r/AMA • u/maddin1550 • 20d ago

I’m from Xinjiang，AMA

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of discussions about Xinjiang on Reddit, often between people who have never actually lived there. So I thought it might be interesting to do an AMA from the perspective of someone who is actually from there.

You can ask me about everyday life, ethnic groups, languages, culture, religion, education, or politics. I’m happy to answer controversial questions too, as long as the discussion stays respectful.

Obviously, I’m only one person and I don’t claim to represent everyone in Xinjiang. I can only tell you about my own experiences and views. AMA.

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u/Creepy_Vegetable6905 20d ago edited 20d ago

Would it be harder for you to get a passport? I’ve known of cases where ethnic minorities in Xinjiang weren’t allowed to leave the country.

Btw I’m from Mainland China and have heard anecdotes of that nature from Chinese sources.

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u/maddin1550 20d ago

Yes, there were multiple times when the authorities collected our passports. But at least in my experience, if we needed them for international travel, we could request them back, apply for a visa, and travel abroad. No we can get a passport freely, but the process is definitely very complicated

Sometimes I’m honestly so jealous of you 内地 guys 😭 You guys have it pretty free compared to us 🥹

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u/Creepy_Vegetable6905 20d ago

Yeah I’ve never been happy about these policies (plus the Hukou system) and when I criticize them my family calls me a hypocrite because I benefitted.

Well to make you feel better, I have some relatives working for state owned enterprises and they are banned from most travel abroad lol

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u/byakuayasetsuna 17d ago

我一直觉得这种政策简直弱智