The recent earthquakes in China caused perhaps as many as two thousand deaths. These quakes have gotten far less international publicity than the Chinese earthquakes of a year ago. The lower level of publicity is due not only to the lower casualty numbers and to earthquake news fatigue, but also to a dirty little secret that China would prefer not to have known. The area where the quakes occurred is home to a non-Han group of people who practice polyandry. One wife, several husbands.The majority of inhabitants of China are Han. The best known of the other ethnic groups that live in China are Tibetans, Mongols and Uighurs. The most recent earthquake took place in Yunan province, in an area the Chinese call Shangria (the name which inspired the Western idea of Shangri La). Most of locals there are Tibetans. In ancient times, Han and Mongols practiced polygamy. It's likely that Uighurs, being mostly Muslim, still practice polygamy, although China's official One Child Policy may have...(Read Full Post)