Eight percent of China’s population is comprised of ethnic minority people, people with cultures (particularly languages and religions) that are distinct from the majority (or Han) Chinese. This book is about the tiny segment of ethnic minority youth in China who overcome staggering obstacles to achieve educational success and win admittance to universities. These students – together with significant others in their families, and villages and schools – construct identities that allow them to do well in school. The students discover ways to function effectively in a second culture, using language other than their native one.

Ethnicity plays an important role in the education achievement of these students and ultimately in the empowerment of their minority groups. Furthermore, China’s vigorous system of preferential policies, designed to benefit minority people, ensures their advancement throughout school and after graduation. This book suggests how similar success strategies, at both the micro and macro levels, might be replicated in other educational settings.