I would like to preface this blog post by saying that I am currently in a hotel room with a bathtub separated from the rest of the room (the beds) by a glass window. There is a pull down curtain, but the fact that the glass wall exists gives this hotel room so much potential.
I have two more minutes to relax before we are off on a tour of a farmer's land in China. Lying on this bed makes me realize how soft Western mattresses are. I have never been on a bed this firm and merciless. After our four hour bus trip to here, though, it's not so bad. There's a light breeze coming from the open window and constant honking of cars outside. It would probably be annoying if they were intermittent honks, but because the honking outside is so consistent, it actually becomes soothing.
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The trip to the village was my favorite part of the trip so far. It was raining when we arrived (though still +24) -- we walked from where our bus parked to the actual village area through the downpour. Our shoes were soaked, as were our shirts -- it was impossible to escape the heavy rain rushing down the mountains and around our umbrellas.
In the village we saw what an official's house looked in the Ming dynasty. It was gorgeous.
Large rectangular arches separated three separate courtyards and the house contained two floors. The construction and artistry were beautiful but the whole house was even more splendid in the rain. The water rushed down the curved rooftops like a waterfall. We all took pictures of course (though I didn't because my camera's battery died a while back).
After that, we visited an one hundred year old school. It's for grades one through four (plus pre-school) with nine students in each class. The children were very excited to see us, and especially Michael from our group, who is white and has long hair. There was also a library -- quite small -- which smelled just like the library I used to go to in Latvia. It's a comforting smell.
We saw more of the villagers and their homes. One man we met was a 77-year old basket weaver who has been working at this job for 60 years. He sells his baskets for 120 rmb and it takes him half a day to make each one. Most of the people in the village either grow rice or tea. The average pay is 9000 rmb.
What surprised me most about the village was the village head's job. His role is to receive instructions from the government official above him and distribute the work among the village committee. He doesn't actually get to make any laws himself. When I asked whether he could or had decided to build the brand new playground by the school, I was told that the government official had the budget.
The village head also works on a farm. His "government position" is just another job he holds. We visited his house afterward; it was grand. It had three floors, three bedrooms, a large living room, and entry room (among other rooms) and was extremely clean. I felt bad leaving rainwater and dirt on the floor of his home.
We're back to the hotel to take a rest before dinner (extremely rare). It's thundering and raining outside. This should alleviate the heat which has been so dense and heavy on our skins throughout the day. Our shoes, however, are another story.
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Since I have been doing a poor job describing the trip on a daily basis, I have compiled a list of highlights from the trip so far.
DR. TEA
We went to the Dragon Well Tea Village where Dr. Tea taught us the process tea-making and proper preparation of green tea. It's a really beautiful area, especially in the evening with mist covering the mountains of tea bushes.
G+
Clubbing in Hangzhou with crazy Lady Gaga-esque Asian lady who belted lyrics to bad American pop-rock songs. Hipster Asians. Dancing. Etc.
WEST LAKE
The body of water Hangzhou is famous for is deserving of its infamous beauty. Apparently there are ten views which one must see when one goes there but they are somewhat arbitrary in their locations. They are loosely described by Chinese poetry (loosely is accurate because Chinese poetry contains no verbs) and as one wanders around the huge marsh-turned-lake, one may see the beauties of China depending on what sense one gathers from the poetry.
We also saw West Lake show which was AMAZING. It took place on a stage under an inch of water so it looked like the people performing were walking on water. The performance included dancing and told the story of the White Snake Lady. The music was my favorite part.
STATE STREET BANK
Investment bank full of young (23-year old) female interns. We learned about the different challenges ex-pats and Asian workers face in the workplace. The Asian workers apparently (and unsurprisingly so) have an extremely great work ethic; they're very proud of their country.
This is understandable, but it also makes me a little sad. As someone whose life goal was to work in Europe, the plan becomes defunct. It seems Europe and the United States are falling behind. And if they aren't behind yet it's only because Westerners come into China a la colonialists and extract the resource of the Asian work ethic. They rule over them as managers though ultimately it is the Asians who do the greatest, and maybe most important, amount of work.
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Man, all I want right now is some PB&J. People really built up the suspense concerning Asian food, but most of what we've eaten has been the same taste every meal (bland). The texture has been interesting, but eh.
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