Quick Facts about Ethnic Minorities - Chinese Comprehensible Input - Intermediate

Right, I don't know how to be a Chinese teacher. I'm too rich. I'm a princess. You just woke up, and there's a sheep next to your bed. It's not a sheep, but it could be a sheep's leg. Pick up the sheep's leg. Eat the sheep's leg. You fake Mongolian. Right, I'm a fake Mongolian. She's not a Mongolian, she's a fake Mongolian. You look beautiful today. And your clothes look different from mine. Right. I'm wearing Mongolian clothes today. Mongolian? What is Mongolian? Right. Mongolian is a minority in China. Do you know what a minority is? What is a minority? Wei Xuan, you're Han, right? Right, I'm Han. China's largest ethnic group is Han. It's not Han. There are very few people. So we say they are a minority. Sasa, you're a minority. Do you know how many minorities there are in China? There are a lot of minorities in China. There are 55 minorities. Right. And Han has 56 ethnic groups, right? Right. I remember when we were little, we would sing a song called 56 ethnic groups, 56 flowers. 56 ethnic groups, 56 flowers. 56 brothers and sisters, we are one family. We are one family. Right, so 56 ethnic groups, we are all one family. Right. We are all Chinese. Very good. So Sasa, what ethnic group are you? I'm Mongolian. Sasa, your name, what is your real name? My real name is Serena, but it's Mongolian Sarina. So your last name is Sa? When I was little, a lot of people asked me this question. They said, is your last name Sa? No, my last name is not Sa. Then what is your last name? My last name is Boltzgint. Say that again. Boltzgint. Very good. I want to know this story. This is because this last name is too long. When we do our ID card, there is an ID that can show who we are. We can't write so many words, so we only write our name, Serena. We don't write our last name. Oh, so Serena is your last name. In your ID card, No. In your ID card, there are only three words, Sa, Ri, Ma. I have a question, Sasa. If you go abroad, and you need to buy a ticket or book a hotel, how do you write your last name? This is a very good question. Because I have encountered such a question. When I went abroad, I had to write a form. The first line of the form was my last name. The second line was my name. But my last name was not on my ID card. The form had to be the same as your ID card. I didn't know how to write it. So I asked the staff at the airport and they said they had never encountered such a situation. It took a long time to decide that I could write my name twice. I wrote my name on the letter and on the name. Oh, that's a smart idea. Sasa, I know you have another identity that is very, very, very important to you. What is it? Yes, some people may think my last name is very familiar. Because there is a very famous His last name is Genghis Khan. Who is Genghis Khan? Don't you know Genghis Khan? I know. I will help other students ask you. He is very famous. Many people know him. He is a Mongolian hero. He is also the greatest king of ancient Mongolia. He is very powerful. He led the Mongols to fight with people from other countries. He won. So he is a very powerful hero. Where did he go the farthest? I remember he went to Europe. If he could have been there until now, Sasa would not be a Chinese teacher, but a nobleman, a rich family living in a very big house. Right? Yes. I would not be a Chinese teacher. I am too rich. I am a princess. Yes. I understand. Wow, this identity is very special. Yes. I have a Mongolian princess by my side. Wow. Yes. I also think it is very cool. Because I knew it when I was 12 years old. I used to see Genghis Khan in books. Suddenly my grandfather told me he was your grandfather's grandfather's grandfather. Wow, it's amazing. Yes. I think I am different from others. Yes. Suddenly I feel very high. Wow. Great. Sasa, can you speak Mongolian now? Oh. I can't. What? Why? I dare not say I am Genghis Khan's grandson. Because I can't speak Mongolian. Why? Why are you a Mongolian but you can't speak Mongolian? Now many Mongolians can't speak Mongolian. Because when we were young we always spoke Mandarin. No one spoke Mongolian with us. It's like a Chinese who grew up in the United States. Maybe he can't speak Chinese. Wow. Sasa, do you think you are Mongolian and you and me, I am Chinese, are we different? Maybe many habits are different. For example, Mongolians like to eat meat. Maybe every morning they eat so much meat As soon as they wake up they put a sheep next to the bed? Not a sheep, but maybe it's a sheep's leg. They pick up the sheep's leg and eat the sheep's leg. They eat a lot of meat. Wow. Anything else? They eat differently. And for example, during the Spring Festival we wear special clothes. And when we get married our wedding is different from the wedding of the Han people. Yes. There are many different habits. For example, they want my husband to pull the sheep's head down. Because the sheep's head is hard to pull down from its neck. If you can pull it down, it means you have a lot of strength. Wow. Did he pull it down? No, because my parents know he can't. So there is no such part. Yes. I don't know. Maybe you don't have to do this. Ah. I've been to some Mongolian weddings. And they sing Mongolian songs, right? Yes. Minorities like to sing and dance. Yes. Maybe many people know Mongolians like to drink. As long as you drink, people will sing. So, Sasa, can you drink a lot of wine? Oh, I think this thing is inherited. It's inherited from my grandfather to my father and to me. I can drink a lot of wine. Yes. So far, I've never been drunk. I've never been drunk. Wow. Oh, my God. Did you hear that? Come on. Drink wine with Sasa. I've never been drunk. I can drink a lot of wine, but I don't like to drink. Yes. But I heard that many Mongolian men like to drink, right? Yes. My father and my grandfather, especially my grandfather, he had to drink such a big cup of wine. And that wine was very strong. You know, normal wine has a degree, right? Yes, the degree is how much alcohol is in this wine, right? Yes, the higher the degree, the more spicy it may be. Normal beer is about 7 degrees. How many degrees does your grandfather drink? My grandfather drank 70 degrees. 