BBC Radio4/BBC World Service - visit to Dwarf Empire
Description
Read MoreVocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
British (General) British (Received Pronunciation - RP, BBC)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
as I arrived at the Kingdome of the little people. Ah, welcome party emerged through the Manti, Miss. Looking anything but unhappy and exploited. They all seem to be clouding. Kids fancy dress, their tiny hands stretching out to greet me. Guards in inverted commas are standing there in Children's mediaeval play costumes with plastic shields, little dances heavily made up smile and wave politely at the 50 or so guests who have arrived for the morning show. Through an interpreter, I'm told there is a dwarf fire service, a police force, a parliament on a democratically elected ruler, those who can't dance or perform a given jobs, insecurity, handicrafts, catering or cleaning. It all seems rather better organised in the nearby city of Kunming. Ah, place. That's big on ambition and natural beauty, but with an infrastructure which doesn't seem to have matched its recent growth. Plush hotels have high definition flatscreen TVs, but no heating motorways like half finished. The public toilets are okay with liquids, but once you're warned except solids, the village of those of short stature is like lily. Put plastic mushroom houses like something from a nineties Nintendo game, sits on a small hillock from where the diminutive one's file out for their daily parade. They don't actually live in those fungal dwellings, but in heated dormitories some distance away. In the parade, the performers flank the emperor. He's an elderly man, short of the most who waves as his subjects from beneath the black cloak. Everyone here is small. The community only allows those under a certain height bizarrely, even the stray dogs packs of two hours, and Pappy owns a tiny, unenthusiastic presenter. Details. The day's events on a microphone on the singers make up for a lack of vocal skill with boundless enthusiasm. The visitors here, mainly Chinese tourists, take photos and cheer is the little people take part in folk dance, gymnastic displays and muscle man shows. A little chat with large biceps makes a grand show of lifting weights bigger than he is. The audience laughs at a dwarf drag queen who throws a silicone breast implant into the crowd. They respond by showering him with roses. The tourists have their picture taken with the entertainers, the smallest the most popular. Before they were invited to have tea in the dwarf houses. The boss is here, a keen for me to meet us. Many of the small focus possible. They insist. There are no secrets. The residents certainly appear happy and relaxed. I learned that in most places in China they make no one else of their stature. Here they are accepted, given language classes, fitted clothes in an agreeable wage. I mean, one of the presenters shall shall or Little Little who has a boyfriend here. And he's happy. She's only a few of the 200 people living here have left, and that was largely because they were homesick. Previously, she tells me she used to sing on top of bars for small change on drunks, would grab bitter or throw drinks. Now she sings on a proper stage like she's always dreamed off. People applaud politely and throw flowers. Another resident tells me she left a toxic job in a smelting factory to come here. Others begged or thief Few jobs. It seems our opens its dwarfs in China. The taunts of regression that many of these people suffered elsewhere just don't happen. Everyone here is little. I make a number of visits to the kingdom in the three days I'm in this part of China almost the visitors cheer and take photos. They do seem particularly polite and gradually becomes clear that for those living here, sex and love of big attractions before arriving, many had never had an adult relationship on account of their size. But in the kingdom, everyone is small. There have been several dwarf marriages and, inevitably, Children all happily celebrated. There are no locks on the doors, I'm told. There's no crime yet. Bed hopping, it seems, is frequent. Any disputes, though marital or otherwise, are solved by the elected council, the stage and publicly facing aspect of their lives. Oh, Gordy almost tak e. This is like a Santa's grotto of NAFTA attractions, but in the private courses beyond where they spend most of their lives, this privacy and respect. Before I go, I have another chat with Zhao Zhao, who says wherever she goes here or in the world, outside, people are fascinated by her size. But I can't help wondering whether being Gore PTA for four hours a day is a fair exchange for a life of increased security and a little happiness. Andy Jones laying bare the secrets of China's little people and bringing another edition to a close, they'll be more storeys from reporters around the world in our programme on Saturday morning, do join us goodbye.