A Day For Fires
It was particularly cold our second day in the Kaifeng countryside, and in one of our after-meal strolls around the village we stopped at a corner fire. People meandered out of their houses to warm themselves, add corn-stalk kindling, and catch up with neighbors they hadn't seen in a while. Everyone was pretty intrigued by the waiguoren (foreigners). The warmth (interpersonal/actual fire) inspired us, so we made our own in Kevin's yard. Pictured here are Kevin's sister-in-law, Ita, Cody, Mama and Xiaogou (the tiny glove-stealing(eating?) pooch).
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
