Friday, February 6, 2009

The Same, But Different

You have probably already read about the park we visited this week from Frank's blog. We had some visitors for the week so we took a trip to a minorities village. It is set up a bit like a theme park but you do get the sense of their lives and history. I am also amazed that so many of the villages looked like pioneer settlements from the 1700's. Many make their homes in log cabins with fire pits in them. Clothes hang from pegs on the wall. Racks hang from the rafters to store pots and bowls and other utensils. Even their costumes have a Native American look. We watched one brave (no pun intended) lad climb a ladder of knives over 50 feet high with no damage to his feet. It was interesting to learn what different people believe and practice. I saw an old lady with her face tatooed. She hid from cameras but showed me where to find the plaque that explains why she had the tattoo. All girls of 13 in her tribe are made to sit and endure having a blue butterfly tattooed onto their face. It is a symbol of luck and beauty. Interesting. Others sacrifice bulls by stabbing them to death as the matadors did as a gift to the Heavenly God.
Others worship nature and have a deep respect for the dog. One section was set up like Dali, a place you visited with us in another blog. It was so authentic, we thought we had returned. It was an enjoyable day for all of us and very educational. Some may say that all Chinese are alike but this excursion reminded us how different we all are and how much there is to learn about the country we now reside in. Variety is the spice of life and China is spicier than we thought.
mandy




























































































































































2 comments:

  1. Love the new slideshow. Wow, that ladder of knives is incredible. I don't even really know what to say about it. Just "hmmmmmmm". It seems like you could spend years there & still not know about all of the different customs and people. Thanks for sharing. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. Sara

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