Tuohe
Heated wall.
The homestay may have had an unpredictable electricity supply, but the house’s central heating definately worked. Fires inside double layered separation walls turn them into giant radiators that not only kept the rooms warm, but dried the washing!
Tuohe
Oronchun Aunty makes every item by hand using traditional birch bark skin craft methods. If you wanted to buy one bowl it would cost you the same as if you wanted to buy ten, or even if you wanted to buy a hundred. To her, the value of each and every bowl is identical. They are made of the same material and each have the same function. In the modern world, where terms such as “limited edition” and “mass-production” can determine an object’s value, are we overcomplicating design? Are we so spoilt for choice of what to buy that we have lost the ability to appreciate the pure and simple value of function?
Harbin – Alihe
As I travel north, I find myself increasingly drawn to discover the cultures of the ethnic minority groups that live within the borders of what is geographically China. Observing from the outside, China appears to be one vast country. Observing from the inside, it appears to be one central and dominant country of Han people, surrounded by smaller countries of ethnic minority people. However, the borders of these ethnic minority countries are fragile and disappearing as Han and capitalist culture infiltrates.
This week I met 2 inspirational people. Both with a sad acceptance that much of their own history and culture has already been lost, but are themselves the flames of hope that what remains might survive.
In a year Wu Yisheng qualifies as a agricultural veterinarian, he has studied hard and it would be a financially secure job. Instead however, he plans to open a small craft shop selling fish skin products. He was taught by his mother to make Hezhe fish skin clothing, but understands the limited demand such a product has in the modern world, thus his desire to expand to other products to keep the craft alive.
Wunan and her husband record and promote what still exists of Oronchen culture. On sale in her shop are birch bark containers that her aunt has made using traditional methods, she says that drastic action is required to progress and therefore save the craft. In the past, natural development was possible, but after so much outside disturbances to their culture this is no longer the case.
As I searched the shops of Harbin for a warm jacket, I could not help but feel disappointed every time I tried something on. Only the day before, Hezhe mother had kindly let me try on some fish-skin clothing she had made. The moment I slipped into the first jacket, I was not only surprised by how comfortable it was, but taken aback by how beautiful and special it felt. A month ago I did not even know there was such a thing as fish-skin clothing, now I find myself dreaming of a fish-skin coat.
Tonjiang
Evening line-dancing Chinese style on the public square.
China, this side of the river.
Russia, just across the river.
Jinjinkou
Shy laughter as I take their photo, giggling laughter as I show them their photo on my camera, cheeky laughter as they pose for more photos, hysterical laughter at this new fun game. Laughter and pictures, universally understood everywhere.
As they play, granny tells us while pointing at a small crumbling mud hut to the side of their spacious shiny red roof house, “we used to live in that before the communists came along and built us a new home”. It was a reminder to me that there are always 2 sides to every story. Of course there are many negatives to the communist regime in China, but at the same time it brought about some positive changes.
Note the beautiful tricycle on the right-hand side…
Jiamusi
Tianjin
Beijing
Man sets up his acoustic window display, hanging the first cage of six.
Beijing
Taking a few turnings off a people-packed shopping street, the last thing I expected to see was a calligrapher practising with a bucket of water and some large paintbrushes in the middle of the road. He was calmly copying out a long poem from a book. Around him numerous people hovered and left, a policeman sat bored in a car watching, bikes and scooters drove around and over his work.
Having stood there for some time, mesmerised by his brushstrokes, he turned to me and said “Miss, I give you a word, as a gift”, and with that he wrote me the following:
It is amazing how such a simple act made my day.