Source: CCTV.com

12-26-2007 13:06

For several years now China has been asking experts on the country's ethnic minorities to help to protect ethnic distinctive cultures. Written characters used by China's 55 ethnic minorities are important to China's literal tradition. This is a key focus of the current effort. The characters used by the Shui ethnic group, the "Shui Letters" have rarely come under academic scrutiny. Now, Professor Pan Zhaolin is offering a reward of 100 thousand RMB, or 15 thousand US dollars, to someone who can translate Shui letters.

Born in a village where Shui letters once were used Pan Zhaolin started to learn the characters in 1958. Today he is China's most renowned expert in the field.

Over two decades, he has collected enormous material about the Shui people. That includes 600 volumes of Shui letters and some 20 thousand photos. Anything related to Shui culture makes its way into his collection. He spent 100 thousand yuan to buy a single bronze drum from a farmer.