In the east-central portion of Northwest China's Qinghai Province dwell the majority of China's Monguor (Tu) nationality, classified as one of China's fifty-six official ethnic groups and numbering 190,000 (1990). The 37,900 Minhe Mangghuer, dwelling in Minhe Hui and Mangghuer (Tu) County, are the second largest Monguor group.

Minhe Mangghuer (language) is of primarily Mongolic lexicon and morphosyntax while, at the same time, exhibiting massive lexical and phonological influences from Chinese. This collection of more than twenty folktales are presented in the Mangghuer written system (based on a modified pinyin system), English translation and extensive notes and provides valuable linguistic materials on this endangered Monguor dialect that exists nowhere else. Map, illustrations. Paperback.