Wendy said, "People think our farmers are poor, but they live in these big houses." Houses? Houses? Where are the houses she is talking about? I had asked her if anyone owned a house in China since all I had seen looked like housing buildings. Apparently these buildings on the outskirts of town, which would be equivalent to an small appartment building, were really houses. Close by, if not in the front or back yard are their fields. Wendy said they will rent out rooms to people when they have space. Usually the whole family lives there. We saw rice fields where they were planting rice now to be harvested in October. We saw grape fields, lotus fields, some corn, and other things I just cannot remember at the moment. Sometimes farmers were plowing with a water buffalo, sometimes they used a hand driven tractor. How they managed it in the mud and water is beyond me. They have to have strong arms and legs to hold it steady. It was nice to see the country side. We saw this on our trip to Jinhua and on the train from Shanghai to Hangzhou.
I even saw kudzoo!!!!! Yes, it does the same thing there, which is where it is from. Kudzoo is a vine planted in the south during the depression times I believe, to help with erosion. It is called the plant that ate the south, since it grows rampant taking over anything in its path. We also saw lots of laundry and laundry rooms on top of some of the houses. It's the little square building right on top that looks like a look out room or something. No uses dryers. Everyone hanges out their clothes.
But I just couldn't believe those elaborate houses! I'd love to see inside one.
-Angi
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