Ukrainian girl Kseniia: Yunnan ethnic culture is part of my life

Having lived in Yunnan for three years, Kirianaki Kseniia from Ukraine describes herself as an authentic Yunnan girl, despite not eating chili pepper. For her, the ethnic culture in Yunnan has become a part of her life.

Kirianaki Kseniia is a graduate student majoring in tourism management in the Southwest Forestry University in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province. She did not know much about Yunnan when she first came to the province. But as she stays longer, she has got a better understanding of the province. “I think there is an incompatible advantage in studying tourism in Yunnan.” Through her study, Kseniia found that Yunnan is abundant in both natural and cultural resources.

Thanks to the opportunities of joining some TV shows, Kseniia visited many places in Yunnan. She was deeply impressed by the beautiful landscapes and hospitable villagers in Puzhehei, southeast Yunnan’s Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. And the local cuisines amazed her as well. When she visited Puzhehei, it was the blooming season of lotus flowers and local people picked lotus flowers, leaves, seeds and stems to cook all-lotus feast. “I never tried lotus before, so it was surprising to see that 90 percent of the dishes were made of lotus. It was a feast for eyes and mouth,” Kseniia said.

During her trips to west Yunnan’s Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture and south Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, she learned paper cutting and elephant-foot drum dance from the locals. And she was more than happy when she was invited to be a bridesmaid in an ethnic wedding ceremony. “I like the clothes of the Dai people. And the wedding gave me a deeper understanding of their customs,” she said. 

“Now, Yunnan ethnic culture is not only my research interest, but also a very important part of my life,” Kseniia said that as a graduate student majoring in tourism, she hopes to promote local ethnic culture of Yunnan.

Editor: Wang Shixue