Andrew Lih wrote:
When dealing with the "slow pace" of reform,
a famous saying in China
is: "We were ruled by the Manchus for 300 years, we can wait another
ten."
As the saying invites the question of who "we" represents, there's
reason to suspect _it_ itself may require reforming. It'd be ironic but
not surprising if a descendent of the defeated Manchu rulers were to
utter it.
From our very own (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchu_language):
"Very few native Manchu speakers remain; in what used to be Manchuria
virtually no one speaks the language with the entire area having been
completely sinicized."
Although "sinicize" need not be interpreted as "forced to be
sinocized"
(language shift being a complex phenomenon), it remains the case that
today there isn't a Manchu Wikipedia (ISO 639-2: mnc).
"In fact, the modern custodians of the language are actually the Sibe
who live near the Ili valley in Xinjiang and were moved there by
Qianlong Emperor in 1764. Modern Sibe is very close to Manchu, although
there are a few slight differences in writing and pronunciation;
however, the Sibe consider themselves to be separate from the Manchus."
Given that saying and the attitude behind it, it is understandable why a
Sibe may not want to be identified as a Manchu.