Hello! This is post #600 on this version of BioRequiem. I will celebrate. Also, a few things:
I’ve been researching the Uyghur people in spare moments. This part of my heritage is fairly mysterious to me, as my Uyghur grandfather was an orphan and knew nothing of his tribe. Because I don’t have any serious time to dedicate, I’ve learned little, so far: 1. seems modern Uyghurs are fairly set on starting shit in China. 2. Uyghur women have exciting hair and dances. Also, I adore the music in the video below.
Skipping days with the 365 project, but that’s not exactly new. Still, here:
Working a lot, though it doesn’t feel like enough. Since I don’t think I could sleep any less and function, I need a time-extension machine.
Need new wine glasses. This may not sound serious, but if you knew how many of them I break with regularity, you’d understand.
Trajectory:
- Laguna Beach in an hour
- Las Vegas in 2 weeks
- possibly San Francisco the last weekend of February
- London and Paris in April
- China soon? I hope so.
As someone who’s a mongrel mix of English/Irish/Scottish/Welsh stock,
I have admit that I’m always slightly envious of people who can trace their roots back to more specific peoples and cultures.
Especially cultures with such awesome headwear.
I think the best i can summon from my ancestors is a Yorkshire flat cap.
Ooh, I do like the bottom half (no pun indended, honest) of todays picture.
I think I made it to day 24 on my last attempt at a 365 photo thing before drifting away…
so I guess you’re beating my high score now.
(But I really should have another bash at it soon, as it gave me a damn fine excuse to take photos of toy robots in public places.)
– Marc
You should push SF to early March, when Gala & I go.
We’re on a wavelength, new glasses yesterday. Got a bit tired of using pint and water glasses.
For how long are you going to Paris?
Even with the instability in China caused by the economic downturn, don’t expect Uyghur separatism to kick off any time soon.
People who’ve been to East Turkestan in the last few years tell me that the minority who want to pursue armed resistance are serious, and have growing support.
However, the Chinese state has sophisticated infrastructure in place able to stifle any protest movement almost instantly, as it has with the Charter 08 movement in China proper. This also mirrors the waves of arrests ongoing in Tibet, ahead of the 50th Anniversary of their uprising on March 10th.
If the PRC ever splits up, my belief is it will only be after massive civil disturbances following a long period of inept state repression of dissent, and the country fragmenting into warlordism as it did in the 1930s. (And much like Iraq is now. The Uyghur are very similar to the Kurds: they could take control of their country very quickly if the PRC broke up).
As the people at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, the Uygur and other peoples of the region (… China’s Muslim minority are more likely to try to split from the state ahead of any other non-Han group… ) seem to take a pragmatic approach to being brutally occupied. If the state left them alone they would probably go along with the status quo. This is distinct from Tibet, where younger people seem to have finally had enough.
I can warmly recommend:
Lady Catherine Maccartney ‘An English Lady in Chinese Turkestan’
Peter Hopkirk ‘Foreign Devils on the Silk Road’
http://www.amazon.com/Foreign-Devils-Silk-Road-Treasures/dp/0870234358
and Elizabeth Wayland Barber ‘The Mummies of Urumchi’
http://www.amazon.com/Mummies-Urumchi-Elizabeth-Wayland-Barber/dp/0330368974/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233416761&sr=1-5
which are some of my favourite books on the region.
Zoe- I don’t know if you watch Democracy Now, but they were talking about Uyghur men being held prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. Just thought it might interest you. I think the segment’s 15 mins in.
http://www.democracynow.org/
Hello… hey, i wanna thank you for pointing me towards the Uyghur. I had no idea they existed, and i find them quite interesting. i was reading that Wiki entry you posted up there… I think it is safe to say that some of your good looks DO come from that particular genetic branch, no?
Keep up the 365 day project thing to… i enjoy seeing your pics.
Rawk on.
Hey! what are you planning on doing in Paris??
San Francisco at the end of February?…are you going to WonderCon? I’m going to try and drag my wife to go with me! =)
~Steve
wondercon is the last weekend of february,
are you planning on stopping by?
i haven’t seen you in years.
I think I might need to be adopted by the Uyghur. I don’t think my ancestors would mind too much, would they?
Hey there,
I’m Farida, Tatar, born and living in Australia. I came across your website somehow (I can’t remember) and was reading through it when I reached this post.
If you ever need any info on Xinjiang or Urumqi- I can probably give a different view on it since the past 4 Australian summers (soon to be 5) I’ve been going there with my mum and brother to visit friends and family. My mum and dad both grew up in that region- they’re both Tatar.
Anyhoo, it’s a great place to visit and experience the culture. And also to be humbled by the poverty there- there’s a reason why the Uighurs have been fighting, the Chinese government tends to not favour them at all (lack of jobs after university, etc) and they don’t realise that they should be fighting for equal human rights.
Hope you can find out more about your grandfather’s origins!
-Farida