We went on another China adventure this Saturday. Michelle and Vivian, the two young women who took us to the pagoda last Friday, volunteered to take us to their hometown about two hours outside of Xian. The name of the town is Huxian and it is a small city of only 650,000 people. I just laugh when I hear them say that is a small city.
They met us at our campus about 8:00 A.M. and took us to the bus station a few blocks away. We rode the bus through town and then the bus driver pulled into a gas station and we all had to get off. I am not sure why everyone had to get off—safety issues maybe? The bus was crowded and people were standing in the aisle. I didn’t want to give up my seat so I borrowed someone’s jacket to save my place. Luckily when we all climbed back on, we got our seats back, but the woman standing next to me had her purse in my ribs for most of the trip. They do not have the same feelings about personal space here—obviously with 1.3 billion people, everyone snuggles quite a bit closer together. However, I prefer a little distance between myself and the next person. After that first woman found a seat and got her purse out of my ribs, she was replaced by another young woman who proceeded to lean on me with her whole body. I finally pushed back and told her, “Excuse me.” She got the message.
After we arrived in the “small” town, we walked a mile or so to the Bell Tower, which was built back in the Ming Dynasty, and then we crossed the street to look at a tree that was 500 years old. All of the towns in China must have bell towers and old trees because we see them everywhere we go. However, this town did have something different—opera in the park. While we were standing on the corner, we listened to a man singing Chinese opera accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments. It is very entertaining, although it sounds strange to our ears! We took a few pictures and were minding our own business when suddenly we were surrounded by several local people staring at us. We became the entertainment, and we didn’t even have to sing opera. We just looked strange--like Americans. Our two tour guides were a little taken back by this scene, but it is perfectly normal to us foreigners.
This town is famous for its peasant paintings. We took a taxi over to the farmer village, and our tour guides arranged for us to go to a house for a rest and some lunch. It was like a bed and breakfast. The people serve the tourist a home-cooked meal and provide beds for a rest between the hours of noon and two o’clock. The meal was one of the best I have ever eaten in China. So delicious! I was sorry that I got full so quickly because I wanted to taste everything. We refused the chance to rest and headed over to the exhibition hall to see the famous paintings.
The building was the size of a LDS cultural hall including a stage area. Paintings were displayed along all three walls and on the stage, floor to ceiling. We wandered around looking at everything. I finally found three I liked. Everyone bought at least one. It was very interesting.
On the way back to the bus station, we met Michelle’s uncle and his daughter and Vivian’s mother. The girls go home frequently so they did not stay the night but came back with us on the bus. It was a wonderful excursion. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I walked into my apartment and fell on my bed exhausted.
School is going well. I am getting all my plans together and trying to get organized because the last few weeks will be crazy. I am debating whether to box up a few things and mail them home. We shall see.
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