70 degrees? Yes. In Inner Mongolia, the wine in a green bottle is 70 degrees. Wow. If I drink a sip, then I'll fall asleep. Yes. Because every time I smell my grandfather's wine, I think, oh my god, I can't drink this wine. Your grandfather is very good. Very good. I heard a lot about Mongolian things. For example, in Inner Mongolia, if you go to a Mongolian school, then this Mongolian student can bring a knife. Is that true? I don't think it's true. Yes. But I've never gone to a Mongolian school. If I went to a Mongolian school when I was young, I would speak Mongolian now. Sasa, do you know Mongolian characters? I don't know. Mongolian characters are very difficult. Yes, they look like this. Yes, it's vertical. So it's vertical. Is it one character? Or is it many characters? It can be a word. Because I'm also an Inner Mongolian. And Inner Mongolians, everyone's ID cards are different from those of other places. Our ID cards have Mongolian language on them. Although I don't know it, we all have it. Yes, I don't know it either. I really want to learn it, but it's very difficult. Sasa, do you know what's different between Mongolian schools and ordinary Chinese schools? Is there anything different? Yes, it's completely different. The books they study are different from those of ordinary schools. When they go to class, they all use Mongolian. And when they take the college entrance exam, the exam is also separate from ordinary schools. It's different. Because they take the exam So if you go to a Mongolian school, your score can be a little lower to go to a better college. Oh, I remember when I took the midterms, it was the exam from junior high school to high school. They said if your midterms were bad, you might go to a Mongolian middle school. Is that true? I don't know. But I think it's very difficult. Because if you don't know Mongolian, you go to a Mongolian middle school, you don't understand what the teacher is saying. Yes, yes, yes. Yes. So Sasa, do you think you are Mongolian Sometimes I think it's very good. For example, when I took the college entrance exam, there was a bonus for ethnic minorities. For example, I got 500 points. If I were Han, I would get 500 points. But if I were an ethnic minority, I could get 510 points. Yes, yes, yes. This is what I envy the most But this 10 points is not very useful. This 10 points sounds like it's okay. But because the full mark of the college entrance exam is more than 700 points, so this 10 points is not very useful But I am also very envious. Because in China, there are too many people If you get one more point than others, then maybe you will have than 100 or 1000 people. So I want I want this 10 points. Yes. Maybe if you are just a few points short of going to the university you like, this 10 points will be useful. Yes. In addition to adding points, what else do you think is good about being an ethnic minority? Maybe other people are very curious about me. For example, no matter where I go, everyone talks to me. They say, oh, you are from Mongolia. Is your name very long? Can you speak Mongolian? Everyone will talk to me. I think there is another very good place is my high school. My high school is not Mongolian, it is another ethnic minority called Hui. Yes, it is a Hui school. Then every year the school will give Hui students money. Because they are an ethnic minority, they will give them money. So I think wow, that's great. Yes, every place may have different policies. The policy is that they may give you some money or give you some benefits. Yes. For example, I want to get a doctorate. I can participate in ethnic minority projects. That is, I can get into a better school Wow, that's great. I like this. But there is no Mongolian in my family, so I can only be Han. I can't be Mongolian. If your parents have one ethnic minority, then you can choose to be an ethnic minority or be Han. Wow, Sasa, your son is Mongolian, right? Yes. My son is also Mongolian. That's great. I really envy him. He can get 10 points Yes, yes, yes. That's great. Sasa, do you think if you are Mongolian, is there anything bad about it? Mongolians are okay. But there are some ethnic minorities who have a lot of things they can't do. For example, the Hui people you just mentioned. When the Hui people get married, they have to find the Hui people. I have a brother He was in love with a Han girl. Later, his parents didn't let them get married. And the Hui people can't eat pork, right? Yes, they can't eat pork. I remember there was a very big supermarket But the Hui people their religion is Christianity. Yes. So the supermarket doesn't look like a supermarket. It's a bit like a mosque. Yes. And everything they sell in the supermarket doesn't have pork and doesn't have lard. Yes. When I was in high school, I also lived in a lot of Hui people's places. We have to be very careful We can't say, Ah, this braised pork is delicious. Yes, because if you say this braised pork, you will offend them, right? Yes, maybe some people think it doesn't matter. Some people think, Ah, you know I'm Hui, why are you saying pork in front of me? No, you can't. Sasa, when you and your classmates are together, can you tell if this person is Mongolian, Hui, or Han? Because I see you, because