ABSTRACT
My ancestors settled in the remote mountainous area of northwestern Yunnan. I am, of course, Chinese; however, I should like to add one more word: I am Bai Chinese. I belong not to the great Hans of Central China but to the Bai National Minority. At home we speak Bai, not the official language of my country, Mandarin. In the past, because our contacts with outsiders were limited and frustrated by this language trouble, we were looked down upon as ignorant and backward. We never found it easy to compete with the Han people.
