Changiao Village Primary School

Saturday December 6, 2008

We departed quite early for our drive to the Changiao village where the Miao people live. The views were breathtaking, filled with lots of small mountains like those that had enchanted me on the flight in. Our journey included an hour and a half long bus ride, and a thirty minute walk to reach a remote village at the foot of a mountain. The name of the village is Changiao, which translates to Long Wall village. In ancient China, it was a very nice place.  

 Changio Villagers

I have never experienced such a remote location, and don’t know if I will again. It was a life altering experience …..one that moved me deeply. Our busses had to park thirty minutes from the village, because there was not a street that could handle our large vehicles. Several hundred villagers from nearby villages greeted us. Performers lined the street, and those that were not part of the formal presentation were perched on nearby walls to watch the westerners enter their village. The buildings were very primitive, with single room dwellings. The people were very happy, and very poor. Their teeth were rotten. Many of the older residents were missing teeth. Their skin was taunt and weathered. Roosters were loose, as well as many dogs.  The visual images were very powerful. The people and their homes were extremely impoverished by our western standards. Yet there was such a simple beauty to the people, and the hills surrounding the village were picturesque. Entering their village and seeing their school and the sweet children that attended was a very emotional moment for me. I used the first of many tissues.

We gathered in front of the school with the people of the village. The foundation for the school itself was built by the farmers in 1964, and funds from People-to-People helped build the actual structure. 120 students in grade 1 – 6 attend, and are taught by six teachers. Some of the teachers were from this village, and all looked professional compared to the other citizens. It was another indication of the value placed on teachers in this country.

The villagers put on a series of performances for us. The first was a group of singing children led by a child conductor standing on a simple stool. Next, a drummer sounded his drums and gong, and the village opera began. The performers had covered faces, elaborate costumes by comparison, and donned masks at the top of their heads. Finally, a group of adult women performed in matching dresses. We cheered for them! They surprised us by asking us to return the favor and perform for them. We didn’t have a formal presentation, and so did the Hokey Pokey! It was playful and fun. After we performed the hokey pokey, the village children joined us. We grabbed their sweet little hands and taught them the moves. It was such a delightful experience! What a GREAT morning!

We did not go on a formal tour of the actual school, but a quick peek inside revealed that it was very barren even compared to the schools in Guiyang. The classrooms did have electric lights, but no heat. There were chalkboards and desks, but little else. The library only had 75-100 books, less than one for each of the children who attend.

 Walking away from the village with these precious children

I was one of the last delegates to leave the village. I couldn’t tear myself away. As a result, I had the pleasure of befriending a group of young children. I held hands with two fifteen year old girls to my right, and five-six young children to my left. I talked with one of the fifteen year olds about her life in the village as we walked.  She looked like she was no older than ten, and her teeth were already brown with stains. She plays ping-pong and basketball. She proudly told me that she is a very good ping-pong player and took first place in a tournament. Another delegate saw the ping-pong table, and shared that is was nothing more than a slab of concrete with a concrete net. She had one brother, and was very proud of the beautiful landscape surrounding her village. I told her about Kansas, and its lack of hills and mountains. I also told her about my children and their interests. They walked with me nearly the entire way to the bus, then veered off of the main street to return to their village and simple home. I immediately burst into tears, and it took me a long time to recover. What lovely children. What a touching moment. How many westerners are able to walk hand-in-hand with children in a location as remote as this?

LUNCH AT TRIUMPHAL RESTAURANT IN ASHUN, CHINA

For lunch, we drove to the nearby city of Anshun, a town of 4 million. It was clearly the nicest restaurant in town. We had a few moments after lunch to see what I would describe as a street fair. There were inflated dinosaurs and cotton candy.