5/1/2009 May Day Time Warp

Today was May Day, which is a holiday in China.  Wu Xin picked us up on at 9 AM to take us to the village where Mrs. Wu grew up. Once we got out of town, we traveled on the new Interstate, which was very smooth. The speed limit is 100 KMH. We stopped at Ji'an and ate. We had fried rice, greens, and a little fish. As we were leaving, another store next to our restaurant was having their grand opening, which is often accompanied by fireworks. It was so loud I finally had to get out of the way.

Soon we arrived at Zeng Jia Fang, which translates as Zeng Family Village.  This is the village where Claire's mother grew up.  It was populated by the Zeng Clan.  As you can see there were many mud brick dwellings and buildings.

I enjoyed looking at all the window and door shapes.....

......And the handmade items hanging on the walls.

There were also many stylish traditional gray brick homes built during the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912.

The doors on these brick buildings were very solid and handmade.  Note the opening at the foot of the door on the right was for pet access.

I found these locks and bolts to be interesting.

In many places the distance between the buildings was very narrow.

There were very few young people left in the village, having mostly moved to the city.  We mainly saw the elderly as we walked through what seemed to be a mostly deserted village.  We had come to see a village, but also to see some of the Claire's relatives.  We spent most of out time with Zeng Shao Li and his wife.  As was tradition in their time, their marriage was arranged while they were still in the womb. They were wed when they were fourteen and are still together sixty-four years later......and they still seem pretty healthy...even though he is a chain smoker!

Mrs. Zeng showed us her kitchen, which is separated from the main house, just like colonial homes in America.

The stove design looked to be quite ancient, but seemed to burn wood efficiently.

Basically, this was the way meals had been cooked for centuries.

Across from the kitchen was Mr. Zeng's tool shed.  Don't ask what these tools do.

Claire pointed out these whisk brooms made from bamboo.

Next, we were taken to the home that Claire's mother grew up in.  It was really neat, and you could tell that it had been a fine home in its day.  The words above the door translate to "Heaven Showering Down Blessings".

I was amazed at all the hand painted ceramic tiles around the eaves of the home.

I wish I could have gotten high enough to take better pictures of these tiles.

Wu Xin and Uncle Zeng Shao Li discussed the home's history while standing between the two main buildings.  Uncle Zeng Shao Li actually lived in this home at one time.

Inside the living quarters was very dark now.  No one had lived there for quite some time.

Across from the living quarters was the kitchen and dining area, which was locked.

The doors were accented with hand carved bats. The Chinese word "fu", when spoken can mean either bat or blessings, so it has good connotations in China.

One can notice white places on the outside of the building.

 

These were where political slogans were plastered in the past.

From there we went down to the village ancestral building.  Along the way, I noticed an interesting doorway with resident dogs and chickens.

There is no public water in this village, but most homes have their own pump.

At the bottom of the hill was a pond with a story. Before the Japanese overran this area during WWII, Claire's grandmother and grandfather fled the village and were given charge of the family wealth. During the escape, the wealth was stolen.  Upon returning Claire's grandmother was condemned by her mother-in-law for losing the family wealth. Had not the family patriarch stepped in and stopped his wife, Claire's grandmother would have been drowned in this pond.

Today, this pond is used by some to wash clothes.

Across from the pond is the village well, being the only well in the past.

Fronting the pond is the village ancestral building.  Claire's grandparents names are listed inside.

On the way back to Uncle Zeng Shao Li's home, we stopped and visited another one of Claire's great uncles.

Back at Uncle Zeng Shao Li's home, we got to meet his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.

The kids got to snack on some fruit.

Uncle Zeng Shao Li's family was very good to us, and we felt like family.

We enjoyed watching the feathered vacuum cleaners take care of the fruit pealings.

The fowl had the run of the grounds.  This chicken and duck seemed to be partners.

Before we left for dinner and for home, I took a Zeng family picture

.......in Zeng Family Village.

4/29/2009 The Market Report

Someone asked what are the supermarkets like in China?  Well, they are similar to ours, but the products are different.  You will find some things that you are familiar with, but some things will be missing, while others will be just a little different.  No butter, no mayo, yes ketchup, yes chocolate. Now this is Xinyu.....the bigger the city, the more the options.  But for Chinese, they have everything they want and more.

But these supermarkets are boring compared to the fresh markets....that is where the fun is.

There are tons of fresh veggies.......

Straight from the fields.....every kind you can imagine....some you know....

And some you do not.....like the broad bean.

All kinds of fresh fruit.....

Melons,

Pineapples,

Tangerines,

Plums,

Berries,

And even durian, the king of fruit....some say, but not me.

With a smell like it has, I would call for the "king" to be exiled to Antarctica. 

