Blog Archives

Rice Terraces

6/28/2019

On every trip to China, I try to bring travelers to the south of China where they can witness the insane beauty of the rice terraces. The terraces are stunning, but also serve a purpose. Farmers are able to plant, even on the sides of hills if they create steps and plateaus up the hills. In addition, the portioned plots serve the purpose of decreasing erosion and runoff. The picture above is of Yuanyang Terrace in Yunnan Province. Those fields are a photographer's paradise.

Another popular destination to see the fields is Longsheng, near Guilin in Guangxi Province. One of my travelers' favorite overnights is in the rustic guesthouses on the mountain in the little village of Ping'an, part of the Longsheng Terrace.

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Overnight on Yellow Mountain

6/21/2019

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A little over a year ago, I checked off something on my bucket list...I hiked Yellow Mountain. Well, I actually don't have a bucket list because I like to enjoy whatever opportunities present themselves. I don't like to pine away for something that might not happen when there are a lot of other possibilities right in front of me. But if I did have a bucket list, Yellow Mountain would have been on it.

I have been hearing about the mountain for years. I heard that if I went, I must stay overnight on the mountain in order to witness the sunset and next morning's sunrise. So that's what I did in the spring of 2018 with a group of students. The scenery was breath-taking and the sunset and sunrise were as spectacular as legend had promised.

This is not a hike for the faint of heart. We took the cable car up and down the mountain and yet we still had a five hour hike up and up and up to our hotel. And after that, the 15 minute hike to the sunset point was agony. Then a short sleep and a 4:30 alarm for the ten minutes up to the sunrise point. Those ten minutes were brutal, after the previous day's hike, but not as tough as the seven hours that we did after breakfast.

I think I was slightly delirious with the soreness of my muscles. I attributed this to age and lack of exercise. However, the high school athletes on the trip were suffering right alongside me. The muscles used to hike up and down stairs are different from those used for running. Not to mention the fact that those athletes ran for maximum an hour with breaks here and there. This was far longer.

The hike was tough, but I think we all agreed well worth the effort and pain. After coming down the mountain, we all felt accomplished, not to mention the fact that we had witnessed some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in China.

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Little Villages Dot the Countryside

6/14/2019

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I never tire of walking the streets of the little villages that dot China's countryside. Around every corner is an opportunity to capture a moment and learn about a simple way of life that no longer exists in the United States. Some sights I enjoy no matter how I often I see them: wooden doorways with lion knockers; streams filled with people cleaning vegetables or clothing; homes built from mud and brick, decorated with red lanterns; basket weavers, wood carvers, jewelry makers and food sellers; laughing children; resting elderly. Many of the local people sit on stools outside their shops or homes and watch life pass by. This is an activity that is lost on Americans. Sitting and observing. No phones or other electronic distractions. I'm not convinced I would be able to do that. I fall prey to the beckoning of my phone. But being in these villages reminds me that I should try.

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Shangrao

6/7/2019

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Shangrao in Jiangxi Province is one of those villages that will soon to be no more...at least in terms of what it looks like today. The people there are still living as they have for hundreds of years. We see ancient buildings and rice terraces. We see the local farmers walking with poles on their shoulders, hauling their crops in baskets that hang from either side. Dishes are washed in the stream that runs through the town. Streets are swept with brooms, made by hand, using straw. Chickens run freely. The local pastime is sitting on stools and chatting. The fields are green and lush. There is no noise pollution since there are no cars in Shangrao.

Yet there are signs of change. Some buildings are being refurbished. The gardens near the entrance to the village are landscaped as a welcome sign to future visitors. Plans for rebuilding and restoring are tacked to the wall of one of the pagodas. The local government will soon be restoring Shangrao. The local people have mixed feelings. They do not want to be overrun by tourists and yet, tourists mean a stream of income. Farming is hard work. If they just have to farm in order to keep neat fields, regardless of crop yield, for the purpose of luring tourists, that might be just fine.

This does not mean that Shangyao will be remarkably different in ten years. This depends on what is done to improve the town for tourists. The biggest difference will be the locals' indifference to foreign visitors. Now they are surprised, excited, shy and in awe of westerners. Soon they might be hiding inside their homes so as to avoid us. Although this would be a shame, it is progress and there is no stopping it. This is what happens in all nations as they industrialize and modernize.

There are still plenty of "Shangraos" in China. You just need to know where to look. Join me in my search.

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Rice Terraces

Overnight on Yellow Mountain

Little Villages Dot the Countryside

Shangrao

Lauren Drazen

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