Have you ever heard of
people called Lolo (or Yi), who live in China in southern Sichuan and
not only have their own language, but a script totally different from
Chinese? They have always fought the Chinese tooth and nail and only
the Maoists managed to subdue them. But even today their language is
still officially recognised. In the city of Xichang, the biggest in
the region, all public notices, including names of shops, are in both
languages - Chinese and Lolo. In a museum in this town one can see
ancient books and modern newspapers written in their language, with a
script that clearly is not Chinese. One can even buy a magazine with
Lenin in a distinctive Lolo headdress. Xichang is a typical Chinese
communist city but you one can see plenty of Lolos in their turbans
in the streets.
