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Yeshi and Machig go to China-how should we dress?
Oct 2, 2005 14:03
  • KIYBUBUMO
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  • Join Date: Oct 2, 2005
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Hi Gang,

My daughter's dad is a Tibetan. He lives in West China. I am taking my daughter to meet her grandparents. I am a white girl from Washington state. I have changing my name to Yeshi which is a Tibetan name. DOing it because I HATE my name my parent's gave me. Long story.

My daughter is 2.5 I am worried that we will be hassled for having Tibetan names. And when we are in Xining, can we wear Tibetan dress? Will I get our family in trouble with the Peoples' Army? Some of my friends who have returned there from India across nepal to XIning have told me stories of being detained by police and questioned, or being told to return to the police station for several days in a row for questioning. These friends were Tibetans returning home.

Any ideas?



Thanks

Yeshi and Machig
Oct 3, 2005 04:03
#1  
  • CAROLYNE
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  • Join Date: Oct 3, 2005
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Dont worry. Its not all that bad. One of the major problems that I faced while travelling in china is not knowing chinese. Asking directions or hailing a cab or ordering in a retsurant is a big pain. I tried this service called www.chinahelpline.com...you can call 021-6100-9700 from anywhere in china and get connected, they have wonderful staff who help u in giving orders to anyone in chinese. just tell them what you want to tell the driver or waiter in english and they will converse with the person in chinese and make them understand , its pretty cheap also compared to hiring interpreters or getting robbed or wasting time. I just loved it .
Oct 8, 2005 01:30
#2  
  • LOSANG
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  • Join Date: Feb 27, 2005
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Yeshi,
Tashi Delek

You won't have any problems for having a Tibetan name of for wearing Tibetan clothes. Your friends have come across trouble because they illegally left China and entered Nepal and then onto India. Many Tibetans cross the border of Tibet to Nepal and they often get into trouble when they cross back into Tibet. I have had many friends put in jail for doing this.

As far as your situation goes, you will have no problem. There is no law in China against having a Tibetan name (who's going to know anyway except your daughters grandparents?) and there is no law against wearing Tibetan clothes.

Qinghai province is home to over 1 million Tibetan people. Though Xining is not a "Tibetan" city, there are still many Tibetans in the city (about 30,000). Many of the Tibetans who live in Xining do not wear their Tibetan clothes, but if you did it wouldn't seem too out of place. Out on the grasslands or in the Kham area of Yushu most people will be wearing Tibetan clothes.
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