Rog's comments:
Bamei Village of Guangnan County has become a must go scenic spots while traveling Wenshan. Before entering the village, villagers should first pass through the watercourse in a karst cave. For most of Chinese people, this is exactly the Xanadu, a bucolic land outside the world.
We visited this village with Renay and Jenny while Yuan spent he day visiting ancestral graves with his family in his home village. A pony cart ride on cobblestone trails led us to a beautiful park beside a village. Many green flatbottom boats lined the shore of a small pond near the village. As we carefully crawled into the boat we could feel chily air coming from a huge opening in the mountain. Our boatman used a long pole to push us toward that dark hole as we realized that we didn't have a flashlight! Fortunately he had a headlamp, which he used sparingly, so the journey through the cave was not totally black the entire way. Huge formations and stalactities hung from above as we quietly floated along. It was very relaxing and expecially beautiful when light from outside found its way in through openings above to light parts of our journey. We exited and found ourselves in a quaint village surrounded by huge mountains and the guide told us that the only other way in was a trail and it would take at least an hour to climb over the mountain which we had just passed through. He took us to his home where we were led to a balcony eating area where we could enjoy the local sights while we waited for food to be prepared. Change seemed to be the theme in this village as old buildings were being replaced by new structures as tourism is driving this beautiful place to be a "destination". We enjoyed our lunch and commented on the luxury of eating M and M's , peanuts, and choclate in such a remote spot. Then we noticed huge piles of sand and stone that appeared to have been dumped by a truck. We laughed about how our guide had given us a line about how we were in a remote place and we had so willingly accepted his word! We continued along the trail until we reached an area where we were again loaded onto a pony cart. This time Renay and Jenny rode in the back seat which was just behind the wheels of the two wheeled cart and as the pony took off the back the the cart bounced which made them a bit uneasy as it seemed that the cart might tip over backward. But it was securely fastened to the pony and soon we were trotting and then galloping down the hill with Jenny and Renay laughing harder and harder each time the cart lurched and they were thrown up and down. The ride ended too soon and the girls caught their breath as we again approached more flat bottom boats for a journey through another cave. It was a slow day for the boatmen so most of them were playing cards around a small table beside the river and we stopped to watch them forcefully throw down their cards as they played. Then on to another cave, this time the boatman had no light and he told us he didn't know anything about the cave either. Again blackness, then some light filtering from above and the cool rush of wind passing through the cave. Ahead there was a greenish glow, then some purple. The cave was lighted with many different colored lights to show off the interesting and ancient formations. What a relief to be able to see again and how beautiful! Monstrous stalactites again hung down from above and seemed to point directly down on us as we passed beneath. It was awesome. Natural light ahead meant our journey was coming to an end but it was a welcome sight too as the cave seemed so removed from the lush and living world outside. After carefully crawling out of the tippy boat we commented on how that ride would not be advisable for anyone traveling with children. Then we noticed a sign in chinese that looked like a warning sign. Jenny told us that it said to be sure to wear your life jacket at all times while in the boat. But there were no life jackets! She said that she had asked the boatman about life jackets at the start of the trip and he said, "The water is not deep." Then after we were in the boat she asked how deep is the water and he said, "Six meters." !!! Definitely not Disneyland.
How to Change the Way People Think
I am learning that it is not possible to come into a place and make a change that is lasting unless the people really want that change to happen. Larry (in Texas) first told me that getting the agreement of the villagers was of utmost importance.
Our efforts and the efforts of many before us are all well intentioned but will fail over time unless the villagers take ownership of the plan and actually make changes themselves with guidance and encouragement (money and/or materials). This is hard to do because giving them stuff and doing "for" them is not good for them because it encourages dependence and takes away their will to provide a better life for themselves. But guiding them to change takes so long that it feels like everything is in slow motion.
Previously someone tried to help the villagers by providing them with pampers. Their latrine was plugged with pampers and a new problem had to be solved. What appears to be a simple fix can really be complex. The stinky pampers floating in putrid water in the latrine were carefully removed to a nearby pit by the diligent villagers who were intent on cleaning up the stinky and dangerous mess. Unfortunately the pit was not large enough to hold all of the contents of the latrine and it overflowed causing a mess which attracted the chickens. They ran through the mess carrying contamination on their feet throughout the village. After the mess we all wondered if someone in the village might get sick or die.
After this we talked with the villagers about maintaining the latrine so that they would never again have to deal with such a stinky and dangerous mess. At first it seemed that they agreed to compost the solids and mix them with animal waste to be used as fertilizer on their fields. But old superstitions about handling/contacting human waste resurfaced and they said that they would not put the waste on thier fields. They agreed to bury the waste at the bottom of the hill in a nearby field that one of the villagers offered for that purpose. The actual burying may not happen for some time as the pit is now empty. So who knows if that actually will happen? Did we really accomplish a lasting change?
Another part of maintaining the latrine is regular cleaning and washing the floor. Most of the village wanted to provide money to pay one of their own to do the work but two households refused to support the plan. I see that our main accomplishment may be the introduction of these ideas but the acceptance of them may be far in the future.
The easy thing to do is to throw money at a problem because it makes us feel good to share some of what we have with those that have so little. We can quickly go away feeling good about what we have done about making the world a better place. But as is so often the case the easy thing is also the wrong thing-pampers didn't fix anything in the village they made it worse. What the people need is hope for future which can be achieved only through their own efforts. Assisting them to find markets for their products and helping them to develop marketable skills might encourage their climb from poverty.
