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Published: December 19th 2015
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I've never did this before - made an exact list of trips of in a certain year. I don't know why, perhaps because I was always more concerned with particular trees than the forest. But writing here seemed like a call to do it. So, well - - -
1. Spent the 2014 - 2015 new year in
Guilin and Longsheng. This was part of my 2015 "project" of trying to understand what exactly terrace fields are. How they function, what happens with them during different seasons. Plus I really wanted to try and work on them a bit. Anyway, this trip is easy, it takes two and a half hour form Nanning to Guilin by express train now, and another two hours or so to the mountains. Also, took a walk from Dazhai to Ping'an through the mountains, and spent two days in Longji, witnessing Zhuang funeral. Minorities of this place: Zhuang and Yao.
2.
Qujing in Yunnan province. I guess around ten hours by old train from Nanning. Didn't have any special reason to go - I love Yunnan. (And their fried potato!) And Quijing is a nice town. small by Chinese standards, but big enough for
me. Yi is one the ethnic groups in the area. Went to one of the villages in the mountains; while they remain poorer than the town, of course, this is far from the situation in the mountains around Lu gu lake.
3.
Rongshui was I guess the wildest trip this year. From Nanning to Rongshui it's relatively easy to go (trains, buses, no problem, around four hours). But we were looking for lusheng festival and the trail took us another five hours away, straight to the border with Guizhou, where we ended up being invited by a local girl to live in her family house, and spend their new year there. Mygod, I was singing Xiao Pingguo, national hit, in a village in the mountains for new year... This is undeveloped area, and later I've helped two students to continue studying; gotta do something.
4.
Lingyun is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the most beautiful small towns in Guangxi. Around four hours away from Nanning, in the direction of Baise. Enveloped in wonderful valley, with extremely clean river running through the town (you can swim in it), very sensible "marriage" between a bit of old and
a bit of new. A palce where even the young ones don't want to go away from, you might say it has a heart. There's Tea mountain in the area, a lot of Zhuang influence, and two subgroups of Yao in the mountains.
5.
Qinzhou. Guangxi seaside showing one of it's best and least known faces. Unfortunately developing - can't help but say it, because without constructions, this place would be heavenly.
Long men islands and the fishing village. Going fishing with local people in the earliest sunrise. And mostly, enjoying listening to the stories of the place...
6.
Guilin and Longsheng second time - terrace fields in summer.
7.
Pubei. The trip by bus from Nanning is great. The area is full of old villages. There is a lot of Hakka influence; the do not have the same "mud castles" as in, for example, Fujian, but the style of architecture is the same. Saying Hakka also means that communication with older people is almost impossible.... but I still love the way their (unwritten!) language sounds...
8.
Jiabang / Sandu. Loong trip, actually divided in two, First, terrace fields in Guizhou, in autumn, and in Miao
peoples area (there are also Zhuang nearby). Yes, tried working in the fields here, ate their bitter fish which is raised inside the watery platforms, and really loved the views. They do not sell tickets for this place yet, but they supposedly will soon. It's not really commercialized yet, although Chinese photographers definitely know about it. Then Shui people and their Duan Jie, their New Year, in Sandu. I've first made similar trip in 2008, and they are still working on some roads. But now even Guizhou is becoming more and more approachable.
9.
Mile,
Yunnan province. Hot springs and mountains with Yi people - this is supposed to be one of the bases of Yi minority. Went to two villages, Village 11, and Red 10.000; the second is protected as intangible heritage.
There will be a number ten - this time, going to the warm place, in
Hainan, for another New Year. Will write about it.
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
hanging out with the locals
Beautiful blog with amazing pics Peter. Thanks for sharing.