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????The ethnic minority
peoples of China enjoy music and traditional dancing;
many have a fine artistic tradition. They have evolved
a large volume of poems, fables and legends, and a wealth
of scientific writings. Many famous scientists and men
of letters have come from the ethnic minorities, and
many magnificent old buildings have been built in a
distinct ethnic style.
????But the rich store
of cultural and artistic heritage was neglected in the
old society; most people were denied the right to receive
an education; mass illiteracy was the rule. Widespread
disease and perpetual natural and man-made calamities
caused the loss of countless lives, particularly in
the ethnic minority areas; some ethnic minorities were
reduced to a state of near extinction. Culture was often
suppressed by exploitation.
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