Since the collapse of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the social status of the Manchu people has declined to where it is today.
With Mandarin taking over as the main language in the past few decades, right now, there are less than 100 people in China who understand Manchu, and less than 20 who can write Manchu characters. To preserve the Manchu language and writing is imperative and yet, the only two Manchu language teachers in China have not been paid for a year and four months.
Today, while China's regime is preaching ethnic harmony, the outbreak of the Tibetan conflict and the dying out of Manchu culture show a lack of respect for minority cultures.
Last year, Yu-Ming Li, Language Information Management Secretary of the Ministry of Education, said, "There are less than 100 people in China who can speak Manchu!" There are nearly 10 million Manchu people in China, and less than 100 of them speak their historical language. Of these 100 people, some of whom are quite elderly, less than 20 can write or translate Manchu. That is less than the number of people who are proficient in Manchu in Japan, Russia, or Italy.
Who would have thought that such a fate would befall the once unrivaled and prosperous Manchu Empire of 200 years ago?
The authorities seem to be ignoring the fact that the Manchu language is dying. Heilongjiang Province contains one of the major Manchu settlements. In Fuyu County, in Sanjiazi Village, Qiqihar City, the so-called living fossils of Manchu language exist. This is the only village in the nation in which Manchu can be seen as the language of daily communication. There are three elderly people who speak the language, and about 10 others who are proficient in Manchu in the village.
Two years ago, through the advocacy of Chao Chinchun, the Fuyu County deputy governor at the time, the local government allocated 400,000 yuan (approximately US$57,142) to build a Manchu Language Primary School, the only one in the nation. The school has seven teachers who are able to teach Manchu at an elementary level, but only two of them are actually teaching the Manchu language. They all learned Manchu from their grandparents. Chao Chinchun prepared and edited all of the teaching materials . Each class learns Manchu two times per week.
The Manchu lessons, however, have met with difficulty from the beginning. First of all, the Manchu course is not part of the national curriculum; and so the parents don't believe it serves any useful purpose and are reluctant to encourage the children to learn Manchu.
Secondly, since Chao Chinchun was promoted to the position of Deputy Secretary-General of CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) in Qiqihar City, the resources for the Manchu course at the school have become scarce: even the paychecks for the two Manchu teachers have been withheld for more than a year.
The monthly salary for a teacher is probably around 1,000 yuan (approximately US$142), and the yearly paycheck is about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. Compared to the annual tax revenue of over 5 trillion yuan, the cost of paying the Manchu language teacher's salaries is negligible. Moreover, Manchu is a main ethnic group in China. Preservation of the Manchu language is preserving a national heritage. Isn't the best way to preserve Manchu to teach children during the primary school years?
More importantly, Manchu was the official language of the Qing Dynasty. Historical records were written in Manchu during that period of time. There are over two million Manchu documents in China, and over five million Manchu documents worldwide. International treaties, proclamations, text files, memorial documents, inscriptions, genealogical records, and so forth were all in Manchu at that time. These are important records needed to study the history of the Qing Dynasty and its associated domestic and foreign affairs.
Has China ever humbly accepted or respected the cultures of minorities? With the thinking of Han superiority or chauvinism, the claim of so-called substantial input in minority areas is only a way to maintain national unity.
Ethnic harmony is only an empty and superficial claim used to avoid external criticism, and a way to rationalize the plundering and pillaging acts that occur in ethnic minority regions. Rarely have we thought about how to protect minority culture and civilization. To truly protect the minority groups, let's start by rescuing the Manchu language!
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