Our arrival night in Guilin (Dec. 6) left us very tired and ready for a break. Traveling non-stop and going going going all day wears you out. The first full day (Dec. 7) that we had in Guilin was used for traveling up to Longji Peak, where we would spend the entire day, that night, and the first part of the next morning.
The drive up was very interesting, as Guilin is a smaller city (considered Tier 2 city) and more agriculturally based. There were local farmers selling their products on roadside stands everywhere we went. As we moved more into the mountain, the more rural the area became, and the less modernized.
Our first stop was at a local convenience store and gas station to take a break and grab a snack if you wanted it. Chinese people eat very different food, and one of the things they sell in the grocery store are pickled chicken feet. Fortunately I passed on those.
Once we reached the entrance to Longji Peak, we had to switch out of our tour bus and into their shorter buses to get up the mountain. After about a 10 minute drive we stopped in the local village to have lunch with the Yao people, specifically the women. They made us their traditional food, and this was our first time to have some food with some spice in it. It was a nice change. The women then gave us some of their traditional rice wine/liquor (which is basically fermented rice) and sang to us. They all have almost the same pitch, which was odd to me.
After lunch the selling of products began, and that is when these sweet women turned into piranhas. They would bombard you in a group and try to get you to buy as much as possible. Even after you bought they would put more things in your hands (or try to) and pressure you into even more items. It was pretty overwhelming and you had to walk away to get them to stop.
Once the shopping by our group was done, we got a tour of a typical house in the area. They are all built by wood and by hand, and are really quite beautiful. They have no heating, and will light a fire indoors when it’s cold to stay warm. They raise their own vegetables and meat.
We then took a hike with them up to where they harvest their crops, which was quite a trek. The women do most of the farm work, and bring home vegetables from their patch each day. Everything they do is done by hand and looks to be pretty backbreaking work.
The most interesting thing about this minority group, called the Yao people, was the way that women treat their hair. They only have 3 haircuts their entire life. When they are one year old, when they 16 years old, and when they die. Their hair is very black and silky, and is several feet long.
From the time they are 1 to 16, every time they brush their hair they pick up the strands that fall out and save them to create a hair piece. When they cut their hair at 16, that is the second hair piece. As their hair gets longer, they wrap it up on their head with the two hair pieces from their youth plus the hair on the head. Women who are married wear their hair one way, and women who have children another. Women who are unmarried wear a cloth around their head and no one can see any hair. Any man that peaks at her hair must marry her. It’s their tradition.
They only wash their hair every few days, and they use the leftover water from cooking rice to do so. By the time they are old, their hair is several feet long and reaches the ground. The final haircut that these women have is when they die. They give them a short cut, ad then all of the hair from their entire life is buried with them. It’s their most prized possession.
When we were at their crop area, the women took down their hair and we got to see just how long it really was. I was almost uncomfortable watching them take their hair down, because they were letting us see something very precious to them. It almost had a boudoir quality to it.
After the demonstration was done, we headed back down the mountain and crossed the creek. In the creek were two villagers who were washing their scooters, and just up from the water were two pigs in a 4×8 hut loaded with straw. The bedding needed changed, and the pigs looked like they wanted out. But it’s not my operation, but theirs. They told us they would be butchering the pigs fairly soon before it got too cold.
The bus then loaded us back up, and we began what was one of the scariest/exhilarating bus rides ever. The lanes are about one and a half of our lanes, but they can manage to get two buses past each other in this. The bus driver that we had hauled ass up the mountain, including several blinds corners. They simply honk before they get to it, and then they hammer down.
Finally, we reached the summit. Locals were ready for us, and the women and older men loaded up baskets on their back with some people’s luggage (it was a pay for service). One member of our group had a torn knee, and so she opted to be carried up the mountain by the younger, stronger men. They have a seat that has poles on either side, and two men swiftly carry you up the steps.
The steps up weren’t too bad, but it was hot and humid. It took abut a half hour to reach our hotel. After checking in, some of the group continued on to the top of the peak, and the view was breathtaking, even with the pollution. I can only imagine what the rice paddy fields look like when they are flooded, sprouting, in bloom and ready to harvest.
We had a locally prepared dinner that night, and took some time to say to the group what we were thankful for after seeing how things were in China. When it was my turn, I mentioned two things.
The first thing I mentioned was the first amendment. In the U.S., we are allowed to say what we want without risk of governmental punishment. At least that’s usually the case. In China, that is not the case. People can get in trouble for what they say. The media is controlled by the government, and journalists must follow the government agenda.
The second thing that I mentioned was how grateful I am for my friends and family who support me and take care of my livestock when I am away. I had two issues that happened while I was away. The first was the passing of my old cat, Nina. I’ve had Nina since I was 12, in 1999. She was 14, and seemed to be in fine health. She had been looking a little thin, but nothing concerning.
Ryan told me that he was worried about her a few days after I left, and so we made the decision to have my good friend Brittney take her to the vet. Because I was 15 hours ahead with limited access to wifi, I missed the critical time. The vet called Ryan and let him know that her kidneys had failed, and she probably wouldn’t make it another 24 hours. I had asked him that no matter what to not put her down, but ultimately, that was the best decision and Ryan and my mom made the call.
The second issue that I had was the birth of a litter of piglets. Normally this would have been a cause for celebration. But we didn’t know when she was due, and Friday night when Ryan came home from work, she had had them. Only one was alive, because they had been born with all the other sows in 5 degree weather.
Brittney and her husband Dillion came over again and helped Ryan set up a pen, and move the sow. I feel like a lot of times people take for granted what they have but in that moment, Ryan and my friends came to my aid when I was halfway around the world and unable to assist. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with. I hate being unable to fix a situation myself, but I couldn’t have been more grateful to have the support system that I do.
I didn’t mention anything that happened at home to the group, just that we should be grateful for those at home who make it possible for us to chase our dreams. I wouldn’t have been able to even go to China, let alone even participate in CALP, if it weren’t for my family and friends.
That night we had a party in the village bar, where we danced, talked and made new friends with the locals. It was a very fun night.
The next morning, Dec. 8, we headed back down the mountain and back into Guilin. We had two appointments that afternoon. The first was at a pig breeding facility. Unfortunately, this was a huge letdown for me The company is a joint venture between an independent Chinese company and a U.S. export company. I was hoping for an American speaker that I could understand but that was not the case.
They showed us a video in Chinese, which of course I didn’t understand, followed by a question and answer session. I fear that a lot of things were lost in translation, because many of the figures we were given did not match up. I hope that we were not deliberately lied to. We did not get to see any live pigs, and didn’t learn as much as I’d hoped.
After the pig facility, we went to a rice processing facility, which held several surprises for us. The first was that the company was managed by a women; the first woman manager we met. Her father appointed her manager because he thought she would be best at it, even though she had a brother.
The second surprise was all of the technology they utilized. Up to this point we saw very limited technology. The way the rice is processed is completely done by machine, which has allowed the company to turn a profit and continue to invest in their business. It was interested to see.
We had dinner that night hung out at the hotel, and that completely our portion of the trip in Guilin. The next morning we were off to Shanghai!
Our guide’s name in Guilin was Mr. James Bond or 007, which was the English name our guide had given himself. He was incredibly knowledgable about the city and the countryside, and was so much fun for us to be around. I learned a lot from him.