Hey Gang!
Just got back from our week off/social study project. I went to Huizhou in Anhui Province. Absolutely gorgeous. It's famous for its landscape and tea, both of which I got to fully enjoy. (I did pick up some tea for the room, so we will have fabulous tea parties next year--maybe even ones that can compete with our house masters'!)
in Huizhou I got to talk to farmers and some businessmen. As some of you know, I have an interest in migrant worker situation in China, and i read ahead of time that Anhui is one of the biggest exporters of migrant labor in China. So going there, I was expecting to interview people and have them sob about how they missed family members working out of province. And while I did see the remnants of their migration to cities--villages only having old people and young kids bc the 18-30 yr. olds are out working--I found that people's reactions were mostly positive.
They know that work in the countryside/farm doesn't really guarantee the best pay. So parents sometimes encourage their kids to go out and work. And the so called "left behind children" seem to be in good hands with their older relatives. The villages are so small that they become like a big family.
Families don't really worry about sending their kids out to work, because the kids always come back--to help keep up the farm, but mostly to take care of family.
It was a really rewarding trip, the people, scenery, food. but now i have to write a 2000 character essay! so, back to work! =D
i posted some picture, but i don't think my camera truly captured the beauty of this place. I guess, being a texan, i've always been a country gal at heart =p
Wow, sounds like an amazing trip!! So fascinating to hear first-hand accounts of the families of migrant workers...I'd love to hear more over skype/when you get back. But I don't see the picture! Re-post maybe? (yay beautiful countrysides!)
ReplyDeletethat sounds really awesome, from both a personal and a social perspective! I have actually heard similar things in Shanghai and in Beijing--people love their children very much, but this usually means that they want them to have a better life in the cities (even though by American standards, the cities are still very poor in many parts). Often, kids will come to the city, earn enough money, and either return home (as Alex, you witnessed) or if they are really successful, bring their parents and child into the cities (as I heard from a Beijing taxi driver). Some people also commute from their provinces to the city just to make more money, as a taxi driver in Shanghai told me (I forget which area he was from, but he claimed it was right next to Shanghai).
Deleteanyway, definitely tea time when we get back! what kind of tea is it? I bought strawberry and general fruit and a gorgeous transparent glass teapot in the shape of a pumpkin--can't wait to share tea with you all again! <3
Fabulous tea parties?! Yesss.
ReplyDeleteThat's really awesome that you got to talk to some of these migrant workers. And I want to see these pictures :)
Sounds awesome :) Do we have a skype party planned?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Alex and Nick, where are you going to be in China from August 12th onwards? I'm getting there on the 12th/13th, and it would be awesome if we could say hello.
Btw, Alex, I have a book on Kindle called "Factory Girls" which is about the migrant situation if you're interested after we get back to school.
ooooh, yes, that book sounds really interesting. And I actually leave on August 12!! =(((
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