Journeys through Asia: Beauty in Simplicity

Jade Snow Mountain, Lijiang

Early morning fog over Dali Valley

Erhai Lake at dawn

Fisherman hard at work at early dawn, Erhai Lake, Dali

Before going to Yunnan province in China, I wasn't really sure what to expect. My knowledge of China geography was limited to HK and Macau. When my students told be about their hometowns, they were shocked that I couldn't tell Hubei province from Hainan province. They asked 'How could you not know such simple geography for one of the largest countries in the world?'...My answer was the ethnocentric nature of American schooling, but also its poor quality of education. I know people who barely know the geography of America, let alone China. Anyways, besides the point, I wasn't sure what to expect going to Yunnan. I jumped on the chance to travel out of the city and into rural China with my Fulbright friends. All I knew was that there was a lot of nature...LOL as vague as that may seem. What I saw and experienced while I was there much more than I could have ever expected.

Kunming was our first stop on our guided tour. Our tour group only consisted of the three of us so it was great to have the convenience and flexibility of a private tour complete with an experienced guide and personal driver. Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province. It is similar to most mega cities in China. With a mere 4 million people living in Kunming, it was one of the 'smaller' provincial capitals. My first impression of Kunming was the INSANE amount of traffic. Once again being spoiled by the 'small town' nature of Macau with its relative lack of traffic, sitting in gridlock just frustrates the hell out of me. With the a four lane street turned into 8 lanes with weaving scooters, cars, buses and people, it was crazy mess to go a mere 5km to our hotel, which took almost 40 mins. Didn't help with the nearing of the biggest Chinese holiday, Lunar New Year. The actual city of Kunming is indecipherable from other large Chinese cities. The buildings, people, culture and language seemed similar to the previous cities I've seen in China. Probably the best part of the city is the street food. We had this AMAZING warm tortilla thingy with peanut butter...soooo yummy.

Horse drawn carriages in the gridlock in Kunming

Outside of the city, we traveled about 90 km to the Stone Forest. The stone forest covers about 96,000 acres. It literally is a forest made out of stone. The stone formations were created 270 million years ago when this part of China was underwater. It was amazing to see and touch stones that were around when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. I don't think I've ever actually seen anything that old before in my life. It was impressive to see these giant stone formations in such great numbers and so well preserved despite the tale of time.

After Kunming, we travelled to Dali. Even from the airplane we could see the amazing landscape of Dali. Dali is in a fertile valley between the Cangshan mountains and Erhai Lake. Driving into the city, we drove along the shore of the expansive lake. It was so refreshing to final get out of the city. Out of the pollution, out of the traffic, out of the crowds and finally be with nature. The amazing lake, which I think is bigger and prettier than Lake Tahoe, was this amazing shade of blue and very clean even on Western standards. I was impressed by how this town hadn't been tainted by the massive industrial growth of China. That there are still places in China that have natural beauty without hoards of pollution. Places where the air is clean and life is still simple. Our first stop in town was the Bai Minority Village. That morning they were having a morning market. There were bags of various goodies for sale. Everything from goat cheese to beans to tea to random knick knacks. I think one of the things you miss as a tourist is viewing how the local people live on a day to day basis. Seeing their interactions at the market, with their friends, with their family. Those are the experiences that truly help you understand a community. As I spend my time abroad, I'm constantly longing for the experiences of true cultural immersion without always feelings like a perpetual foreigner...I wonder if I can ever truly have that experience.

Erhai Lake, Dali

Naxhi Minority Village, outside Lijiang

Jade Snow Mountain, Lijiang

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Zhongdian County

Old Town Lijiang

Black Dragon Pool, Lijiang

Buddhist Temple with the Congshan Mountains covered in fog, Dali

Wild horses grazing in the meadow, Zhongdian

Coming out of the city into this remote minority village was quite an eyeopening and humbling experience as well. For much of my journey in Yunnan, the poverty I saw definitely brought perspective to my life. Though I am aboard in Macau, all the conveniences of home are still there, though it is a completely different culture. The feeling of shock isn't quite as real as it is Yunnan. The simplicity of their life is truly what made my trip amazing. Coming straight from America to rural China was most definitely the biggest cultural shock I've had this entire year. Going back for the holidays to all the comforts of America, your own car, central heating, western toilets, hot water...all the basic and yet forgettable aspects of American culture. These are aspects of our life that we don't even think about anymore; they are just expected. Than flying into Yunnan was an incredible change, where cars and central heating are only for the most elite class. Despite all the incredible growth you here about in China, the majority of their people still survive on a simple life of farming.

The experience at the morning market in comparison to grocery shopping at home. You get into your nice comfortable car and drive 5-10 mins to the nearest super market, where there are numerous selections for every item you could possibly imagine. You take all your nicely packed groceries and drive home. This is just an everyday errand for any American in spite of social class. Now compare that to going to the street market in Dali or any other rural village. Every morning you wake up early to walk to the closest market, which for some could be a 15 min walk to a 60 min depending on where you live. You walk in the blistering heat or freezing cold - no matter what the weather is. I saw some very elderly women carrying their small grand children on their backs for great distances. Actually I saw many many women carrying insanely large loads on their backs, 60 lbs rice bags, water buckets, huge stacks of branches...I remember when I complain carrying my backpack after school. Anyways, you walk a great distance to get to the market, where there everything is priced by your ability to bargain. Being an American, bargaining at the markets is one of those things that I just can't get used to. I actually hate it because I always feel like I'm cheating the other person. You live this life of relative luxury, but you are still going to bargain down the price to save 50 cents. But if bargaining has been part of your life forever, I guess it doesnt really phase you anymore.

Despite all of this relative hardship just to get to the market, the market is not merely a place for shopping, but it is a community gathering together. It is where you discuss the latest gossip, meet with your friends and family. In comparison, to the grocery store where your only interaction is with just the cashier but only for a fleeting moment. Though we may have one of the highest standards of living in the world, we isolate ourselves with all our luxuries. We isolate ourselves in our gated communities, our car culture, our individualism. We are so isolated that we barely even know our neighbors that live just a few feet from us. In a simple life, like in Yunnan, you are part of a greater community because of the support network built throughout the village. Generations of famlies have grown up together in the same community and they have depended on each other to survive. There isn't this constant struggle to get to the top which is drilled into your mind in America from your first day of school. In a small rural village, its merely about maintaining a life for your family through subsistence farming. You live day to day, but at the same time you belong to a true community. As much as the poverty does challenge them, it brings the people together - to support one another in times of need...put simply people care for each other in away that could never happen in an individualistic country like America, where getting ahead is decided by how many people you can trample on to get to the top.

Coming from America, everyone needs to see this style of life once in awhile to help people gain perspective. To truly understand that 60% of the world's population lives on less than two dollars a day. You often forget these realities when you drive your new car to your cushy desk job and come home to your nice warm apartment....only a fraction of the world actually has the privilege to live like that...as Americans, we need to understand that our lifestyle is not human right its a privilege.