There is no racism in China #2
Below is an abridged excerpt from my nonfiction book: I Ran Away to China: Three Years in the Next Superpower.
Guzal is a Uyghur woman. This ethnic minority group considers China to be occupying their country in the same way the Tibetans consider China to be occupying Tibet.
"They're Chinese," she said acidly. "It's easy for Chinese."
"So are you Chinese."
"I'm a Chinese citizen," she distinguished. "I am not Chinese. I am Uyghur! They make us be citizens, even we don't want!" She sat up very straight on the edge of the couch. "China doesn't want the world to know about our problems, so the Chinese government doesn't like to give passports to Uyghurs. It's true!" she said, though I had not contradicted her. "We worry, maybe China will tell us we have to leave our land or start killing us. Where will we go? We don't have our own country."
"Why are you so sure you won't get a passport?"
"Huh!" She sprang up again, straight-backed on the edge of the couch. "I try! They refuse! I try in 1998. I had a scholarship to study at school in Kazakhstan, so I went to the police station to apply for a passport. I asked for an application for a passport and there were some on the counter, but the police wouldn't let me take one. There is a woman in that office of my hokou who does not let any Uyghur get a passport. The Bitch Woman!
I had an invitation from the school, but she would not even give me an application for my passport. She said, 'How can you pay for that school?' That was an indirect ask for a bribe. She said a passport cost 5000 yuan. It only costs 100! She wanted money from me. Then she told me I did not have my papers. I did not need my papers to get the application, the papers are for the police. I sat and waited half a day, but they wouldn't give the application. I came back every day, and when they went out for lunch, they saw me but did nothing. At last, my brother went and talked to her. He has a job with the government, so she has to do something for him and he got the application.
So I filled it out and then the police wanted my identity card, so I gave it them. Everyone in China must have one, you can be arrested if you don't have it, and the police lost mine. It takes six months to get a new identity card and I had to take a bus from my hometown to Urumqi to get a new one. It takes one day on the bus and there are many checkpoints. At every point, you have to show your identity card. The Chinese do not have to show identity cards, just the Uyghurs. Always, they want to know where are we. The police gave me a paper to take with me to show, so I could go and get a new identity card.
When I got that, I went back, but they would not stamp my application. They said they didn't know me and I might have political problems. I said, 'I have no political problems, but they said, 'How do we know? We don't know you.' My family told me to go the mayor of the city and ask him for a letter saying I had no political problems, because my family knew him and he was Uyghur. He gave me a letter, but he said, 'Don't copy this letter or give it to anyone but the police, because I don't want to get into trouble.'
So I took it to the police and when the Bitch Woman saw it, she was really upset and she tore up the letter. I demanded a stamp on my paper, but she would not give it to me. I told her, 'You must give me one!'
Then the police came and grabbed my arms. I fought them, but they tore my shirt and three police pushed me down the stairs and forced me to leave." Guzal was trembling. "After that, I wanted to sue, but my brother said, 'Don't you know the police and courts are the same people?' So, I resigned my job and came to Shenzhen. It's more developed and I can be freer where no one knows I am Uyghur. Here, I look like a foreigner."
"You are hiding with me."
She looked startled, then said, "Yes."
Guzal is a Uyghur woman. This ethnic minority group considers China to be occupying their country in the same way the Tibetans consider China to be occupying Tibet.
Guzal stopped walking and looked at me, while she adjusted her imaginary fur hat. "I miss my Mum much." She was quiet, and sat down next to me again. She carefully put the photos of her deceased parents into her backpack. She looked about my room sadly. "So many books you have and only you visit this place. I want to study more. I must get my passport, if I'm to school and I don't think they'll let me have a passport."
"It's easy to get a passport now," I reassured her. "It used to be hard, because Mao didn't want the Chinese to go abroad and see what they were missing. Now all you need is a letter from someone in another country inviting you, and then you go get the passport."
"Who tells you this!" she demanded.
"My students write this in class," I answered.
"They're Chinese," she said acidly. "It's easy for Chinese."
"So are you Chinese."
"I'm a Chinese citizen," she distinguished. "I am not Chinese. I am Uyghur! They make us be citizens, even we don't want!" She sat up very straight on the edge of the couch. "China doesn't want the world to know about our problems, so the Chinese government doesn't like to give passports to Uyghurs. It's true!" she said, though I had not contradicted her. "We worry, maybe China will tell us we have to leave our land or start killing us. Where will we go? We don't have our own country."
"Why are you so sure you won't get a passport?"
"Huh!" She sprang up again, straight-backed on the edge of the couch. "I try! They refuse! I try in 1998. I had a scholarship to study at school in Kazakhstan, so I went to the police station to apply for a passport. I asked for an application for a passport and there were some on the counter, but the police wouldn't let me take one. There is a woman in that office of my hokou who does not let any Uyghur get a passport. The Bitch Woman!
I had an invitation from the school, but she would not even give me an application for my passport. She said, 'How can you pay for that school?' That was an indirect ask for a bribe. She said a passport cost 5000 yuan. It only costs 100! She wanted money from me. Then she told me I did not have my papers. I did not need my papers to get the application, the papers are for the police. I sat and waited half a day, but they wouldn't give the application. I came back every day, and when they went out for lunch, they saw me but did nothing. At last, my brother went and talked to her. He has a job with the government, so she has to do something for him and he got the application.
So I filled it out and then the police wanted my identity card, so I gave it them. Everyone in China must have one, you can be arrested if you don't have it, and the police lost mine. It takes six months to get a new identity card and I had to take a bus from my hometown to Urumqi to get a new one. It takes one day on the bus and there are many checkpoints. At every point, you have to show your identity card. The Chinese do not have to show identity cards, just the Uyghurs. Always, they want to know where are we. The police gave me a paper to take with me to show, so I could go and get a new identity card.
When I got that, I went back, but they would not stamp my application. They said they didn't know me and I might have political problems. I said, 'I have no political problems, but they said, 'How do we know? We don't know you.' My family told me to go the mayor of the city and ask him for a letter saying I had no political problems, because my family knew him and he was Uyghur. He gave me a letter, but he said, 'Don't copy this letter or give it to anyone but the police, because I don't want to get into trouble.'
So I took it to the police and when the Bitch Woman saw it, she was really upset and she tore up the letter. I demanded a stamp on my paper, but she would not give it to me. I told her, 'You must give me one!'
Then the police came and grabbed my arms. I fought them, but they tore my shirt and three police pushed me down the stairs and forced me to leave." Guzal was trembling. "After that, I wanted to sue, but my brother said, 'Don't you know the police and courts are the same people?' So, I resigned my job and came to Shenzhen. It's more developed and I can be freer where no one knows I am Uyghur. Here, I look like a foreigner."
"You are hiding with me."
She looked startled, then said, "Yes."
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