Photo-Story: Tang Zi Jiao Village, Kai Yuan City (Yunnan Province, China)
Yes, it in the papers today. The photo-story which I wrote for the trip with Lien Aid last week. Was supposed to a out in 2 separate installments, but was told to complete it for 1 article. I had an afternoon to finish the last half and spent 3.5 hrs sitting in the library writing. Can't remember when was the last time I sat down and wrote for hours.
I shall split the stories into a few parts. The first village that I went to is also the poorest that I have seen. We set off early from Kunming after touching down the night before. Morning drive in the back streets of Kunming looking for bread was quite nice, cold weather with slight fog and the working class getting to work on their electric sccoters. It was not long before we hit the highway, and begin the long drive south-east. Our guide was a local Lien Aid staff, Zhao Bin. A pleasant guy who has no temper and totally committed to his work. Ken was the staff from Lien Aid and was with me throughout the whole trip. A 40 yr old guy running his own business and volunteering for Lien Aid. He is a humble guy and tried to show me as much of Kunming as he could in that 2 hrs of free time we had at night. It was supposed to be a 4 hrs drive to Tang Zi Jiao village 塘子脚村, but the endless stream of heavy trucks that plied the main highway to Vietnam made the drive tiring and harrowing at times for Zhao Bin. We stopped for toilet break and that was my 1st experience with the 50 cents public toilet in China. Try it just to get a feel of how bad it is, and you will remember it for life.
The accidents and vehicles breaking down along the way made our journey last 6 hours. The mud tracks during the last part of the journey was passable only because of the drought. Tang Zi Jiao would be inaccessible by car during the rainy season. It was dirt and dried-up fields along the way. Later, I learned that Yunnan Province is currently having the worst drought in 100 years.
Tang Zi Jiao is a village of the Miao tribe. They have moved to their current location more than 20 years ago, in search of arable land. They are not considered permanent settlers by the government, hence there is no basic infrastrature for them. A power line bypassed the village 1km away. To have power, the villagers will have to come up with RMB 100,000 (about S$20,000)
From afar, Tang Zi Jiao seemed to be made up of pockets of mud huts with straw roof and a few brick houses. The colour of the houses made it blend in with the mud-brown earth and yellow dried grass. It is not hard to imagine that water is a treasured currency. I walked the last hundred metres to the village and took some shots of the village to put it in perspective with the mountains surrounding it. 2 kids were walking past me, and I wondered where they are going. The nearest water source is 3 km away and the nearest town is 6km. Most of the children could not speak Chinese, and only 5 out of the 30 plus go to school. Some gave up after awhile due to the long walk they have to make everyday starting at 4am and reaching home only at 9pm.
There were livestocks running around and a small windmill which seems to be a rotary blade from an old aircraft. There was no water or electricity in Tang Zi Jiao, only low-yield crops like corn and peanuts can grow out of this dry mountains. Rain comes only from Apr to May every year. Therefore, Lien Aid donated close to S$20,000 for the construction of 2 water tanks to store water as it trickles down from the mountains. The men in Tang Zi Jiao helped in the construction. It is part of Lien Aid's objective to get villages involved in the projects to create a sense of ownership for the infrastructure built. I interviewd the village chief and 2 other men in one of their mud huts. The owner was smoking through a water pipe and little chicks were walking round my voice recorder. You can experience the setting just by listening to the voice memo. I had about 2.5 hrs to interview and take pictures before we have to head back to Kunming. The last 30 minutes were spent in the chief's house, drinking their beer and eating their specially-made dishes. I thought the chicken and beef on the table was not a daily treat. Ken and I tried so hard to eat as little as we could, giving the advance warning by Zhao Bin. He was worried we would have stomach upset and hence the bread for the trip. He was taking a well-deserved rest in his car as we dined with the men. They were all chain smokers, and I have to reject the offer of cigarette 3 times while taking small sips of beer everytime they offered a toast. I felt privileged though, in having a chance to eat with the peasants, and catch a glimpse of their life, if its only for 30 minutes.
塘子脚村坐落在云南的偏僻山区，村里没电和水源。在旱季时，远远望过去的村子和枯草、土地染成一色。
居住在云南山区的少数民族，村里没水和电源。塘子脚村的这位女孩得走3公里的路到最近的水源。尽管没过滤的水有多肮脏，小孩还是拿上就喝。
11岁的杨全英没上过学校，家里只用电池来点亮一盏灯泡。有了水源，村民希望将来村里能有一所学校，好让孩子们识字，也是脱贫的第一步。
30 years old Luo Bao Ling 罗保林 with his family in their mud huts (another daughter not in picture).
