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Published: October 30th 2007
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This super-long foggy weather finally over yesterday. Through the miserable golden week holiday without much tourists, compared with what I heard from the news,"this year the number of tourist had been increased in Lijiang... Transportation in peak level...."seem like everywhere were blooming with tourism business except Yuanyang. I like it this way but on the other hand I was worry about our handicrafts in the center. With no customers, no sale, no work for the women in the villages, and this project has no future. Anyway...the town wasn't quiet as the locals business kept alive, by what? I could never find out. Where the money come from? No industry here, but look at the town...blooming! New house had been erected everyday, new shop front come and go, renew and renew, more consumer goods, price went up, rent went up. And look around the area you can only see paddy field, are there a lot of easy money hide underneath where I never look?
The last handicraft training course pf this year start 10 days ago. I went with our trainer Bai and Yin to the villages. Nothing had been change since 2 years, I mean the condition and situation of the
training scene
Yin teaching the other Yi woman training...chaos! We performed it in one family house, women came and go, almost all of them carried their childern here. The house was full of action, a kid started to crying in one corner, then couple of marble balls dancing on the ground on another corner, 2 kids chasing it and bumping with the sewing machine where their mother practicing. Out on the door front a woman breastfeeding her baby, while the hostess busy in showing me their dancing from the VCD which was recorded this August in a festival. Chaotic it was, but... You never heard their mother shouting to the child. And also...the training actually went on without problem. Women one by one learn how to made a purse. Hardwork it was, a lots of steps and technique. Bai always asked them to redo it whenever there are mistake. I was not very happy about the outcome of the product as they could never made it into the standard size, every purse are different, nomatter how many time they modified it. But they did try their best I could see it, they kept doing until late at night, and what we could give them back? Just a few yuan for item! But...what can we do? We need to sell it first! This chain reaction need alot of pulling and pushing I guess. Anyway for the women to get used to do thing together with ruler and chalk, it need more time, but on the other hand, I could see their technique in embroidery is getting better and better, every pieces is an article, a lot of people won't believe they are hand work! But only negative, from about 50 women in 6 villages, at there are some individual really made good quality product, which again give me back some hope.
Got a mail from P said said was sick and tire with herjob. Luckily the shitty weather just gone here, otherwise I would definitely affected by her mood. But I sure knew that sensation, there was time like this here for, or should I say...more times I felt sick and tire of the work here, more worst... I could just walk away as it was none of my business, and I was just a traveler! This project, I know...I am the one who started it! Tied me up, got to working with all these local youngters who were pure inexperience, sometimes you couldn't expected they understand many thing or capable to managed different situation. It was so frustrated when you expected something and they came back something totally different. Yes... Tjere was many times I said quit, but...still I am here. Because when you saw how hard they learn and work, Xiaodao with his English lesson book in had all the time, Bai and Yin never stop making new products, and Cai buried into the mess system of filing and accounting work which no one could teach her. And they all care for this job. I promoted and gave them this sustainable idea, and they even began to believed our project really could help increase income in the villages, how could I let them down, so I hang on. I still claimed I sick and tire of this work, but once I out in the mountain, I forget about everything. Hey P...get out for a walk!
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Ming
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hello
hi,i'm from yunnan china.my hometown is Yingjiang.u have got there,that's cool...i want to know u...and make friend.my mail raymondming@hotmail.com look forword to receiving your mail. my english is not good .sorry.