Photo-Story: Man Bing village, Xishuangbanna Prefecture (Yunnan Province, China)

One of Ken's contact, an elderly man with a beat-up van (the locals call it 面包车 too!) drove us to Kunming airport for our flight to Xishuangbanna where the 2nd story awaits. 7am in the morning, light traffic with motorist on electric bikes can be seen zooming through the early morning fog and cool air. We waited at KFC for Zhao Bin, at the same time eating the KFC version of porridge and sandwich for breakfast. There is even a You Tiao to go along. We chatted along thinking that Zhao Bin would come and look for us as agreed. It turned out that he had already checked in. We were rushing and queue-cutting to check in at 8:50am for our 9:10am flight. I was ready to spend a few more hours at the airport for the next flight when we were told that the flight has been delayed. Luck was on our side. They even served breakfast at the boarding area due to the delay. It was noodles served SAF-style in big pots. I would have tried it if not for the hearty KFC breakfast.

Xishuangbanna is located down South near to the border with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Weather was warm, but comfortable and the landscape resembled Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Lush greenery with banana and rubber plantations on both side of the dirt track as we took a 1.5 hrs ride on the formidable 4x4 vehicle. It took us through the bumpy tracks with ease, but at great discomfort to the 3 of us, the deputy county chief 副乡长 and a driver. The Lancang river was on our left as we travelled on the edge of a slope. It is the upper stream to the Mekong River and the water level was only at a third of its usual level due to the on-going drought in Yunnan which was a one in a century occurrence. We could see the river bed and boats that were said to ply the river all the way to Thailand were stucked at the river bed.

The water level in Lancang River has dropped to one-third of the normal level during the prolong drought.

The village, Man Bing 曼丙村 belongs to the Tai minority group. Their dialect sounds like Thai and even their traditional dress resembles Thai costumes. It was a newly-built village amidst mountains ranges and flanked by the Lancang river. Due to the rising water levels (during wet season) caused by the dams, the whole village was moved further up the hills. The government provided for basic infrastructure, while villages paid for their new homes. Richer ones built concrete houses while poorer ones used wood. But every single house looked like a village communal hall with its oversized structure and stilt support. It was obvious that the villagers were not as poor as those in Tang Zi Jiao village.

View from the hill overlooking the newly-built village.

The area is blessed with fertile land and abundant water source. Though I was told that water from the Lancang river is not potable due to contamination. But the villagers are able to get their water from the mountains. This is also what the story is about.

For years or even decades, the Tai people had been drinking water with high Calcium Oxide content absorbed from the soil. Its a natural cause, not due to man-made contamination. Hence, the villagers had no clue at all, until staff from the local water resources department and Lien Aid found out about the high number of villagers that suffered from kidney stones or bladder infection, and one had died from such illnesses. An obvious sign of the contaminated water, which villagers were not aware of was the thick layer of deposit that formed on the bottom of their kettles.

I got to interview the village chief, and a 42 yr old man 波温朋 who had an operation 17 yrs ago for bladder infection. Communication was a problem with the village chief, but the deputy county chief, Lu Chun 陆春 was the translator, though I realised that he was making alot of comments of his own. But I did get some hard facts from him, like the 6 other villages that are still using the water with high Calcium Oxide content. Can you imagine drinking the water that you know will cause harm to your health in the years to come? They did not have a choice as Lu mentioned that the County's priorities are on infrastructure and education. Without Lien Aid, there will not be enough funds to explore and channel clean water sources from higher up the mountains. Man Bin village new water source is 3.3km from the village.

42 yr old man 波温朋(left), a grandfather, with his family in their new wooden stilt house.

波温朋with the new tap that supplies clean drinking water from a source 3.3km. The RMB 25,000 cost of providing water taps to each of the 43 houses is jointly funded by the governement and Lien Aid.


Time was running short, and I had to get the pictures too. It was tough getting both text and pics in such a short time, as I realised information usually come out from conversation, not 1-to-1 interviews, and good pictures don't come by in minutes. Most of my shots were posed, as much as I didn't want it to.

On the way back, my attention was on Lu Chun. As the deputy county chief, he seems to be a busy man. He has not had a day off for the last 2 months, mainly due to the frequent forest fires that threatened to burn down the peasants' livelihood. His office was spartan, and I guess he spent more time driving around in his 4x4s to the villages under his charge than in his office. I was impressed with how hard officials like him work on the ground. Over dinner, I learned that he is not a university graduate and has been working with the county department for more than a decade. Probably one of the few officials who really understand the needs of the peasants. There was no time to chat more and to finish the local cuisine, which resembles Thai food, as we had to catch 2 domestic flights to get to Chengdu.

One thing which irked me during my 2 days in China is the amount of food wasted every meal. Zhao Bin mentioned that it was a way to show that one has been a good host in local context.

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.

A closer look at China

Arrived back in Singapore on Sunday after a whirlwind 5 days trip to 2 villages and 2 schools in Kunming, Xishuangbanna and Chengu, China. It was as trip sponsored by Lien Aid, a Singapore-based NGO which provides clean water and sanitation for remote villages and hospitals in China and SE Asia region.

My first and only visit to China so far was the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008. I was always hesitant in telling people that I have been to China as that trip was all about work. I only ventured out of the Olympics area for 3 hours. And I guess the city was not what it really is during that period of time.

This time, I get to see how the rural people lives, even if its only for 2-3 hrs before we have to be on the road back to the city. Getting interviews done and pictures taken within that short span of time is challenging indeed. I enjoyed the 5 days there as it offered me an otherwise impossible way of seeing the country, even if its a backpacking trip.

This pic is sort of a teaser, for the stories to come. For now, Im cracking my head, trying to retrieve the Chinese vocab which has been stashed away since TJC days. How did I get A1 for Chinese that time??? I am writing a picture story for this Sunday and a feature story for next Sunday's Zaobao. Hope it works out.


Villagers outside the 丰裕九义校