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Variety is the spice of Nanning

By Gavin Jon Mowat: 0 CommentsPrint E-mail People's Daily, November 24, 2009

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Posing with the Vietnamese minority statues.

As a Scotsman, I can consider myself part of an ethnic minority in the UK (Scots account for less than 10% of the total population) or at the very least, a minority within the EU and sitting here in Beijing I tend to hear a lot about China's ethnic diversity. Many of China's ethnic Han are very proud of their counties diversity. I have been informed by a lot of well traveled 'didao' (pure/authentic) Beijing locals of the fascinating and beautiful ethnic traditions that can be experienced on a visit to places like Guangxi and Yunnan province.

A utopian image of cultural diversity being accepted, celebrated and even providing jobs for people came bouncing into my mind recently when I read an advert in a UK newspaper that read; "Glaswegian Interpreters: Translation company seeks speakers of 'Glaswegian English' with knowledge of vocabulary, accent nuances, to meet interpreting needs of clients who find it an unexpected challenge." A Glaswegian is a term for the people who come from the city of Glasgow in Scotland and the dialect that its residents speak. I recall being at a concert in Glasgow when someone shouted to the singer David Ford, "on yersel son!" (Literally; go on yourself son! You could shout "go David/somebody" to similar effect) to which David, an Englishman responded, "I'm sorry, I only speak English". The words of encouragement from the Glaswegian were not understood by his fellow countryman - without knowledge of the dialect the meaning was lost to David. Now, in times of economic turmoil, this difference is apparently being seen as an economic opportunity. On a trip to Nanning in southern China I discover such a heterogeneous mix of people and cultures is a phenomenon that is already well understood and acknowledged in China.