It often happens when I am with my foreigner colleagues or friends who don’t have typical features such as blonde hair and blue eyes, that we’re often interrupted by some people :”Hi ni hao, is that your friend?” “Where does he come from? Is he Xinjiangneese ? “(one ethnic of Chinese). It is clear what they want to know is “my friend” and not me , and then questions go on as I am in inquiry in police office. It’s a little bit rude for me, if people don’t even start chatting with me normal. That’s why I sometimes have no patience to be the “translator” or “ tour guide” who gets upset by other people’s curious.  

“Who is Xinjiangneese ?” Simply that is one of 56 ethnic in China, each ethnic group still keeps his own language and culture, even if Chinese generally look all the same to foreigners.  In China 92% of the population are “Han”, the other 55 ethnics have 8% population and are considered as minority ethnic.

Why are foreigner sometimes confounded with Xinjiangneese?

Xinjiang is the specific area in the northwest of China, what is very closed to Russia ,Kazakhstan, India and Afghanistan. That means Xinjiang people seem mixed with Europeans and Arabian , for Chinese people their appearance is similar to westerners. Most of the Xinjiangneese are Muslims. Xingjiangneese are good at making food i.e. baking pancake , meat Shashlik and of course singing and dancing , and I really love that elegant movements . They have really different customs from the Han nation .

One day , it happened again when I am walking along with a friend who has green eyes ,dark hair and skin due to his mixed blood from parents,  he was confused and asked me, “Do I look like Xinjiangneese, Is the  Chinese talking about a movie star or something like that ?”  or “Is he a Gay?” “ why the guy is not interested in you instead of me ?”. Once  he realized he was recognized as Chinese he started to scream,  quickly touching his high nose saying: “ this is not Chinese !”  

My foreigner friends always think it is culture thing that Chinese man are curious on foreigners’ and don’t know why, me neither, however China has just opened its door to the west about 20 years ago and many people from the countryside or small cities have rare seen foreigners, maybe that is part of reason why they are still curious and stare at foreigners…… well does it make China different from what you thought? I am sure China becomes the most interesting and exciting country with unknown multi-cultural diferences in Asia to travel , to discover as you will be surprised by new things every day.

It seems my friends are quite interested on my stories that they have never heard, and it turns my impatience into pride just like I am a magician whom open a secret box to people and get the clap…..

Where can you find Xinjiangneese?  Perhaps you can try to look at the people who’re standing at corner of the street with a small square cup on the head and a bushy mustache, selling the delicious barbecue and shashilk and yelling :”Yang rou chuan la” ……….  Do the Xingjiangneese look similar to you, what do you think?

Lady of Lake    Oct 2012

Xinjiang girl