Who Would You Marry?

I had a nice chat with James, my co-worker. He is 24 years old. I asked him if minorities in China are treated differently or worse from the majority.

A Little Background
China has been invaded by different people throughout their history, therefore is composed of many ethnic groups. China has 56 recognized (key word recognized) ethnic groups, the biggest one is the Han which is about 91% of the population.

Back to James:

Me: So are the minority ethnic groups treated worse than the majority?

James: No, of course not. All Chinese people are treated the same. They are treated even better. They can have two children and we can only have one.

Me: If you were to marry someone then, would it matter to you if she was a minority?

James: No, she needs to be Chinese though, I would not marry someone that is a different race...

Me: You mean you would not marry a foreigner.

James: Yes

Me: Would you marry someone that is not a Han?

James: No, she would have to be a Han. I want to keep my blood pure.

Me: But you just said that she just needs to be Chinese.

James: But the minorities are not Chinese....(pause)...they look like Chinese, they live like Chinese, but there was a time when they came here from a different place. The girl would have to be a Han, just like me.


The Minorities
While many people that I asked, all from the majority, have said that all people in China are treated the same, it is not the case. You usually find the minorities working the worse jobs. They are the ones that live in non-industrialized areas and that not necessarily get educated. While this separation is not usually admitted, it can be seen through people taking great pride in telling me they are a Han when I ask. It is ok to talk to the minorities or even be friends with them, but it is not ok to marry them. Of course I am sure not everyone has such a viewpoint, but still such ethnic boundaries do exist.