Spices are everywhere, and there are many kinds.

Ground dried red hot peppers....smokin'.

Ginger, garlic, and others.....

 Plus all kinds of nuts and seeds to eat.....

.....and seaweed and kelp....

Along with fried tofu of many different shapes.

You can also buy raw eggs....and not just from a chicken.

Or you can buy tea-stained and salted hard-boiled eggs with sticky rice, ready to eat.

The fresh markets always have lots of sea and freshwater food,

like these small live eels.....

And these larger, teethy sea-monsters.

There are squids.

And even frogs.

And different kinds of fish, like carp, which is a Chinese favorite,

and these aggressive bass-like fish.

And if you like, it can be processed as you watch.

You can even choose the piece you like instead of buying the whole fish.

Don't forget some turtle to make some soup with.

Can you blame this one for trying to make a break?

Pick up a few chickens while you are there.

You can have them processed while you wait, too,

But you might not want to watch.

or maybe a duck to be used in making some Beijing Duck,

or as I like to call it, a duck burrito.

These little guys are called black-boned chickens,

and their meat is black, too.

And the end result is.....well you've seen this before.

There is lots of beef and pork ready to be taken home,

but don't waste your time looking for hamburger meat in Xinyu.

I have already wasted enough for both of us.

This is the butcher's main tool in China....it is razor sharp.

Of course you have to pay for what you get, but first it must be weighed. I saw some electronic scales, but I think they perfer doing things the old way,

With hand-held manual scales.

But that is not all that goes on at the market.

Wherever there is a market, people will be playing cards....

......and mahjong......

.....or just chatting with an old friend,

because fresh markets aren't just about food.

At least not in China.

4/27/2009 Confucius and the Baby Bok Choy

Today, Claire's parents took us to the outskirts of the city to visit a village.  When we got off the bus we saw a concrete pipe factory and decided to drop in and see what they were doing.  I was surprised they let us in to observe their manufacturing methods.  They shoveled concrete into the cylindrical form that was rotating at a high speed.

The end result being piles of concrete drainage pipes for all the construction projects in China.  As my brother-in-law says, China is one massive construction site.  And that is so true!

We crossed the road to the village.  On our walk to the village we crossed rice paddies and vegetable gardens.  We met two very nice ladies, a mother and her daughter-in-law, harvesting baby bak choy for the market.  

They let us take their pictures.....

And she even insisted that we take a bundle of her baby bak choy....but that was under one condition.......we could not pay her for it.

Once in the village, I was drawn to some of the articles around the homes, like this old pump

.........and this vegetable basket......

..........And this water bucket.

I thought these old bricks were the perfect backdrop for a group portrait.

One thing we noted was that the village had changed so much.  The mud huts that had been replaced by brick homes were now being replaced with multi-story concrete buildings.  Things were getting better for the village residents.  Note the previous residence on the right is being replaced with the new concrete building on the left.

The villagers were wearing better clothes even when doing manual labor.

And some even wore dress shoes when going to the fields to work.

We met this lady on her bike who was surprised that we would want to take her picture.

Next, we visited a temple.  This temple was first erected in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 907), in honor of Confucius.  Confucius was never worshiped in his time, but later people did worship him. I believe that the worship of Confucius today has largely died out, but his teachings still impact Chinese culture today.  He championed strong familial loyalty, ancestor worship, and parental respect. Most of these cultural aspects are still very evident among the Chinese.  These historical buildings were rustic, with interesting design features.

Circular entrances represented perfection.

This building was the sanctuary.

And this item was where people placed their burning incense.

The girls are sitting on the threshold of the sanctuary.

You can see that the doors are rather tall.  I wonder what was going on here 1,000 year ago.

Elizabeth posed by this statue that was so worn that we could not determine what it was.

And Miriam liked crawling on what looked like a frog....or was it a toad?

I liked how certain items looked against the worn red walls.

One courtyard was very nice and inviting, with the sun glistening through the tree leaves.  Elizabeth said she really liked playing here.

Even while we walked around the grounds, the resident custodians played mahjong.....

..........and cards.....Chinese like their playing.

We left there to eat at KFC.  On the way we saw a street-sweeper at work.......

.....and a young skateboarder at play.....

....and a man selling spicy Turkish barbecue.

Once at KFC, I asked for a "hambaobao", even though I knew they did not have one.  We settled for fried chicken.....but let me warn you.....never get the mashed potatoes!

KFC had a little play area, but Rebecca was too tall.

But the other two played with two Chinese girls short enough to get in.

One girl struggled with getting her shoes off.

.

We left there heading for home.  We all enjoyed some ice cream as I spent two yuan getting my shoes shined.  Tomorrow, we take care of that free baby bak choy.

