Gansu seminar explores creation of ethnic minorities' mother-tongue literature

A seminar on the native-language literature of ethnic minorities closed in Lanzhou city, the capital of Gansu province on May 15, with writers, critics and editors of several minor ethnic groups attending.

Participants discussed the history, achievements and problems of Tibetan, Hui and Yugur ethnic groups wishing to create literature in their mother tongues.

Ethnic minorities' work in their languages is an important segment of Gansu's local literature, and the amount and quality of such work has gained momentum since China implemented its policy of reform and opening-up, according to the participants.

Gansu is home to 54 minor ethnic groups, the population of which, 2.20 million, accounts for 8.7 percent of the province's total.

Three of the ethnic groups, the Dongxiang, Yugur and Baoan, live only in Gansu.

The seminar was supported by the Gansu Provincial Federation of Literature and the Gansu Literary and Artistic Critics' Association.

Edited by Peter Nordlinger