Photo-Essay: Yangmei - an Ancient Chinese Museum Village
Photo-Essay: Yangmei - an Ancient Chinese Museum Village
When I first came to China I did a fair amount of travelling, visiting both famous and less known places of interest. This is an example of an 'off-the-beaten-path' location that I'm sure many foreign tourists would rarely see, but it is truly an authentic display of what life was like in China centuries ago. Although people still live there, the whole town is designated as a museum, and there are tours (although we just sauntered around).
From Lonely Planet:
"Munch on starfruit and seafood as you get used to the laid-back rhythms of Yangmei, a former market town 25km west of bustling Nanning. Yangmei was founded 1,000 years ago on the leafy banks of the Yong River. The buildings, many from the Ming and Qing dynasties, feature a mix of austere northeastern aesthetics and a more flamboyant southern style. Most of the town’s inhabitants are descendants of Shandong migrants, with a small number originating in Guangdong. If you don’t mind the bumpy bus-ride to get here, Yangmei makes for a relaxing day trip from Nanning."
1. We travelled by car from Nanning, not by bus, and it was necessary to cross a river by means of a ferry boat, as there were no bridges in the vicinity. With considerable trepidation (knowing about many ferry boat sinkings all over Asia) we crossed on this ferry boat, which is actually a tugboat pushing a barge. Look at the load it carries.
2. The Yangmei transportation service.
3. A view of the river on which the town is located.
4. The residents make use of the river, in this case washing their clothes.
5. And hanging them to dry - ooops, the line collapsed.
6. Washing their vegetables.
7. She looks older than the village.
8. The river is most important. As the Lonely Planet article indicated, seafood is a staple, and the fishermen often fish off these bamboo rafts. In my previous article on the cruise through the Karst mountains, I described how they use cormorants with rings on their necks to fish.
9. But they also use nets, and here the nets are drying in the sun.
10. The streets are narrow.
11. A typical street house.
12. Carved window guards can be decorative.
13. A plaque describing the houses.
14. Entrance door to one of the row houses
15. Interior wall
16. Original exterior lanterns and woodwork
17. Interior of a different home
18. Sign over a manor door.
19. A better view of an original lantern. You will note the blue numbered plate that identifies the places for a catalogue that tourists purchase - in Chinese so I didn't buy one.
20. The interior of a scholar's residence - scholars were highly regarded, privileged and wealthier than common folk back then.
21. Looking upwards at the scholar's ceiling. When inside any Chinese structure, whether it be a simple pergola or a significant structure, always look up - it is usually greatly decorated.
22. This plaque describes the house above - Obviously this home is not as ancient.
23. This is the living/dining room of a home that is presently lived in.
24. Some homes are more like suburb houses - not row housing.
25. Another such home
26. Figures on the roof indicate a building of importance. More figures mean more important.
27. Typical Langmei vegetation
28. And finally, getting our lunch together.
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There are more ancient villages that I have seen and photographed - more to come.
Another great photo essay. Keep'em coming.
Well, those who bother to look at my photo essays are bound to learn quite a bit about China that their media and schools will never display. Of course the vast majority here are so sucked into pro-Trump, anti-Trump, pro-religion, anti-religion they really don't have the time in the day to even THINK about anything different. Such limited interests - so be it.
Interesting to see these old homes.
Though of a different architecture, when growing up my grandparents on my Mothers side lived in an old stone farm house originally built in the early 1600s. According to the deed and title, of which I have copies, it was built in 1629.
Even when young, a sense of stepping back in time was felt in that house.
These houses give a similar sense.
Thanks Buzz.
learning much about China
Dear Friend Buzz: Well done indeed.
By learning the ways values hopes aspirations and approaches to life of others, we are better positioned to avail ourselves of the best of what we do.
As well, we can appreciate, respect and therefore getting along in greater harmony with all members of the human family.
As others well said, please keep these photo essays coming.
Peace and Abundant Blessings (With Plenty of Fins and Scales Seafood).
Enoch.
Excellent Buzz. I think these will be very helpful to teach my grandchildren what it was like, both long ago and in other cultures. There are far too many young people today who have no idea what it was like before electricity, motor vehicles or running water (including modern toilets). I think that a lot of them believe (since they have never been taught differently) that those things have been here forever. You are teaching history in a way that anyone, even including small children, can understand it.
While I'm on that, thanks not only to you but to our friend Mac, who does much the same with his collection of old Magic Lantern slides.
Thanks. I had never considered them to be a teaching tool for children; I only thought of them as a way to open China's wonders to adult NT members.
I'm wondering if there is a way to create a single-source archive of your photo essays … possibly even a personal website that you can add to regularly.
What a collection that would make!
Absolutely, I agree. Reminds me so much of the time I was in Taiwan. I look at these old women and remember seeing old women pulling carts that was many times their size filled with sugarcane up the side of a mountain.
Not being particularly computer savvy I would need advice for that. However, I suppose it would be easy to just set it up as a group, copy and paste all past articles, and with the project now being tested on BETA there could still be Front Page viewing.
I can't access the BETA version since I keep getting security warnings and blockage.
Have you not contacted Tig or Perrie about that? I have no problem with it.