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This article identifies five approaches through which I have attempted to understand the topic of deception and truth, (The "topic" itself changes along with the frame, however.) It traces an intellectual journey through anthropological explanation, tacking back and forth among views that (1) deception in public life is prevalent in China because of a particular set of assumptions about language use and interaction, (2) deception is conceived more honestly in China than in, say, the U.S., (3) deception is prevalent and lamented in contemporary China, and its historic particulars must be considered in evaluating the newness of what is considered a problem, (4) deception occurs throughout human societies but with varying degrees of concern and frequency, and (5) deception is a fundamental part of the human capacity for language, though all societies struggle between the ease of deception and the desire for honesty and trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the ways the concept of ethnicity is used to talk about identity in Kunming in the Yunnan province of China. Demographic information on the province; Criticism on the reliance to ethnicity for its social advantages; Details on the interpretations of conversations with the native residents.