Rural School and Ancient Town

Today we drove a long way to visit a rural village school that is sponsored by People to People.


The ENTIRE town turned out to greet us. They had musicians and dancers lining the road into town as well as the citizens watching the spectacle. It was pretty incredible. The people were very curious about us and very friendly. I don’t think any Americans have ever visited this village before. It was certainly inspiring to see how people live when the make very little money each year. Everyone in the village participates in farming of some kind and they are very poor.






The school there was built by People to People and the students were all there even though it was a Saturday. We had a performance of a song by many of the students and directed by a student who looked about 9 years old. It was cute.




Next we had a performance of the opera of the village. This is a group of men in elaborate costumes with masks that depict different types of characters. They sang a little and acted out a story through their dance. It was incredible to watch. It was like being in the middle of a National Geographic Program.






Next a group of women performed. They wore traditional dress of their group which was not quite as elaborate as what the men wore.

We had some more interaction with the kids, including teaching them the Hokey-Pokey and then it was time to go. It was a true cultural experience that I will never forget. The beauty of what they were doing and the pride they took in it was incredible.



After lunch in a restaurant in a town some distance away, we went to a park that is really a village where the people live much like they did 600 years ago. They have added electricity but few other modern ideas have crept in to their lives. We saw a group of people washing their clothes in the river, for example. Also, the houses in the village are made of stone and they were once a fortress for Chinese generals. We saw some pretty interesting things here as well.



We returned to the hotel in and exhausted state! I can’t believe it is time to head home already. I have really enjoyed my time here and would come back. There is so much that I did not have a chance to see. I do not look forward to the plane ride tomorrow!!