rural Chinese society
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Oasis of Hope
A drive through my Chinese province affords a clear picture of life on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Swaths of sandy ground stretch out toward a border of brown, craggy mountains. On windy days, billows of dust obscure the… Continue reading
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Donkey Sunday
On one of my sister’s many trips to China, I took her to visit a student’s countryside home. If you asked for her memories, she’d mention eating all our meals outside, the hole-in-the-ground toilet which was also quite alfresco, and… Continue reading
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Tooting Horns
My grandpa colored his speech with a variety of sayings, some his own grandpaisms, others familiar adages with grandpa characteristics. Grandparents world round seem to be full of such witticisms. In fact, my sister and I have picked up a… Continue reading
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Count Your Blessings
Internal migration, the movement of people from rural, economically depressed areas to better developed cities in their own country, has marked China’s history since the 1990s. China’s 2020 census reported that 376 million people were internal migrants, playing a role… Continue reading
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A Seat at the Table
A few years ago, deep in the heart of rural China, I was sitting in my student Ling’s home. While her mom and sister-in-law prepared lunch, Ling, her dad, brother, and nieces entertained me. Once most of the food was… Continue reading
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Grit
…fine yellow sand from the Gobi Desert…drifted down into the streets, sand whirled in eddies and filtered through doors and windows. It silted into corners and lay upon tables and chairs and in the crevices of garments, it dried upon… Continue reading
Water for the Weary 