Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Dang, where's the Nang?


URUMQI, China—In this old Silk Road city in western China, a state security campaign involving the detention of vast numbers of people has moved to its next stage: demolishing their neighborhoods and purging their culture . . . Food stalls that sold fresh nang, the circular flatbread that is to Uighur society what baguettes are to the French, are gone . . . Supplanting the Turkic culture that long defined large parts of Urumqi is a sanitized version catering to Chinese tourists. On a recent morning in the Erdaoqiao neighborhood, the once-bustling heart of Uighur Urumqi, nang ovens were nowhere to be seen—but souvenir shops sold nang-shaped pocket mirrors, nang bottle openers and circular throw pillows with covers printed to look like nang.
WSJ


Step right up folks, see the Nang --
the last one left; you'll get a bang!
We found it hiding in a mosque
and now display it in kiosk.
Just pay a dollar for the chance
to sample old Uighur romance.
It's what they ate; it's what they liked.
Without it they cannot get psyched.
A part of ev'ry dollar goes
to Uighar schools and shops and clothes.
(We nurture them so very deft
that soon there won't be any left.)
And for you swine who want some pearls
we also feature dancing girls!
In costumes with a Turkic flare --
look past their veils, if you so dare.
The Old Silk Road was not like this;
we treat our tourists like the Swiss.
So step right up, don't be afeard --
we'll let you pull the Mullah's beard!

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