I know your name is a Mongolian name, so I think you are Mongolian. But if I look at your face, I don't think I can tell that you are a Mongolian. Yes, a lot of people tell me you don't look like a Mongolian at all. I think a lot of times it's hard for you to tell if a person who doesn't wear a Mongolian robe is a Mongolian. But there are some people who look very distinctive. You can tell, Oh, he must be a Mongolian. Sasa, do you think now that ethnic minorities and Han live together, are there any differences between ethnic minorities now and before? There may be a big difference. Like Wei Xuan said, when you see me, you may not think I am a Mongolian. I don't speak Mongolian. I didn't go to a Mongolian school. I rarely wear Mongolian clothes. So there's not much of a difference with Han. But my father looks more like a Mongolian Because he can understand Mongolian and can speak a little. But he can't write. My grandfather can understand, can speak, and can write. So Sasa, if you didn't speak Mongolian now, would you think it's a pity? It's such a pity. I really want to learn Mongolian well. But I haven't found a good Mongolian teacher. I also thought of a difference between ethnic minorities now and before. In the past, the Mongols lived in the grasslands, right? Yes. In the past, the Mongols lived not in the city. They lived in a Mongolian hut. What is a Mongolian hut? It's like a tent. But it's very big. It's a Mongolian house. But this house can be moved. If you don't want to live here, you can take the Mongolian hut and go somewhere else to put it back together. Because the grasslands are very cold in winter, right? So they have to go to a warmer place. So they have to move. There may be this reason. But mainly because Mongolians raise a lot of sheep. Sheep eat grass. But if you stay in one place for a long time, the grass in this place will be gone. Finished eating. Yes, finished eating. So they can only move to other places to eat grass from other places. Ah, I see. What about now? Do they still live in the Mongolian hut? Or do they live somewhere else? Most Mongolians don't live in the Mongolian hut. I've never lived in a Mongolian hut. I grew up in the city. You are a fake Mongolian. Yes, I am a fake Mongolian. I think people will say she is not a Mongolian, she is fake. Zaza, I have lived in a Mongolian hut. Yes. I know there are a lot of places where there are Mongolian huts. So do Mongolians still raise sheep? Are there still a lot of sheep? Some people still live in Mongolian huts. They will raise a lot of sheep. But these Mongolians don't speak Mandarin very well. Will they speak like this? Yes, they might say do you want to eat sheep? So I think my mom didn't let me go to a Mongolian school because she was afraid I couldn't speak Mandarin well. I understand. Zaza's Mandarin is very good now. There is no Mongolian accent. But there might be a Northeastern Chinese accent. I don't know if I can say this. My classmate was a teacher at a Mongolian university. And she told me she thought Mongolian students were stupid. Because their exams were in Mandarin. And their scores were not very good. This is what I said. Their Mandarin is not good. So it's not that Mongolians are stupid, right? It's just that their Mandarin is not very good. Yes. For them, Mandarin and foreign languages are similar. It's like people who are studying Chinese now. If you let them take an exam, they might not be able to write as well as Chinese people. Zaza, can you dance Mongolian dance? Yes, I can. Because I really like dancing. I really want Zaza to dance a Mongolian dance now. Mongolian dance is about moving your shoulders. There are a lot of movements like this. Like this. Every minority has their own dance. And I heard a lot of Han people say minority people can sing and dance. We Han people can only eat. Eat, eat, eat. Yes, and I think minority girls are very pretty. Some Han girls are very pretty. Some are not pretty. Because a lot of minority people are mixed blood. For example, Chinese and Americans are mixed blood if they have children. Chinese and Americans are mixed blood. Because a lot of minority people are married to Han people now, they are also a little mixed blood. Mixed blood is very pretty. They have big eyes. Yes. Sasa, is your mother also Mongolian? My mother is another minority. She is a Man. Wow. In China, she is also a king. She is a wife of a king. Yes. So, whether it's my mother or my father, I am a princess. Wow, that's great, Sasa. So, is there anything that Mongolians or Man can't do? Or what should people pay attention to when they talk to you? I think Mongolians like wolves a lot. Wolves are like dogs. And horses. Because Mongolians can ride horses. I can't. You already know what I want to ask you. Yes. I am a fake Mongolian. For Mongolians, you can't eat wolf meat or horse meat. I don't think anyone can eat wolf meat. Maybe no one can eat it. Yes. What about horse meat? Does anyone eat horse meat now? I don't know. I've never eaten it. I think someone eats it. In Inner Mongolia, there may be horse meat buns or other things. Oh my god. I've eaten donkey meat. I think it's delicious. I haven't eaten it, but horse meat should be similar to donkey meat. Yes. Many people think Chinese people eat everything. They eat all kinds of animals. They eat all kinds of meat. No. We don't. Yes. We don't. We are real Chinese. Did you understand this video? If you think this video is useful for you to learn Chinese, you can watch more of our videos. You can also use our free learning materials to learn how to use videos to learn Chinese, how to learn Chinese more efficiently. You can find free learning materials In Xiaoguachinese, we will help you speak fluent Chinese.