Culture war: Inner Mongolia seethes as China presses Mandarin at schoolStudents arrive at the Tongliao Mongolian Middle School in Tongliao, China's northern Inner Mongolia region, following recent protests over a new bilingual education policy by the Chinese government. "The spirit (of resistance) is still there, but we are scared," said the man, requesting anonymity as he watched other students lugging their suitcases back into Tongliao Mongolian Middle School after a week-long boycott. The interference in the curriculum aligns with remarks by Xi that Mandarin language ability leads to greater prosperity and social mobility for ethnic minorities across China. The Inner Mongolia Education Bureau did not respond to a faxed request for comment. The curriculum change shows that China is determined to "wipe out Mongolian language, culture and identity," says Enghebatu Togochog, Director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, based in New York City.

Source: Bangkok Post September 15, 2020 06:33 UTC