It is such a gorgeous time of the year and we have seen some unbelievable sights here in China. What a beautiful country!!!!
Our trip on April 21 and 22 was to Zibo and Wei Fang - a place that is internationally known for it's kites. The Chinese are the
culture that invented the first kite and we had the chance to see the first kites made and to actually go to a small, authentic kite
producing site.
On Monday, April 21 we traveled to Zibo - a city close to Wei Fang. When we arrived in Zibo we went to a ancient village that is
400 years old. The buildings are still standing and people are actually living there! (If you can imagine that!) The streets are all
bricked and there is much to see. There are little stores all along the street and smiling Chinese people of all ages. Especially older
people, mainly women.
As we walked down the street I felt like I had stepped "back in time". As we leisurely strolled down the street, I spotted a group of
women sitting and I walked up to speak to them. They were all smiling and laughing. A little boy with his "Ni Ni" ( or Grandma)
was hollering and trying to free himself of the harness Grandma had secured to him.
But there was one very old Chinese woman sitting on a chair and I was immediately attracted to her. Her face told of a hard life, with many wrinkles - but what character... She had small feet which had been "bound" when she was a young girl, possibly as young as 6-8 years of age. I was drawn to her and put my arm around her and looked in her eyes. Could she have been someone I knew in the pre-existance? She stuck her little feet out for me to see - they measured 5 to 6 inches long and extremely narrow!!!!!! I put my foot beside her little foot and it was a shock. She had white socks and little black shoes on her feet.
IF ONLY I COULD HAVE SPOKEN TO HER........I 'm sure she has a tale to tell.
Her eyes were full of expression and I felt such a kinship to her. As I looked at her dear face the deep grooves or wrinkles in
her face told of pain and strife and I am sure she would have a "story" to tell.
The younger women near to her, showed me that she is 92 years old. She was so gracious and allowed us all to take as many
photos as we wanted of her and her feet. I kept putting my arms around her and patting her arm - hoping that she would
somehow understand my love and admiration for her. I hated to leave her.
I purchased a darling hand made Chinese hat-with much stitchery and detail to take home, also some little wicker type shoes.
The next morning, April 22, we had another "hair raising" bus ride to Wei Fang to see the kite festival.
The festival is held in a huge arena, and I am sure there were 5,000 Chinese people there!!! The Chinese love to celebrate anything and they were all so happy to be there. The kites were wonderful and some of them took
6-8 men to fly. The biggest kites I have ever seen. What an experience.
Then on to a kite making place. It was really fascinating to watch the artists paint the kites. Then we watched them assemble
the kites - what an interesting process. The unique thing about these kites, is the fact that one person makes an entire kite
by himself, from start to finish. They are not mass produced. Also - these kites were all made of a special, sheer silk fabric.
What a great form of art and really interesting to see. By the way, after completion, each kite is tested or flown before they are
ready to sell. We all bought kites to take home. Rennen ask us to bring him a dragon kite and we were looking for that as well as a kite for Jack
and Deken. We found the perfect kite for Rennen, however it is more of a collector's item than a kite he can actually fly. Same
with Jack's and Deken's. I will watch for kites they can actually fly, as well....
Every place I shop, while I am in China, I look for items I can use to decorate a Christmas tree. I have found some precious items, but I am still looking for more... They will be a lasting, sweet reminder of China.
I will send pictures to post with this entry to the Blog.
All my love,
Mom
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