11 years old Yang Quanyin 杨全英 with her playmates.
The village chief is about to give one of the many toasts 敬酒.
I shall split the stories into a few parts. The first village that I went to is also the poorest that I have seen. We set off early from Kunming after touching down the night before. Morning drive in the back streets of Kunming looking for bread was quite nice, cold weather with slight fog and the working class getting to work on their electric sccoters. It was not long before we hit the highway, and begin the long drive south-east. Our guide was a local Lien Aid staff, Zhao Bin. A pleasant guy who has no temper and totally committed to his work. Ken was the staff from Lien Aid and was with me throughout the whole trip. A 40 yr old guy running his own business and volunteering for Lien Aid. He is a humble guy and tried to show me as much of Kunming as he could in that 2 hrs of free time we had at night. It was supposed to be a 4 hrs drive to Tang Zi Jiao village 塘子脚村, but the endless stream of heavy trucks that plied the main highway to Vietnam made the drive tiring and harrowing at times for Zhao Bin. We stopped for toilet break and that was my 1st experience with the 50 cents public toilet in China. Try it just to get a feel of how bad it is, and you will remember it for life.
The accidents and vehicles breaking down along the way made our journey last 6 hours. The mud tracks during the last part of the journey was passable only because of the drought. Tang Zi Jiao would be inaccessible by car during the rainy season. It was dirt and dried-up fields along the way. Later, I learned that Yunnan Province is currently having the worst drought in 100 years.
Tang Zi Jiao is a village of the Miao tribe. They have moved to their current location more than 20 years ago, in search of arable land. They are not considered permanent settlers by the government, hence there is no basic infrastrature for them. A power line bypassed the village 1km away. To have power, the villagers will have to come up with RMB 100,000 (about S$20,000)
From afar, Tang Zi Jiao seemed to be made up of pockets of mud huts with straw roof and a few brick houses. The colour of the houses made it blend in with the mud-brown earth and yellow dried grass. It is not hard to imagine that water is a treasured currency. I walked the last hundred metres to the village and took some shots of the village to put it in perspective with the mountains surrounding it. 2 kids were walking past me, and I wondered where they are going. The nearest water source is 3 km away and the nearest town is 6km. Most of the children could not speak Chinese, and only 5 out of the 30 plus go to school. Some gave up after awhile due to the long walk they have to make everyday starting at 4am and reaching home only at 9pm.
There were livestocks running around and a small windmill which seems to be a rotary blade from an old aircraft. There was no water or electricity in Tang Zi Jiao, only low-yield crops like corn and peanuts can grow out of this dry mountains. Rain comes only from Apr to May every year. Therefore, Lien Aid donated close to S$20,000 for the construction of 2 water tanks to store water as it trickles down from the mountains. The men in Tang Zi Jiao helped in the construction. It is part of Lien Aid's objective to get villages involved in the projects to create a sense of ownership for the infrastructure built. I interviewd the village chief and 2 other men in one of their mud huts. The owner was smoking through a water pipe and little chicks were walking round my voice recorder. You can experience the setting just by listening to the voice memo. I had about 2.5 hrs to interview and take pictures before we have to head back to Kunming. The last 30 minutes were spent in the chief's house, drinking their beer and eating their specially-made dishes. I thought the chicken and beef on the table was not a daily treat. Ken and I tried so hard to eat as little as we could, giving the advance warning by Zhao Bin. He was worried we would have stomach upset and hence the bread for the trip. He was taking a well-deserved rest in his car as we dined with the men. They were all chain smokers, and I have to reject the offer of cigarette 3 times while taking small sips of beer everytime they offered a toast. I felt privileged though, in having a chance to eat with the peasants, and catch a glimpse of their life, if its only for 30 minutes.
塘子脚村坐落在云南的偏僻山区，村里没电和水源。在旱季时，远远望过去的村子和枯草、土地染成一色。
居住在云南山区的少数民族，村里没水和电源。塘子脚村的这位女孩得走3公里的路到最近的水源。尽管没过滤的水有多肮脏，小孩还是拿上就喝。
11岁的杨全英没上过学校，家里只用电池来点亮一盏灯泡。有了水源，村民希望将来村里能有一所学校，好让孩子们识字，也是脱贫的第一步。
30 years old Luo Bao Ling 罗保林 with his family in their mud huts (another daughter not in picture).
11 years old Yang Quanyin 杨全英 with her playmates.
The village chief is about to give one of the many toasts 敬酒.
posted by Kwang Peng at 7:55 AM
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