Many of the women in this small-town market on our way out of Yunnan were dressed like the ethnic minorities we've seen elsewhere in the province, but we were told everyone was Han Chinese. Either someone gave us incorrect information (which happens all the time), or these people are impostors!
Do you need to be from a minority to wear its clothes ? Maybe they just think it’s fashion?!
– Woods
It’s just affecting our already poor ability to identify ethnic minority groups in China. I guess we need to actually do the leg work and ask
If two different ethnic people get married, their children are free to adopt anyone of their parents’. Ethnic minorities were not fond of some days earlier (like 40 years ago? I’m not sure). My grand-grand-mother gave up her “officially” Man满 identity many many years ago. But when I applied to college, it was said ethnic minorities could get 10 more points than Han Chinese. So there was a fashion to be a minority again. Actually my parents seriously considered to “recover” my minority identity but didn’t really work on it. That’s how I’m still a Han Chinese now. I don’t know what’s going on right now. Hope it’s no such big deal anymore.