Adventures In Yiling Village

We have been staying in Nanning, the capital of Gaungxi. This city is very urban, but most people in China live in rural villages. Most of the villages in Guangxi are of the Zhaung ethnicity. There are actually 56 Chinese ethnic groups. The majority of people in China are of the Han ethnicity, but in Gaungxi most people are Zhaung. The Zhaung villages are very rural. We were given the chance to visit one of these villages. We took a trip to Yiling Villgage and it is something that I will never forget.

We took an hour long bus ride from Nanning to Yiling Village. When we entered the village we were all just like "Oh my gosh! Wow!" with a tone that suggested we were in shock that people were living in these conditions. There was trash everywhere. The homes were very old and cluttered looking. When we first stepped off the bus, we were bombarded by an assortment of smells. And they weren't the good kind. It smelled like dead things and rotten things. There were also flies everywhere! Thankfully, we were all wearing bug spray. But that still didn't stop flies from landing on our backs. Yiling Village was not the most sanitary place we have visited here in China.

Our guide, Jane, had told us to bring candy for the village children. And sure enough, when we started walking, bunches of children came up to us saying the only English word they knew: "Hello", and sticking out their hands. So, we started dishing out candy. Emmett was absolutely adorable, handing lolly pops and gummies to the kids. They would say "thank-you", and then some would scamper off to munch on their tasty treats, but a little group of boys and two girls followed us the entire trip, pestering us for more. I was almost positive that those kids would not sleep that night because of all the candy they ate!

We walked through the entrance of the village, making sure to stay close to our guide. Jane then told us to follow her into the market. There, much to our distaste, we watched as chickens were killed, placed in hot water, de-feathered, placed in water again, and then finally gutted. It made us all lose our appetites. This procedure was also used with geese. It was like torture because there was a cage of geese, and on top of it was all the dead geese - and all the living geese kept looking up at the dead ones. Also in the market (thank goodness) were many things that did not make you want to puke including: grains, rolls, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables.

After taking a look around the market area, we walked on a path through the fields that led to the other part of town. The path passed through the washing area where we saw the women doing their laundry. They were doing it all by hand in the water. It was very fascinating to watch them scrub clothes on the rocks. I don't think we could ever do that. Jane told us that usually only Zhaung women do the household chores and the men go off to work outside the village. When the men come home they just sit around, hanging out with their buddies and playing games. So, of course when we reached the other part of town, we saw a bunch of men sitting around playing board games. They laughed at my dad when he took a picture of them. We think it's because he was holding Emmett on his shoulders. And that is "women's work". Or so they would say.

Everybody in the village was very friendly. There was one lady who let us come inside her home. She was the rich lady of the village. Her home was two stories high. When we first went inside she showed the downstairs. Her bedroom was downstairs, but she didn't let us inside. She also had the pig pen on the bottom level. The lady was rich because she would raise the pigs until they were nice and plump then she would sell them. This apparently helped her make a small fortune. She then took us upstairs. The top floor was very nice. There was a living room, kitchen, and three bedrooms. There was a different room for each of her children and their spouse. She also had a television and a computer. She even had running water. So much for being a village person without technology!

Right outside of the lady's house there was a big truck that was just coated in flies. I was just absolutely disgusted. None of the villagers seem phased by the huge swarm of flies. Even though the villagers had been very kind to us, we were ready to leave. We all wanted to get away from some of the sights and smells of village life.

On the bus ride home, my mom and I were talking. She mentioned that Emmett probably was born in a village like Yiling Village. This made us both glad that we had him. But, then we realized that the villagers have a happy life. They trust and love each other. The people all leave their doors unlocked because they know no one will come in. The children are all happy, loved, and are able to roam the village freely. We decided that it is sad that we think we need stuff to make us happy. All we need is our family and friends to love us! That is true happiness.