4/25/2009 Beach Bum Entourage

Today, Uncle Wu Xin took us to the river park, which also has a pretty good-sized beach. He not only was our guide....he was our photographer.

The girls had a good time running around and playing about in the sand. Miriam found a "seashell". I told her it could not be a "seashell", since we were not at the ocean. She called it HER seashell just the same.

She also enjoyed hopping.....

And climbing on rocks.....

And jumping off rocks.....

And even jumping with her sisters......anyone remember the Monkees?

Rebecca liked imagining herself to be the "Queen of the Universe".

And Claire, well she must have been imagining something.......

We were not the only ones there. This is China after all. Those 1.3 billion people have to be somewhere. I spent some time taking pictures of two Chinese children playing in the sand. They did not seem to mind. They were in their own little world. She began by watching the sand fall as she threw it into the air.

He scrapped up sand and began to create his world.

They seemed to believe that what they were doing really mattered.....that their world was something special.

They decided that they must leave their hand prints on their work, sort of like God did when he created His world.

They reviewed and admired their handiwork. Maybe they felt just a little of what God felt when He scanned His universe and said it was "very good".

Others were also building sand kingdoms and works of art, too.

And yet others liked playing in the water........

Finally, we had to leave the beach and make out way back through the park to our car. Elizabeth thought the "Talking Rocks", that played music, were interesting.

And yes, they had to pose for me in this twisty-limbed tree. Elizabeth thought it was a little to high. You might can see it in her face.

Like I said before, people are always interested in taking pictures of our kids. I hope Rebecca does not expect this kind of attention when she gets back home.

Elizabeth always finds the bamboo....wherever she goes.

And Rebecca has always liked rocks.

And Miriam....she knows how to mooch a ride.

And what a good day we had....and the kids...they had a ball.

4/18/2009 Big Bamboo and the One That Got Away

Today we visited a farm. This was a recreational farm, and it was owned by Sun Xin, Claire’s old classmate. Customers stayed there mainly to fish, rest, play cards, and eat. Upon arriving we had tea, coffee, and watermelon. Rebecca tried some Kong Fu tea.

Sun Xin showed us around her farm. The kids chased the geese, which was fun to watch.

Miriam enjoyed picking and smelling flowers like the banana magnolia......and making leaf/flower arrangements.

Elizabeth liked posing among the bamboo and spending time with Ms. Liao.


We walked in the bamboo thicket and watched them dig up bamboo shoots to eat. This type of bamboo grows very tall and fast, and is extremely invasive. The bamboo Claire is standing next to is only two months old.

The kids also chased the chickens through the woods and picked wild strawberries near the abandoned pig buildings. For lunch we had another wonderful feast. I really liked the soup and mung bean sprouts. The kids had watermelon for dessert. The kids ate till they were full, and we all had a good time.

Next we went to the fishing pods. On the way I shot a video of a water buffalo being guided by its master.

Hanging out with the fisherman catching carp was a treat. I asked the man below if I could take a picture of him. He asked, "Why me, with all the other fisherman around?" It was the cool red hat, of course.

They were really enjoying themselves. One man kept talking about all his big fish. His catch was making the others look like amateurs. In the video, he is telling me, "The Biggest!"

I hung a big fish that broke the tip off my pole. I am not sure how big the one that got away was, but I am pretty sure it was a Jiangxi Province record for grass carp. Elizabeth was not impressed and preferred fishing with Ms. Liao.

Before I could let another one get away, it began to rain, so we sent went back to the city. We had coffee and dinner at a very nice restaurant in the new part of Xinyu on the river. We had Belgian coffee, sirloin steak, and pizza. It was a good time for all. We were surely getting tired, so we went home. This had been a very fun day.

4/17/2009 Three Peanut Pride and the Strawberry Pickers

Today we got to meet some of Claire's childhood friends. They chatted for quite some time before we decided to go to lunch at a nice local restaurant. Claire's friends did all the ordering. The food they brought was colorful and interesting, and SPICY. I was coughing after trying the octopus.

I liked the greens, beans, soup, rice, and peanuts the best. Can you pick up three peanuts with chopsticks? Unfortunately, my wife showed me she had this same great peanut talent, but I decided that one three-peanut picture was plenty.

Most interesting was the hot drink made from corn....who could have imagined?

