Xiangtan

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I've now reached the town where I was born, Xiangtan.
In contrast to Shenzhen, nothing seems to have changed here and I still have strange black and white memories of running up the three or four steps where my grandad worked, to meet him after work. This was before I left China, so I must have been no older than four.
My grandparents still live in the college compound where they worked as teachers, and time here seems at a standstill.

The town is too small to be listed on this website, so i've had to settle for just showing the province, Hunan. Which they've spelt wrong.

Mrs Liu has agreed to continue my kung fu training here, starting on a sword form this week, and Mr Wang (who happens to be her husband) is gonna train me up at tabletennis.
My Grandmother will help me improve my Chinese, and ovreall I feel like I'm back at school, but in some kind of Tolkien universe, where what's taught is actually useful.

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Photos

Summer enclosure
Stranded for the winter, I begin to understand their art and philosophy grow to love these strange people. I am, The Last Samurai. I mean, Tourist.

Comments

[Lankyyankee]

greetings great philosopher
Hey, sounds like lots of fun there. The lychee-picking episode sounds great whatever size the lychees were, so i won't complain about your descriptions anymore. I'm even more impressed by the sort of mind-opening thoughts you're having there. It sounds like a journey to greater understanding, but also a pilgrimage back to ur roots, u know? Things here are fun, sophia's back and she likes ur blog too!! Keep it coming, unless u find some sort of philosophical reason to diappear from our view. -b

[jz]

A bit of the historical backgroud of the "small town"
Xiangtan is the home town of Chairman Mao which makes it famous and one of the tour sites in China both for the Chinese and westerners.

[Frederique and Mya]

helllo!!! question (s) : why is the sky pink? is it always that pink? how does anyone stand the pinkness of that sky?!?!? I hope you're having fun although that's pretty apparent from your journals! :) I hope you arrive at many discoveries within and without. Remember, every journey is complete only upon return. mya *bewilderedly smiling face* .... .... still speechless re: pinkness of sky .... it's in the lychee tree picture too, so it looks as if the sky is, in fact, pink. the tree's amazing! i want to live in a tree house with lychees all around me! whee! you could move in with me, and we could commute to london, you know, by mind-transference or something. keep posting (vicarious experience of near-otherworldly phenoma is good for the soul, and besides, i love hearing from you)! frederique.x

[James B]

Nice blog
Hey man, I think this is a fantastic device by which we can follow your journey. The pictures are astounding (is the sky really purple). So your training in kung fu and table tennis. Any basketball? Have a marvellous time.

[Jez]

Bring me back things!
Hey dude, glad to hear all is going well, we'll have to hook up when you're next in town... your mother dropped by the shop a short while ago, told me you're doing well, but i wanna hear it person! And bring interesting things to marvel and gawp at!

[Ting-Ting]

Hello!
I can't believe i have only just read your blog. I like it though, i think should write a book! See you soon. Ting x