Miao Decor

Interior of one of the Miao houses in the village of Wudong where we did interviews. How many clocks can you find in this picture?  [HINT: There are as many clocks as posters of notable Communists.]  If you zoom in, each clock shows a different time.

Tau Jiung

Did a series of household interviews in the Miao village of Tau Jiung in southeastern Guizhou, China today. These guys were in the audience during the general meeting when I explained to everyone what I was trying to do. Looked like a tough crowd at first, but the interviews turned out to be quite animated, informative, and fun. [NOTE: Dr. Dayuan Xue and Zhiyao Lu did a wonderful job of translating]. 

Chinese Visa

Spent yesterday getting my visa for China. Was there when the consulate opened at 9:00 AM.  Already a line outside, everyone with umbrellas because it was drizzing rain.  Took me about an hour and a half of inching forward in line to get up to Window 3 and turn in my papers.  Had indicated that I wanted "expedited" processing, so was told to come back at 2:00 PM to pick up my visa.

Walked down the street and got a cup of black tea at Starbucks.  And read my book [NOTE: Hakuin's Precious Mirror Cave, edited and translated by Norman Waddell]. And shot some video of the flow of humanity outside. Walked back to the consulate at 1:00, got back in line again for an hour, and now I have a new F Visa for China in my passport. Probably had the same look on my face when I came out as the women in the picture.  I leave next Thursday for Beijing. 

Guizhou rice fields

Rice fields in the Qiandongan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of southeastern Guizhou, China. An intensity of resource management unrivaled anywhere in the world. Meticulously sculptured. Groomed. Landscape art. [NOTE: Wonderful article (by Amy Tam) about a Dong village in this region can be viewed here].

A Ride on the Beijing Subway

Just what it says.  A late night ride on the No. 10 Line of the Beijing Subway. Relative to the subway in New York, I found the Beijing metro to be remarkably clean, efficient, and quiet, although a bit lacking in personality.  

Bo Trees

Several Ficus religiosa trees were planted in the Dai tea gardens that I visited in Yunnan, China (see Sharing a Ride). Clearly of great cultural and spiritual importance, these trees were tended with special care. They were individually fenced to keep the animals away from them, some trees had small altars for leaving offerings and were wrapped with strips of saffron cloth, and one or two even had their own mala.

Ficus religiosa, or "bo", or "pipul", or "bodhi" trees have a special aura about them because of something that happened 2,500 years ago in Bodh Gaya, India.  Click here for more about the events at Bodh Gaya.

Tea Bricks

An assortment of different tea bricks displayed in the window of a tea shop in Kunming, China. The round ones are made from pu-erh tea; the square embossed one on the bottom is made from powered black tea.  The window display got me to go into the shop, but I spent most of my time inside tasting different delicious oolong teas. I was quite awake when I finally left. [NOTE: The student that took me to this shop purchased a large quantity of tea that she said was for stuffing in your pillow to give you sweet dreams. Nice idea.]