This morning our adventure took us to an ancient village. When our guide told us we were going to see an ancient village, I was thinking we might see ruins or perhaps a tourist attraction, like Old Sturbridge Village. I was so shocked when we got there, started walking through the village and realized that people still lived there! Most of the buildings were over 300 years old. There was no running water and very little electricity. We saw many people sitting around enjoying their Saturday morning playing Mah Jong and some children playing marbles. The picture above is of an old man cutting peppers. It felt very odd to me that we would be walking around their village to sightsee. Our guide had us peak in doors to see their homes - it felt like such an invasion of privacy. But, the people were incredibly friendly. One very old woman offered us some fresh eggs. We declined, as we knew that those were probably the only eggs she had and did not want to take her food. Another woman came up and started talking to me. I had no idea what she was saying and our guide started laughing. I asked her what the woman was saying to me and the guide said that she wanted to know if Terra was my biological child, because she looked so much like me! Isn't that incredible?! That's the first stranger that has mentioned the resemblance.
This is the entrance to the village. The gateway was very beautiful. We were supposed to go to two more villages, but it was so incredibly hot that we asked if we could stop after one. The other families weren't up for more walking and poor Jorie was turning beet red. We walked with an umbrella over our heads to shield the sun, but that didn't help with the humidity. Our guide told us that this is not the hottest it gets here, that it will be even hotter next month and that the hot temperatures continue through the end of October!
My blog about our trip to China wouldn't be complete without a picture of rice paddies! They are everywhere throughout the countryside. We've learned so much about China - the people and the culture - on our trip. For instance, I had no idea that over 75% of the population of China are farmers! They live in the countryside and work incredibly hard, never taking time off, just trying to support their families. The rest of the population lives in the cities. Which, by the way, it can only be considered a city if it has a population of at least 1 million!!! Each city is divided up into districts called counties - so the counties make up a city, instead of the other way around. We also found out that children are only allowed to attend school in their parents' official town of residence. So, for instance, if the parents lived in Nanchang, then decided to move to Beijing, their children would not be allowed to attend school in Beijing because that was not their town of residence. The parents could pay for their children to attend private schools in Beijing, but private schools are a relatively new phenomenon here in China and are not as good as the public schools.
Here she is, our little noodle queen! Give her a plate of noodles and she will be content for hours! She is so cute the way she picks them up in her hands then sucks them into her mouth. She LOVES noodles! This was actually supposed to be my lunch, but Terra saw me eating and dug right in. If anyone knows of a place in CT where we can get some really good Lo Mein or Chow Mein, please let us know!
This morning our adventure took us to an ancient village. When our guide told us we were going to see an ancient village, I was thinking we might see ruins or perhaps a tourist attraction, like Old Sturbridge Village. I was so shocked when we got there, started walking through the village and realized that people still lived there! Most of the buildings were over 300 years old. There was no running water and very little electricity. We saw many people sitting around enjoying their Saturday morning playing Mah Jong and some children playing marbles. The picture above is of an old man cutting peppers. It felt very odd to me that we would be walking around their village to sightsee. Our guide had us peak in doors to see their homes - it felt like such an invasion of privacy. But, the people were incredibly friendly. One very old woman offered us some fresh eggs. We declined, as we knew that those were probably the only eggs she had and did not want to take her food. Another woman came up and started talking to me. I had no idea what she was saying and our guide started laughing. I asked her what the woman was saying to me and the guide said that she wanted to know if Terra was my biological child, because she looked so much like me! Isn't that incredible?! That's the first stranger that has mentioned the resemblance. 
This is the entrance to the village. The gateway was very beautiful. We were supposed to go to two more villages, but it was so incredibly hot that we asked if we could stop after one. The other families weren't up for more walking and poor Jorie was turning beet red. We walked with an umbrella over our heads to shield the sun, but that didn't help with the humidity. Our guide told us that this is not the hottest it gets here, that it will be even hotter next month and that the hot temperatures continue through the end of October!
My blog about our trip to China wouldn't be complete without a picture of rice paddies! They are everywhere throughout the countryside. We've learned so much about China - the people and the culture - on our trip. For instance, I had no idea that over 75% of the population of China are farmers! They live in the countryside and work incredibly hard, never taking time off, just trying to support their families. The rest of the population lives in the cities. Which, by the way, it can only be considered a city if it has a population of at least 1 million!!! Each city is divided up into districts called counties - so the counties make up a city, instead of the other way around. We also found out that children are only allowed to attend school in their parents' official town of residence. So, for instance, if the parents lived in Nanchang, then decided to move to Beijing, their children would not be allowed to attend school in Beijing because that was not their town of residence. The parents could pay for their children to attend private schools in Beijing, but private schools are a relatively new phenomenon here in China and are not as good as the public schools. 
Here she is, our little noodle queen! Give her a plate of noodles and she will be content for hours! She is so cute the way she picks them up in her hands then sucks them into her mouth. She LOVES noodles! This was actually supposed to be my lunch, but Terra saw me eating and dug right in. If anyone knows of a place in CT where we can get some really good Lo Mein or Chow Mein, please let us know!
1 comment:
Hi - We just wanted to let you know how much we enjoy reading your blog every morning. Kaity loves the pictures and can't wait until you return. We know of a great Chinese restaurant and would love to take you all there to see if Terra likes their noodles. Have a great day!
Love,
Kaity & Sheri
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