Macau
2 in 1 fence system.
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Fast Food
Macau
Street food snack.
Dim sum brunch.
Afternoon cafe coffee.
MaMa
Macau
Graffiti, Chinese words say 媽媽 which means “Mum”.
Drowning Gems
Furong, Dehang
As the number of tourists increase to China, both of local Chinese and international visitors, more and more Chinese ancient villages are turning into theme-park-like attractions. As hard as you might try, it is impossible to ignore the streams of large coaches delivering the snap-happy masses. Chattering incessantly over their guide’s handheld booming loudspeaker, they follow their chaperone’s tour flag through reconstructed streets designed to sell them as much as possible, regardless of whether it was produced locally or not. Wandering far and deep, you may be able to find snippets of authentic visual delights, the camera editing out the noise and cropping out the construction.
True, tourism is bringing economic gains to these areas, but perhaps development should be planned with more sensitivity to the soul of the villages and the villagers. The sad thing is, for most of these places, it is too late. The remaining gems of what gives these places character already caught in the tide of change.
Baby in a Basket
Dazhou
Seated comfort.
Scriptures
Labrang Monastery
Enroute the kora.
Old scriptures.
Dedicated Energy
Labrang Monastery
3km kora, 1174 prayer wheels. If each of these were linked up to a generator, would that be enough electricity to power the city?
3km kora, repeated prostration. If every movement was collected in their hand and knee pads, would that be enough energy to power their homes?
Young to Old
Tongde
Karma is the great-great-great-grandma of toddler granddaughter of Zigdo.
Mrs. Zigdo (left) looks after 5 generations under her roof. Non-stop from the early hours till late at night, it becomes obvious how important it was for AmdoCraft to understand their lifestyle and provide a work structure that she is able to do amongst all her household chores. Perhaps here is a lesson that Hong Kong work places can learn from, where the creation of more flexible work systems for mothers (or fathers) mean that their children can be brought up by their families rather than their maids.
Weaving to the Future
Tongde
Last year I met Klaas who runs AmdoCraft (See post “Craft for Change”). This year I returned to stay with one of the Tibetan families he works with. After Zigdo proudly shows us some of the Amdo products his family makes, explaining the difference between good and bad quality felt, we watched the ladies spin wool thread and weave. Already owning and using several of their bags that have been woven in this way, I suddenly discovered a new appreciation for them. Their traditional weaving method is time laborious but fascinatingly simple in its set-up with the correct knowledge. You cannot help but get a warm homely feeling as found metal rods, wooden sticks and plastic pipes are configured together to create beautifully woven lengths of fabric.
Time Travel
Kvosgol
In each and every ger, touches of the modern world are seeping through the rafters. One evening I would be watching a loud incomprehensible Russian card game lit by a single lightbulb. The next day lunchtime, I would be thanking a chain smoking old lady for tea, eyeing curiously the electronic boxes that powered her small flat screen monitor. Later that evening, I would be sitting warming my feet in the ger of a family of 3 in complete darkness, following the glowing blue screen of a mobile phone as the mother pushes in-between the wooden roof structure and the fabric top.
This gradual infiltration of modern conveniences in the countryside, as opposed to the bulldozing over with technology in many developing countries such as China, gives Mongolia a poetic charm. Whether this current lifestyle is as poetic to live as a daily reality is questionable. However, in the long run, perhaps this gradual change will allow for a more culturally rich modern society to emerge. Only time will tell.