Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

AMY TAN
call him Mr. Li,” Lulu said. Lesser employees, Bennie noted, were ac­
corded more respectful status. As the bus roared into gear, Lulu
grabbed a microphone. “Good afternoon, good morning, ladies,
gentlemen,” her voice came out, loud and tinny. “You are awake?
Eyes are open? Ready to learn more about Yunnan Province here in a
beautiful southwest part of China? Okay?” She smiled, then beck­
oned her charges with a toss of her hand to answer.
“Okay,” a few said.
Lulu shook her head ruefully. “Okay?” Lulu leaned forward, her
hand cupping her ear, a now familiar cue.
“Okay!” the travelers shouted back.
“Very good. So enthusiastic. Today, you travel to Ruili, pronounce
it ‘Ray-LEE.’ Can you say this?”
“RAY-lee!”
“Hey, your Chinese is pretty good. Okay. Ruili is Chinese border
town, next to Muse in Myanmar. Pronounce it ‘MOO-say.’” The
hand flip.
“Moo-SAY!”
“Not so bad. In a next forty-five minutes, we are going to see a
Jingpo village. For seeing the ordinary life, the ways of preparing
food, or growing some vegetables. Is okay? What you think?” This
was met with applause. “Agree, very good.” She beamed at her at­
tentive charges.
Lulu continued: “Does anyone know who are Jingpo people, what
tribe Jingpo people are related? What tribe, what country? No? No
one knows? Then today you will learn somethings new you never
hear before, yes, somethings new. Jingpo is a same as Kachin in
Burma, the Kachin people in Burma. Burma is a same as Myanmar,
Myanmar is new name since 1989. Yes, Kachin people you may have
hearing this or not, is very fierce tribe, yes, fierce tribe. You may
know, reading this in a newspaper. Who is reading this? No one?”
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