Uyghur Dance by uninvolved observer
Aside from their food, the most distinctive cultural symbol for the Uyghurs here in Xinjiang is their traditional dance. For many years now Uyghur dance troupes have traveled all over the world showing off three very important parts of their heritage: costume, music, and movement. On their own each of these display a beauty unique to the Uyghur people while together it creates an absolutely fascinating display of local customs.
I decided to post this picture after reading a very interesting comment made by fellow Xinjiang blogger Porfiriy who writes for The New Dominion. The comment was made last Monday regarding the book review I wrote for Wang Gang's English, a story set in Xinjiang whose only minority character was a beautiful half-Han, half-Uyghur woman. Here's what he had to say:
I would like to add, though, that while you lament Ahjitai's failure to bring a conspicuously Uyghur element to the story, THAT in and of itself, I think, is great and piercing commentary on interethnic relations in China, albeit unintentional on Wang's part. Two things come to mind: first of all, the sexualization of Uyghur women. I don't know about your experience in Xinjiang, but I've seen this a lot. For example, traditional Uyghur dancing is traditional Uyghur dancing but it has become one of THE only paradigms through which Han Chinese, especially in the mainland, view Uyghur females and it's been put into new contexts, like dance shows at the Da Baza in Urumqi with costumes most Uyghurs would find utterly scandalous, and corpulent Han cadres snorting, in a drunken haze, at villagers to bring their daughters to "dance for them." The hyper-sexualization of a particular people's women (think Pocahontas, think "Turkish harems") is actually a time-honored tactic in the multi-faceted process of cultural assimilation.There's more to the comment that you ought to read, but this part is what I want to focus on. I tend to agree with most of what is said here but since he has stated it so well I would like to play the devil's advocate for a moment.
I don't think Wang endorses this, of course. However, I do think that when a Han creative writer is trying to come up with a Uyghur character, the "sexy, exotic Uyghur" is an archetype that will come to the forefront. And that says a lot.
When two groups try to co-exists in the same area, how do you balance a respect for each other's culture without invoking a sense of mockery? In a way I think it is better that Wang Gang chose a "sexy, exotic Uyghur" as his token minority instead of a thief, murdurer, or miscreant which just as easily could have been depicted. If you think of it in terms of the United States and its Native Indians, would you rather this minority be remembered for their beautiful and wise Pocahontas or as savages that had to be coralled by our heroes, the cowboys? Like I said, I agree with Porfiriy about the shame of "hyper-sexualization", but there is still plenty to discuss beyond the obvious mistreatment of cultural traditions.
Just some food for thought. Regardless, if you get a chance to see a traditional Uyghur dance, take it. You won't regret it.
4 Comments:
i don't think the hyper-sexualized dancer is any better than a stabby terrorist, it is just the female version of the uyghur stereotype. the same could be said of your native american example. almost always the female stereotype is highly eroticized, even within one's own culture. take any disney movie as an example. i feel it's not an either/or choice between the two. the male and female stereotypes always go together.
Ben voiced my thoughts perfectly. The miscreant thug (male) Uyghur *goes with* the sexy exotic (female) Uyghur. They're part and parcel, and are gender based - no thug females and no sexy exotic males (in Han sanctioned Uyghur dance performances, like at the Da Baza, the costumed males are merely ornaments decorating and emphasizing the women). Same in America, when one thinks "female Indian," you get coy Pocahontas, when one thinks "male Indian" you get savage, war-crying, mohawked, scalp stealing savage. From the 16th century until just a few decades ago we did that with the Indians and that's what's been happening to the Uyghurs today. The images are very complementary, they go together and work together, in a sort of justifying, "We must save those poor beautiful women from their uncultured, savage men" way.
As for your devil's advocate question, which would I prefer: the answer, naturally, is neither. I don't see it as a choice between the two. The Chinese ought to see the Uyghurs for who they are. Simple as that. There are stunningly beautiful women and thuggish males among the Uyghurs, that's for sure. But there's way, way more in between. So my answer to the question is, I wish people would think of the "in between" in response to word "Uyghur" (or "American Indian" for that matter).
Uyghur dance is beautiful. I love it. I just want to see the Uyghurs reclaim it from the sort of exoticizing, Orientalist context the Han have put it in, and make it entirely their own again.
The women are stunning.
Ben and Porfiriy - Interesting observation and I appreciate the input. I believe I stand corrected concerning the male and female images. As you said, Ben, it's just a different version of the same flawed stereotype - stereotypes which are in fact complementary.
I would like to emphasize one part of your comment, Porfiriy, that I think is key. When it comes to cultural symbols such as the Uyghur dance, the burden of preservation lies not with the Han Chinese - even if they are mostly to blame for its misrepresentation - but rather with the Uyghurs who need to focus on keeping alive such fundamental things as dance and even their language.
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