It for sure was a big eye opener for traveling North of Beijing, some 2 hours by bus into the countryside. That's the only way to get to know the people. Not a much used route for the average tourist but for the People to People Citizen Ambassador team it also was a purpose to visit mushroom growers in that area. Now I'm talking about the white button mushrooms.
So once again leaving the city of Beijing and seeing the scenery change...
This is what you see in the countryside! POVERTY...
For sure this has not changed that much since March 26 of 1987!
Leaving the city of Beijing behind, lots of construction going on everywhere.
It sure is a country with lots of bikes, at least in the flat areas.
The woman on the bike is looking at the team's bus...
Kind of greenhouses...
Never easy to take pictures from a riding bus... but yes, that are plastic covered greenhouses.
So that are the Chinese market gardeners...
Here comes the horse power into the picture!
Brick homes but it does not look very affluent...
Vegetable gardens alongside a little river...
Yes, we are slowly going into the mountains!
Poor horses... and poor people.
It is a smaller type of horses what they use.
Little villages seem to be kind of walled in...
Very dreary looking villages with homes that only have windows on the sunny side...
Passing this village and climbing up into the mountains...
It makes one very quiet for seeing such extreme poverty and knowing it gets bitter, bitter cold in this area with lots of snow!
Stones everywhere...
It looks like they build a wall from those stones...
What you see here are MUSHROOM HOUSES...
But there was no production due to the season still being too cold.
It does hurt to see such extreme poverty where people struggle to make a living...
You see the outhouse at the top left?
Oh my!
That will make your butt freeze off...
These pigs seem to be quite happy!
To be continued with a visit to Jinshanling Great Wall...
For sure this has not changed that much since March 26 of 1987!
But there was no production due to the season still being too cold.
You see the outhouse at the top left?
That will make your butt freeze off...
To be continued with a visit to Jinshanling Great Wall...
Related links:
{Part VII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Lama Temple in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part III of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Arrival in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me
{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me
Hi dear mariettas Que gran viaje tuvo usted en China , un post muy interesante
ReplyDeleteDear Mariette,
ReplyDeleteThis is another interesting and enlightening post on Pieter's trip to China. The landscape does look rather bleak and it is hard to see the poverty. Hopefully the people have some happiness with each other and their families.
Hugs xo
Karen
Hello Mariette, I have read that donkeys are not used so much in China anymore in favor of machinery. This causes a problem because there are not enough donkeys left to supply donkey hide gelatin, traditionally used as food, medicine, and even glue.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Dear Mariette
ReplyDeleteThose photos reminded me of the country side of Myanmar we visited 2009. The country was isolated at that time. Their life style looked poor, but at least they had enough food as the weather was very good. I remember their smile. I hope they had rich harvest.Have a good new week ahead,
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletedas ist beeindruckend.
Liebe Grüße
Elisabeth
Dear Mariette
ReplyDeleteThose photos reminded me of the country side of Myanmar we visited 2009. The country was isolated at that time. Their life style looked poor, but at least they had enough food as the weather was very good. I remember their smile. I hope Chinese people in those photos had rich harvest.Have a good new week ahead.
Mariette, Please delete my late comment The meaning was blurred.
Certainly the people there live hard. They have houses, though simple, have the opportunity to minor food crops. But it is a sad life. Regards.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a change of scenery after seeing Beijing under massive development. It is sad to see people living in such conditions. It's great, though, that People to People Citizen Ambassador program reaches out to those areas. It must give much hope for them.
ReplyDeleteDearest Mariette; Oh My! Their condition of life style looked unbelievably poor. Your pictures are eye opener for me as well. Today, my next neighbor gave us about 10 "shiitake mushroom". We both were happy for the present.
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for your sweet comments, Dear friend. I think I'm able to have more normal pace of life back soon :-) Hope the warm and happy spring is awaiting for you both♡♡♡
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*
Meine liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeleteDanke für diesen interessanten Bericht.
Gerade in China liegen Prunk und Armut
nahe beeinander.
Einen schönen Abend wünscht dir
Irmi
Zou er veel veranderd zijn op het platte land? Ik vraag het me af, in de steden misschien wel.
