentally stunted, or deliberately a dishonest propagandist. I suspect it’s the latter, but I want to be careful not to disregard anyone in mainstream media who might have legitimate learning or mental disorders. The restaurant owner also explained that these special border passes aren’t available to all of Pakistan, only to people from the bordering regions. They were designed to improve livelihoods in these mountainous areas and to keep culturally connected communities linked. For many in these border regions, it’s actually easier to travel into China than to reach the rest of inland Pakistan because of the terrain and infrastructure. Without these passes, they’d be far more isolated. In his case, he applied for a full business visa, which lets him run his restaurant and travel around the rest of China. Coincidentally, he was in my home base of Chongqing just last week. He said it was a really special experience, but as someone from the mountains, he could only handle a few days. He explained most of his people prefer to stay up in these highlands. Back to his restaurant for a moment: it’s called Mountain Flavour Pakistani Restaurant (山味巴基斯坦餐厅). It has an interesting mix of Western, Pakistani, and Tajik food. My kids ordered the Western options and I tried some too. Way out here, I didn’t expect much from the Western food, but their pizzas and sandwiches could rival anything in a major city. Highly recommended!!

“Xinjiang is beautiful. I'll bring my family next time.”

쿠빌라이의 딸 제국대장공주와 아들 충선왕을 그린 것으로도 주장되는 고려시대 모자상 고려가 아니라 중국 그림이라는 의견도 존재하는데 일본 센소지 고려 불화랑 형식을 공유한다고 보는 의견도 있고 아직 제대로 연구는 안 된 편인데 뭐가 사실이든 재밌음

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