The kids fared well with Rebecca adventuring into the spicy octopus. It is time for me to admit something that I am just now realizing about myself. Well, my cuisine preferences are sort of low brow. The meal we just had was a special feast, but instead of really enjoying this kind of meal, I was wishing I had the fried noodles from yesterday, which cost about 50 cents US. I should have realized this before since I often request grits for supper and think I am splurging when I add a frosty to my Wendy's double stack. Anyway....the kids may have inherited this same trait from me, because what most excited them were the watermelon slices. Can anyone spell “Mississippians”? The most animated event involved who was going to pay the bill. If I did not know better I would have thought there was going to be a fight, but that is how the Chinese do it sometimes. Needless to say I stayed out of that skirmish in order to keep my tightwad image unscathed. As we left the restaurant, I shot some of the local color, literally.

Later that afternoon Wu Xin and Xiao Ping took us to the strawberry patch. You had to pay for the strawberries you picked, but you also could eat as you picked.

The girls left with strawberry juice stains on their hands, fingers, and shirts.

They had a great time.

Next, we went to Xian Nu Lake to watch the boats. The boats were very different from my cousins' fishing boats.

We chatted with some sport fishermen on one boat about to go out to fish for the night. Claire asked one of them if they camped at night. He said of course not....we fish all night, but just to be safe we tie ourselves to the boat in case we doze off. Now that's a real fisherman....no Motel 6 for them.

Of course the night ended with eating more strawberries. The girls just could not get enough of them.

4/16/2009 Ping Pong and Noodles

Today was fun. We slept late. I had sliced toast with peach mango jam, coffee, and milk. Mr. Wu left at 8:30 to play ping pong. The rest of us left at 9:30 AM and took the bus to the retired people's activity center in the area where the Wu's previously lived. People on the bus always make a big fuss over our kids.

After we arrived we all got to play ping pong. Claire and Rebecca enjoyed themselves, and Rebecca really began to catch on. She said it was better than playing video games.

Mr. Wu and his buddies are very good. Mr. Wu looked like a young man while playing.

After that we went to the noodle shop. My fried noodles were great. The others had noodle soup, which they also liked.

At lunch all the children get out of school for lunch until 2 PM. The workers also get out. The streets were crowded. The Chinese children going home for lunch were very interested in my children. It was lots of fun. We had a wonderful day.

4/12/2009 Miriam is Four

Today is Mei Mei's birthday. We went out in the afternoon to get Miriam's cake. She had a great birthday party that night. She enjoyed blowing out all of the candles. As you can see, she was using her enhanced eating style to enjoy her cake.

She was also very excited in getting her gifts and seems most attached to her new stuffed animal, Bing Bing. The other girls got some gifts also. Wu Xin, Claire's brother, took these photos and shared them with us.

4/6/2009 Train to Xinyu

Our day began with another wonderful breakfast at the hotel. The hotel was so nice that I hated to leave. Claire's family took us to the Beijing train station at 10:30 AM. We hired someone to get our bags to our soft sleeper. The girls got to meet the stewards while we waited to board.

At about 12:30 PM, we were on our way, taking quite some time to exit Beijing, a city of 30 million people. We would start in wheat country and end in rice country. There were new things to see and old things to see. China has changed, but is still the same in many ways. Construction is going on everywhere. Satellite dishes and passive solar water heaters dotted the house and apartment tops. Once night fell, I saw fireworks, part of the Qing Ming Festival, which pays homage to the dead and includes burning fake paper money, and visiting ancestors' tombs. The girls enjoyed snacks and jumping around.

Mr. Wu tried his hand at Uno for the first time.

China rolled by vast and mysterious. I awoke before the dawn to see the many lights dotting the countryside. As dawn appeared, I could tell things were much greener, with many ponds and paddies...this is rice country. It seems that people are much better off economically than when I traveled the trains 12 years ago. Even the train is nicer, much quieter, smoother, all-electric and the trip took about half the time it used to. When we arrived in Xinyu at about 9 AM, we were greeted by Claire's mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Everyone was happy and smiling. Claire was home again.

4/5/2009 The Great Wall at Badaling

Today was a treat. Wu Wei, Claire's cousin, graciously took us to the Great Wall of China. He also photographed the entire tour, and he is no amateur. He gave us so many great photos, but we can only post a few. Note the one in the header is his, too.

The crowds were thick this day since it was a holiday weekend. We did not get far up the mountain traversing the Wall before Miriam refused to go any further. I stayed back with her, while everyone else continued. I got some Mei Mei time.

The Chinese tourists often wanted to take pictures with our girls, and they got thousands of second glances. I believe they are just curious about them as to what is their racial makeup. We had a great time. Just imagining what it must have taken for men to build thousands of miles of wall without machines, is sort of mind boggling, isn't it?

Later we spent time the Wu Family at Wu Wei's apartment. I cannot begin to tell how well we were treated. We felt welcome and loved.

Uncle Wu Wei really took an interest in the kids and made their time in Beijing a special one.

We will always remember with smiles how our Chinese family took care of us while we were in Beijing.