The Great Wall

[Panda_Kahn_fan]

It's okay, that would be most people's first reaction. But I just don't see the Chinese being racist towards one of their largest ethnic groups. (There are actually more Mongols in inner Mongolia inside China, than in outer Mongolia/the republic of Mongolia). Also, the idea of what constituted 'civilized' or 'barbarian' in ancient China was different. Race and physical appearance didn't matter- there were Arabs, Persians, and westerners who had come along the silk road trade routes, all serving at the various dynasties courts at different times. What made you 'Chinese' or 'barbarian' was how well you knew the classics (Confucius, Lao Tzu, the rites, etc.) and how well you followed the culture of the Middle Kingdom, that determined wither you were civilized or not. So the idea of being racist towards the Mongols, who are considered one of the twenty ethnic groups that are considered to be modern Chinese (along with the Manchu, Miao, Tuja, Hui, and many others) is a little strange by the standards of the Middle Kingdom.