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A day on the farm in Shigu in rural Yunnan, China William
picked up a chicken for dinner - a non-functional chicken, to be exact,
with its feet sticking out of the plastic bag. I used the public restroom before we left - a very crude affair, roughly equivalent to a multi-position squatty potty outhouse, and it was possibly the first "pay toilet" I remember using. It cost $0.20RMB (2.5 cents) and a philosphical thought came to mind, from all those motivational tapes: "You'll change when changing is less painful than staying the same." Which is to say that if a squatty potty is what you've got, you'll be sure to use it when the need arises! We got on the bus and left town. The bus wound up a mountain, which afforded a rising view of Lijiang, which is much larger than it appears from the ground. Eventually Lijiang disappeared and we wound our way through mountainous farm country and small villages.
About halfway we started descending instead of climbing, and the Yangtze river, the fourth longest river in the world, came into view. Lush scenery of mountainous chinese countryside, a wide river meandering through the valley between vibrant green mountains and the contours of small farming plots and towns of Naxi style houses and barns.
You
can spot this lovely place on nearly any world map: in southern China,
the first northward bend of the Yangtze river. A
visit
to Shigu, China (pronounced "Sher-goo") We finally arrived in Shigu, then rode in the back of a pickup truck a few more miles to the home of William's inlaws, the He's (William is marrying their daughter in February.) This was a small farming community on the banks of the river, and their 300 year old Naxi home sits on land that has been in the He family for 660 years.
Mr.
He's house: a very typical Naxi home, with a courtyard in the center,
flanked by rooms around the edges. This home was built in 1700, 75
years before the American revolution. Note the red "good
luck" banners around every doorway. Mr. He, Bryan and William
look at a map. The
door swings into an open roof courtyard flanked by the rooms of the
house - bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen and storage.
A second floor is quite common, and is often used for curing meat
and storing food. I met Mr. and Mrs. He, and Mrs. He prepared a snack of tea, fruit, peanuts, and some sweets - but in China, sweets are never as sweet as American candy.
A
delightful example of Chinese hospitality: a 'light snack' was served
upon our arrival! Mr. He showed us a stringed instrument he had made that day, called a Ziqe, sort of a crude violin, and then took us for a walk. We strolled along the late afternoon banks of the Yangtze river, mountains on either side and only the gentle sound of wind blowing through the trees and the occasional sound of a vehicle.
This is truly rural chinese coutryside. There is electricity, running water and telephones but no sewage. I think it's fairly similar to what your average New Yorker would think if you said "Western Nebraska."
Late afternoon darkness on the main road through the farming community, just a stone's throw away from the Yangtze river |
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