Group photo with the kind couple from the village
Hi blog! Time flies by when you are having fun. Today marks the end of one full week in China! After Beijing and Anyang, we are headed for Hebi. On the way there, we stopped by a village called Si Ma Cun (司马村) with 3,000 residents and was invited into the humble home of one of the residents there. She is 73 this year and her husband is 76, but they look much younger than their age. The husband has been to a few cities before, including Beijing, but the woman has not been to any major cities in her life, except the provincial capital of Zhengzhou. The couple was very friendly and welcoming, even offering us tea and was not afraid to show us around their house. They have three daughters and one son. Their son and his wife currently work in Canton and make the drive back to the village around three times a year to visit their family. After we left their home, we explored more of the village and came across a wedding. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay until the bride and groom came out, but it was nice to witness the set up of fancy cars parked around the home of the bride and the auspicious decorations.
We left the village and stopped by Hua County for a delicious lunch before walking around the old parts of Anyang. We met several shy kids on our walk and a number of people wanted photos with some members of our group since foreigners were a rare sight there. Finally, we arrived at the hotel in Hebi and settled in. As there was still time before the group dinner, research groups met up and started working on the thesis for their papers. After dinner, we went into the mall next to the hotel and continued our fieldwork in our respective groups before ending the day.
Mikaella Ahn
Group photo at the wedding in the village
One of the first things the group did was have breakfast at the Han Shui Bay International Hotel. Luckily, I have been having more luck with enjoying the food in Anyang than I did in Beijing. It was very sad to leave this hotel because it felt like I was living in a palace. Once on the road, Professor Sheehan decided to take us to a little excursion and visit the village. At the village, we met an elderly woman who was planting vegetables in her front yard. Professor Sheehan was able to ask her if we could see her home. Fortunately, she said yes! The woman was so nice and sweet. She let us into her living room and showed us her grandchildren’s room. Her husband also came out to meet us. I asked Professor Sheehan if he could ask them how they met. They told us that they met through mutual friends (I need friends like that!). After meeting the lovely couple, we decided to walk around. Fortunately, the group happened to stumble upon a wedding ceremony. What are the odds? We were able to take photos with the people at the wedding. Our TA, Jeremy, let us know that the people with flowers on their shirts were either family or close friends of the bride and groom. I wish the couple a life full of fortune and happiness.
On the bus, I asked Professor Sheehan if he had ever stumbled upon a wedding before, and he said it was the first for Global East Asia. Wow! Once we finally arrived in Hebi, we had an amazing dinner. Again, the food we have had in Anyang and Hebi has been so delicious. Noah toasted today, and he said how the events today really meant so much for him. I won’t forget this day either, Noah!