A Long Goodbye

I am writing this post on my last night in China. We leave first thing in the morning to begin what will be a very long process of getting home. All told, it will be about 48 hours until I touch down at O'Hare airport. I might be able to write a post or two while hanging around airports, but I can't make any promises.

I have so many stories that I haven't yet told and pictures to share. It has been a wonderful adventure!

Other Residents of China

Unlike the lady in the market at Shaxi, another individual I encountered was not so good at sharing. She was not at all impressed by my language skills and didn't smile even once. When I pulled out some peanuts, all she did was take, take, take. In spite of that, I liked her very much.

 

She was part of a large group of monkeys that have taken up residence in a remote temple on the side of a mountain in a national park. They come down to an area where they know that people will be. The park sells peanuts for them. I kept a little distance, tossing my peanuts, but some people handed them right to the monkeys. These guys know what's what though, so you have to be careful. One woman had just bought a bag of sunflower seeds for herself and was walking across the parking lot with them. Snatch! They were gone. The monkey king easily tore open the sealed bag and started noshing.

(Interestingly, we did not see a single monkey approach the tables where they were preparing and selling food for humans. There were all kinds of things laid out on low tables no more than two feet off the ground. Either that food wasn't appealing to the monkeys or they have learned the consequences should they venture too close).

The monkey king was truly a brutish fellow; I guess that's how you maintain your position. He would bare his teeth and screech at other monkeys when he wanted their food. That was not an idle threat, for we saw him physically attack the others if he wasn't getting what he wanted. Our group leader, Doug, is a peaceful fellow and he had a little discussion with the king about being nicer to the others and learning to share, but we saw no evidence that it made an impression on the king; perhaps it will once he has had a chance to reflect on his behavior.

Working Birds

Last week, back in Xizhou, we were rowed out into Lake Erhai by a lovely young woman (who we later found out was in her 40s; this mis-guessing of age has happened a lot). We met another boat with two men in it and about a dozen cormorants perched (tied) at intervals along the edges. Cormorants are very large black birds. The handler unleashed each bird and tossed it into the air. After all of them had been freed, the men slapped their paddles on the water and the birds gathered around. The men began rowing toward the good fishing area, the cormorants swimming along beside them. When they stopped the boat, they gave a signal and the birds began swimming around looking for fish. Upon catching one, the cormorant would fly up to the boat where the handler was holding up a pole with a net on the end. The bird would land on the net and relinquish the fish to the handler. He was then rewarded with a few small pieces of fish. This process was repeated several times.

(In some places, the fishermen tie a string around the neck of the bird so that it can't swallow the fish, but the fish they were catching in Lake Erhai were far too big for the birds to swallow).

Up until just a few years ago, this was a viable industry and there were more than a thousand birds working the lake. Now, these kind of fishermen can't compete in the market, so what we saw was just a demonstration for tourists. More modern methods are being used, with the result that the fish populations are dropping at an alarming rate. Once again, I feel blessed to have seen something before it completely disappears.

Fear Not

We have visited many temples during this trip. They might be Buddhist or Taoist or some combination/offshoot. There are a few main god figures that appear regularly, as well as lots of "local gods." In addition, there are a variety of god figures devoted to specific parts of life.

The god figure pictured below is the god of exams. Note the large pencil in his upraised arm! Students would come to the room where he is housed and tell the monk of their need concerning an upcoming exam. The monk would then tell them what offering they needed to make and how many times to kowtow. (I hope he also told them to study)!

I am struck over and over by how angry and frightening most of the gods look, as well as the notion that their actions are determined by whether the supplicants do the right thing. It is so different from my experience with the God of the Bible. He holds all the power - which can, indeed, be a frightening thought - but it is undergirded with love for his people. There is no need for cowering fear in the face of compassion.

A Close Encounter of the Best Kind

In the Shaxi market I photographed an older woman buying some fried dough. I just loved her face. (This was one of the photos that I took from a distance). I had moved down the street a little ways when I looked up and saw her coming my way. Our eyes happened to meet, so I said "Ni hao." Her face broke into a big smile. The Chinese people I have encountered are usually pleased and a bit surprised when a foreigner greets them in their language. She said "Ni hao" back, then stopped in front of me. She started talking, but of course I couldn't understand her. Next thing I know, she has reached into her bag and is handing me one of her two fried dough things! I took it, not entirely sure if I was supposed to tear a little piece off, or if she wanted me to have the whole thing. One of our translators walked by at just that moment and she assured me that the woman was giving it to me. I took a bite, and with a big grin on my face said, " Henhao!" Very good! Well, that pleased her greatly! We started walking side by side down the road, smiling and eating and "talking," her in Chinese, me in English. At the end of the block, we said goodbye and parted ways. I think I had a silly grin on my face for the next 20 minutes!

Beautiful

Today (Friday) we left Xizhou and the Linden Centre and began our journey into the foothills of the southern Himalayas. We arrived in the town of Shaxi about midday, as the weekly market was in full swing. There were lots of grannies for me to photograph and smile at! Most of the time, I stand at a little distance and try to catch them going about their normal routine; I really don't want them to be aware of me. Sometimes, though, I come up to them and ask if I can take their picture. The response rate is about 60/40 no/yes. There is no religious reason for their refusal, unlike some cultures where picture-taking is seen as stealing someone's soul. Rather it seems to be typical human shyness and the self-consciousness that many people have about their looks. It is kind of sad, really, that they don't realize how wonderful they are.

We experienced this at the Linden Centre with one of the young staff members, Xiao Tao. She was a real sweetie with an interesting face and huge round glasses. Several of us were with her one evening and someone asked if he could take her picture. She said no. We said we just wanted to have it to remember her, but she countered that we would have to remember her without a picture. The others' attention then turned to something else, so I had a chance to ask Xiao Tao why she didn't want her picture taken. She replied that she was embarrassed whenever she saw a picture of herself, that she didn't like the way she looked. I told her that I couldn't see why that would be the case because "We think you are beautiful!" Her eyebrows shot up and she paused for a moment. Then she replied, "Thank you for saying that to me. I am not considered beautiful by Chinese standards." I told her that by God's standards she was beautiful.

It would please me greatly if, at those moments in the future when she is experiencing self-doubt, she might also entertain the notion that she is, indeed, beautiful.

I would post a picture of Xiao Tao here, but...

Twice as Good

I came here with space in my suitcases to bring home loot, but I have been a shopping failure. I find that I can either take photos or shop - I can't do both. My eyes are constantly scanning the people, looking for a granny or grandpa to photograph; merchandise isn't on my radar at all. Finally today (Thursday) I put aside the camera for an hour and went on a hunt. I had some success, and was heading to our rendezvous spot when I spotted a really cool watchamacallit. You know, one of those doohickeys with three legs and a handle. Okay, I admit I had no idea what it was, but I HAD to have it. I picked it up from the table and went inside to ask how much it was. The shopkeeper went outside and got the other one that was just like it, set the two next to each other and said it was 500 ($82) for both. I set one aside, pointed to the remaining one, said "One" in Chinese and then asked how much it was. He said 350. We negotiated for a while until we arrived at 240 ($39) - still too expensive, but I really loved the piece. (Not a good bargaining position; I was not going to walk away). Deal!

The shopkeeper then proceeded to wrap up both of them for me.

I guess the lesson here is that you should never break up a pair of thingamabobs.