And then there is shoe repair out there on the street!
While in Qixian we visited the home of the Qiao family (Qiao Jia Da Yuan) dating back to over one hundred years ago, a large compound of courtyards surrounded by living quarters. The movie "The Red Lantern" was filmed at this location. (In 2010 while home I borrowed the film from the local library.) The Qiao family was famous in China for their ability in business, being quite wealthy. Then, before taking the train on to Sichuan, it was back into Qixian to check out an ancient section called Xi Guan. I found this area to be quite intriguing. It was like walking down old town China without polish and commercialization. It remains as a truer picture of ancient China to me. Businesses exist in this area and people live there, but it's not a tourist trap as is a place Allen and I visited later on in Chengdu. And now starting at its main street.... And then there is shoe repair out there on the street!
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Kobe and 2 of his friends greeted us when our train pulled into Qixian. What delightful boys, both of whom wanted English names, so Jack and James it was. Jack and James spent the night with us, so Allen (my traveling companion) slept in the corner bed, while I and the other 2 boys shared the big bed, stretched across from side to side. We each had our own set of covers. I was given extra padding underneath - it was like camping out. Kobe slept in his parents' room. Kobe is far left, Jack sitting on the bed, Allen in the blue coat, with James on the right. The next morning we were treated to homemade noodles, as well as homemade mutton soup and tomato soup to put on the noodles, along with some other items. (Kobe's mother cooks on a charcoal stove in a very simple kitchen which is part of the parents' room. Amazing what she can do!) Kobe with his parents. Farewell ! (I love this picture.) First stop on our trip was Qixian, a small city in central Shanxi. Kobe, one of my Freshman students, and his parents live in a large village outside Qixian. This village looks quite different from any in America, as you will see. This is the entrance to Kobe's yard. All the homes are connected, with a high wall surrounding each yard. Entry into the yard is through a gate. As you look at the picture, you'll see the next entry down. It looks like this all the way down the narrow, dirt street. Here's the other side of the street - one solid wall all the way down, with no break. It's like this throughout the entire village. You can see entries on the other side of the street. Now we look through the gate and into Kobe's yard. And here is their home, consisting of 3 rooms, none interconnecting. To go from one room to the next you have to step outdoors first. Heavy quilts cover the doorways to help keep out the cold. There in the corner, behind a 3 ft. brick wall and next to the high outside wall, is the toilet. As is the case with me these days (part of aging), constipation often accompanies traveling. I took an AloeLax on the train and wouldn't you know it started working soon after we arrived at Kobe's home. Four occasions got me well acquainted with the bathroom! I could only think of my brother Dick who loved outhouses. We would have had fun talking about this experience. As our train moved into Shanxi Province I was struck by the deep ravines cutting through the land. Also the plateaus coming to an abrupt end. (I don't remember enough terrain terms to know how to describe accurately what I'm seeing! Maybe someone can help.) The land is barren with soil that looks like nothing would grow. But it only awaits spring to show otherwise, and it appears every flat piece of land is used for planting.
My trip to the interior of China began over 10 days ago, first taking us from Qiqihar to Harbin where we caught the train to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province. While in the Harbin VIP Waiting Room, I couldn't help but notice this very large painting on one of the walls. St. Sophia's Church, as represented in the painting, crowned with a cross, is among the pride and joys of Harbin, now serving simply as an historic site, no longer as a place of worship. Nonetheless, she stands exalted and proud in the middle of Harbin as an enduring symbol of Christianity in this land where, at one time, every effort was made to stamp out faith.... in this land where the official doctrine is one of atheism.
Last week while visiting a Chinese friend in Daqing I learned about one of the truly admirable modern day heroes of China. Wang Jingxi was a contemporary of my parents, born to poor farming family in 1923. He learned hard work during his childhood, both in serving as a shepherd and coal-carrier, at age 15 finally leaving home and heading to the oilfields. In February 1960 he enthusiastically led his drill team to open a new oilfield in Daqing, in spite of the overwhelming odds of cold and snow. No comfortable accommodations were awaiting them. When they arrived to that undeveloped area, he and his team had to move by mere brute strength all the heavy drilling equipment needed for the job. Dedicated to the task, he labored night and day, even to the point of risking his own health and life. Finally the dedication paid off....oil was struck. Daqing is now one of the major oilfields in China. _Wang Jingxi was dubbed "Iron Man" for his display of great strength and perseverance. Unfortunately, he fell to stomach cancer in 1970. The following year a Memorial Hall, an imposing, impressive structure,was built to his memory, in which can found the chronicle of his story along with an abundance of photos. I was quite impressed and inspired by his story, again reminded that sacrifice and commitment precede the accomplishment of great things. Tonight is Lantern Festival in China, marking the end of the Chinese New Year, and it's a night of celebration with family dinners, fireworks, and lanterns. Here's a couple videos for you to see a little of what I'm experiencing tonight from my apartment. Earlier we were entertained, awed by a spectacular display of fireworks at the far end of the lake, like what we might see on the 4th of July. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me as I was walking back to the apartment following dinner with a Chinese family. Smaller fireworks have continued for hours throughout the city, however. The orange lanterns being launched, hundreds of them, are fueled by a lit candle in the base. It's quite an exciting everning, I must say, one which will go on for many hours, I'm told. Here's a video taken nearly an hour after the first video, with the fireworks continuing..... The dragon is everywhere. This 3-dimensional image is looking down on the diners in my building. To us Westerners, a dragon usually suggests something evil and ominous, probably because the Bible speaks of the devil as the dragon. And I must admit, this one doesn't look very friendly! But, to Chinese the dragon speaks of power and success, thus viewed as a positive figure.
One afternoon before going away last week for Spring Festival, one of my former Harbin students and his mother took me to lunch at a local hot pot restaurant. (Juan, the mother, is the one who helped open the door for me to return for another year of teaching here in Qiqihar.) At these restaurants you order various fresh items (meats and vegetables) you want to cook in a flame heated pot filled with a broth. At this particular place we each had our own pot, each cooking what we liked. Take a look at the spread before us....
Spring Festival, the biggest and most important holiday in China, is quickly approaching. Just as in the West for Christmas, lights add to the festivities. Here's a few I captured tonight near the university.... Lighted decorations on the street light poles....if you look closely, you'll see them lining the street all the way down....just like back home. Buildings in color..... This is a closer look at what you're seeing in the right hand corner of the picture above. They've stacked tree branches together to form tree shapes, and then sprayed them with water for an ice coating. And looking down on them from my apartment.....altho they actually look better than that in real life. This picture makes them look more like blobs of ice cream! Finally, one of the ice sculptures lining the bridge crossing the lake. |