Hi from Pingyao
Last day here so we're making plans for next stops. We'll be heading out on the night train to Beijing later today, stay there 4 days, then to Sanya, Hainan for 5 days and finally to HongKong to visit my college roomie before heading home March 29. Anyways, that's the plan. Hope your plans are going well & all is good. Here's the latest with us:
Wang Family Castle
Huge, sprawling castle that housed the Wang family & servants for generations...endless archways led to unique courtyards with bedrooms all around...each area a bit higher on the mountains... with a long bridge spanning a valley...finally reaching the top where a lovely pagoda overlooked the whole castle setting. Several years ago, many of the family members who had moved away, came back for a reunion...during which as a family they decided to turn their castle into a museum to retain the virtue of their family. Most of the original furniture remains as well as numerous family photos. Two rooms were filled with family trees...one of which showed 21 generations! It also houses several art collections. Couldn't count how many rooms...and almost couldn't find our way out!
Underground Weapon Storage
After entering what appeared to be a farmer's home that was built into the mountain (just like many others in the area)...we were led into a secret, dark tunnel with only clay walls that went down about 9 meters in a maze about 250 meter long that included several traps, ambush dug outs, bamboo communication sites...all built to hid weapons. A guide was required--how else could we find our way out?? It was built over 1000 yrs ago...and since no enemy army ever came near...it was never needed but makes an interesting tourist site today!
Shuanglin Temple
Another temple filled with images of Buddha, gods and also ancestors. Can you imagine that in 1000 yrs, people would pray & light incense in front of a statue of you?? Most of these types of temples were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution so one so well preserved is rare. This one also had vivid paintings as well as the 50 armed goddess. We'd biked the 6 km to get there...so we walked through it at a slow pace amazed at how old, dusty (it's forbidden to dust) and detailed each statue was...one room alone had over 100 statues!
Chinese Helper (by Roger)
We rented bicycles and rode around Ping Yao for the day. We left the walled city for awhile to visit an ATM then returned to the old city and followed a celebrating marriage procession through part of the city (a brass band in the back of a truck blaring away while firecrackers were prepared then set off. Close behind the truck was the veiled bride and the groom (chauffeured in a fancy car and smooching in the back seat). Then we had a flat tire on the far side of town. We could walk it back but thought that maybe we might find someone with a tire pump...soon a woman with a friendly smile directed us to a courtyard where we found no one but found out later that it was the home of the tire repairman. As we were leaving the courtyard another man just outside the gate indicated that we should wait as he also needed tire repair on his motorbike taxi. He made several calls from his cell phone while we waited for about half an hour, then a man rode up on an old bicycle with a couple of bicycle tires hanging over his shoulder. The man who had called him pointed to our bicycle and he immediately started to make repairs on it, soon he had the tube patched and refilled with air. He said we owed 5 yuan (less than a dollar). We were glad to pay him double as a tip and off we went. Once again we we felt grateful for the kindness and consideration given us by the local people as we negotiate China without the benefit of knowing their language.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire (by Roger)
A favorite snack here is roasted nuts. Walnuts, chestnuts, peanuts, etc. are just better when roasted! Many ingenious devices are used to keep the nuts moving as they are slowly roasted over charcoal. Most look like something I might put together using materials out of a scrap heap using little more than a welder. It made me think about the song that we sing at Christmas time. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, and tots dressed up like eskimos. Everybody knows- some turkey and some mistletoe helps to make the season bright. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow will find it hard to sleep tonight. You probably know the rest better that I...but now we have seen tiny tots dressed up like eskimos (in the mountains) and also tasted roasted chestnuts. It seems strange that they have these elements of Christmas but most have no knowledge of Christian beliefs.
View from our Breakfast Table
While eating our boiled eggs & white bread (not toasted)...what is called a Western Breakfast...a vendor on a bicycle with a tank & wagon behind pulled up right next to the window beside us. Our hotel lady ran out and soon the vendor pulled out a live fish from his tank, our hotel lady nodded...and before our eyes, that fish was gutted & scaled in a matter of minutes. Somebody--not us--was going to have a fresh fish meal...& the local dog licked up what was left on the pavement. The next morning as we ate breakfast, a mountain of huge coal chucks was dumped right in the same spot. Not exactly Breakfast at Tiffany's...but breakfast in China.
Lost in the City
We rode with a young Chinese girl in a taxi so of course, learned a bit more about China. She had graduated from a University & said she could not find a good job in China...which is a common problem. She said maybe if you go to a big city you can get a job...and many do leave home promising to send money home...but soon find themselves buying fashionable clothes and other things exciting they could not find in their rural villages...and soon have no money to send home. She said, "They get lost in the big cities."
Plenty of Help
Walking by a Pingyao store front, we heard much laughter & chatter coming from within. In checking it out, we discovered the small store...about the size of a one car garage...had 30 clerks ready to serve...even though they had only two customers & from the looks of the almost empty streets, they weren't getting many more. Bad for business...but great for the clerks who were having so much fun together!!
Balloon Lady
One of the things I love most is spending a bit of time with little ones...so I always have a pocket full of balloons & whenever I see a little one...I stop & give him/her a balloon. Their smiles, puzzled looks or shy "xiexie" (thank you) always tickles me.
