Lhoba Children

Xiaohong had mixed feelings when she found her nine-year-old son more interested in learning English than the language of his own ethnic group, spoken only by 2980 people across China.

"I am happy that he is curious about the outside world so I bought him an English learning gadget, but I am also worried that he might one day lose his cultural identity since he can barely express himself in his own language now," said Xiaohong, 33, a lawmaker from Lhoba ethnic group.

Inhabited in the south of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Lhoba is the smallest among China's 56 ethnic groups. In 1965, Lhoba was confirmed as a single ethnic group by the State Council and two ethnic townships in Nyingchi Prefecture were set up in 1988 for Lhoba people.

As head of Nanyi Lhoba Ethnic Township, one of the two Lhoba townships, and the only deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) from the smallest ethnic group, Xiaohong said she would give motions during the annual session of the top legislature to save Lhoba's endangered culture, especially its language.

"There is no letter but language for Lhoba. If mouth-to-mouth communication stops, so will the language. Without taking proper measures to protect the language, the Lhoba culture will soon disappear," said Xiaohong.

She suggested to tape the language or copy those similar with the Tibetan language to keep the Lhoba language alive, otherwise, "even my son could hardly appreciate the language of his ancestor."

Xiaohong started her own work of cultural preserve by sending her son to rural relatives during summer holidays for the sake of a Lhoba- speaking environment.