ReplyDeleteLieve Mariette ,
ReplyDeletePieter heeft echt heel veel gezien op zijn intersanten reizen ...
mooi dat hij daar veel foto's van heeft en dat we daar nu van kunnen
gnieten ..
heel veel liefs
This is a very interesting post of a very poor rural side of it, as now I understand there are lots of modern cities and some even abandoned cause there are no jobs in those areas.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing Peater's trip. I'm also happy you are better, I could say the same for me. You know, I haven't had a cold worst coughing like crazy, for at least 20 years! Yes, 20 years! I guess I'm with low defenses.
Have a peaceful Holy Week and a happy Easter with your dear Peater.
FABBY
Interesting. I've never visited China. As poor as the countryside looks, I think I would prefer living there to living in a crowded polluted city.
ReplyDeleteLiebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletees sind eindrucksvolle Bilder , fast wie aus einer anderen Welt. So karg, ich denke in dieser Region haben die Menschen ein Leben in Kälte und Armut. Danke für die Bilder .
Liebe Grüße von Carmen
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletees ist unvorstellbar, dass es auf der einen Seite solche Armut gibt in unserer Welt und auf der anderen das Geld im Überfluss zu sein scheint -
es ist wohl auf unserer Erde von allem genug da - leider ist es nicht gerecht verteilt - es macht nachdenklich, solche Bilder der Armut zu sehen -
alles Liebe für dich - Ruth
north of Beijing China Ambassador team was to visit Mushroom growers, The country with lots of bikes. The woman the horse are not look very affluent poor house in poor people it was very sad people living poor house. I though was in Japan has few area has very bad times too!
ReplyDeleteHave a happy Easter with love both!
Michiko
Excelentes fotografias de uma China rural e atrasada.
ReplyDeleteUm abraço e uma Santa e Feliz Páscoa.
http://andarilharar.blogspot.pt/
Belas fotografias...Espectacular....
ReplyDeleteCumprimentos
Despite it being a mountainous area, it does look rather bleak. You can only imagine some of the bathrooms I had to use while we were on the road in Nepal. It is very eye opening to see how others live. Very simply, and yet they have everything, while some have way too much. Best wishes, Tammy
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteLiebste Mariette,
endlich komme ich wieder hierher ... und ich danke Dir auch von ganzem Herzen für Deinen so treffenden Kommentar zum Haus meiner Kindheit - Lost Places ... Alles hat seine Zeit, sagte schon der weise Salomo ... nur wir Menschen wollen es oft nicht wahrhaben - "noch" nicht sehen .... und es heißt ja auch, wir sollen unser Leben genießen, die "bösen Tage" kommen schon früh genug. In diesem Sinne sehe auch ich das und konnte mich damals vom Haus rechtzeitig verabschieden. Deinen Kommentar habe ich dort noch beantwortet.
Ach, Ihr seid so viel herumgekommen. Beneidenswert! Meine Reise ging eher nach innen *lach* Wenn ich reiste, habe ich auch immer großen Wert darauf gelegt, die Menschen kennenzulernen, fernab von den Reiseveranstaltern und ihrem Programm.
Eigentlich erstaunlich, wie wenig sich die Armut veränderte ... vieles ist sogar schlechter geworden. Der Mensch wird eben doch nicht wirklich klug, gibt vor die Menschen zu lieben und etwas für sie zu tun - doch die Realität sieht ganz anders aus. Ich frage mich gerade, wie die Zusammenhänge da in China waren ... Pilzproduktion auf der einen Seite, aber die Armut auf der anderen Seite .... wer war der Nutznießer des Ganzen? Auch dort gibt es viele reiche Leute, die auf Kosten der Armen leben ... wie überall auf der Welt. Am Ende die ausgleichende Gerechtigkeit auf die wir hoffen und an die wie glauben ...
Liebe Grüße und habt ein schönes Osterfest!
Sara
What a difference compared to the pictures you showed us of Beijing!!
ReplyDeleteThey sure show the poverty in the countryside!!!