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Is it Stealing or Absorbing?
Recent years Uyghur dancing has become popular
among Chinese immigrants in East Turkistan (Xinjiang,
the northwest province of China). Not only has the
government reduced the number of Uyghur student in
Xinjiang Cultural Art School and began training large
amounts of Chinese students, who learn Uyghur dancing
and the music. Chinese immigrants also start to learn
Uyghur dancing and practicing it on the streets and
parks.
The Uyghurs are indigenous majority population in East
Turkistan with unique history, language, culture and
religion. In 1955 East Turkistan falls under the
control of People’s Republic of China as the Xinjiang
Uyghur autonomous region. Since than Uyghurs lost
their independence and human rights.
“Uyghur people are the poorest people in this region,
but they are always happy because they can dance and
sing anytime, we think their dancing is very good
stress release medicine. Most of the Chinese people
thinking in that way, by learning Xinxiang dance to
get better health” said Zhangling 28, from Urumchi who
used to go practice Uyghur dancing at the park. As
with other Chinese people, she could not explain why
Uyghur dance is called a “Xinjiang dance”. And why do
Chinese people in this land do not know how to perform
it and they are now learning from Uyghur’s if they
think Uyghur dance is belongs to this land and not the
Uyghur people
It is a good idea to spread Uyghur culture to Han
Chinese? Many Uyghurs express opposing views to this
question:
“When they came, we have everything, they have
nothing, now they have everything we have nothing,
today they borrowing dance from us as a medicine
tomorrow they will say that is their medicine”
“Chinese are very traditional people, they reject
absorbing other culture to keep originality of Chinese
culture. However, they will not worry about absorbing
Uyghur culture will damage originality of Chinese
culture, since it was stealing and not absorbing”
Uyghurs are Turkish speaking Muslims which belongs to
Euro-Asian race and have a different unique culture
than the Chinese. There is intensive Han Chinese
domination in the region since it was occupied by
China. However, domination and power could not make it
easy for the Chinese dreams of assimilating Uyghur
culture. Chinese culture has seen as an enemy’s
culture among the Uyghur’s.
But, as Uyghur’s said, Chinese government did not
limit itself with depriving the land and natural
resources, stealing Uyghur culture and destroying
Uyghur culture became a huge issue in recent years,
since Uyghur’s have no ownership rights and copyrights
under the colonized regime. Many Uyghur folk songs had
been stolen by famous Chinese musician Wang Lo Bin and
written as Chinese songs and music, however, Chinese
government portrayed Wong lo bin as a father of the
East Turkistan music and built a statue in his honor
this month in Urumchi city.
“They deprived from us everything, now our dance,
before most of the students are Uyghur in Xinjiang
cultural art school, now 80% students are Han Chinese.
They learn Uyghur dance and music in that school. The
government is encouraging Chinese students to apply
and be accepted by the school, so they can perform
Uyghur dance at the international stage with the name
of the Chinese dance. They can also take away Uyghur
dancers employment opportunity” Said one of the Uyghur
dancers who recently arrived in the USA.
Popularity of Uyghur dance among Han Chinese
immigrants annoyed not only Uyghur dancers but also
Uyghur civilians since they believe that the Uyghur
dance is one of the significant futures of Uyghur
culture that differentiate Uyghur’s from the Han
Chinese:
“To dance Uyghur dancing properly you have to be
Uyghur, then you can feel and show the beauty of the
Uyghur dance. Chinese playing Uyghur dance will only
destroy the Uyghur dance” Said young Uyghur women, who
have seen Chinese group performance of Uyghur dance in
Urumchi.
Prepared by East Turkistan Information Center
Copyright © www.uygur.org. All Rights Reserved
Edited by Çafer Orman
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