Jiangcheng is a small town about 4 hours east of Simao, very
close to the border with Laos. We've been there a couple of times because it's
the temporary home of our good friend Paul Hider, another VSO Volunteer,
who works for the Jiangcheng Education Department training middle school english
teachers. Jiang Cheng is a pleasant wee place. It's not hard to reach the
surrounding countryside of forested hills and there are a number of minority
nationality (mainly Hani and Yi) people living nearby.
Above (left to right): this leaping bull 'gongniu' is a feature
of central Jiangcheng - this animal seems to be a popular image in minority
nationality art in the region; Uncle Paul; the view from Paul's flat down to the
Ming Xiao Primary School
Here are some local activity options (left to right): Eating
- the waitress displays the menu choice at Paul's local restaurant; Walking
- take a stroll along the palm-lined promenade beside the Meng Lie River; Kite-flying
- Freda and Edie having fun at the local reservoir. Despite the sky being criss-crossed
by a myriad of overhead powerlines this still seems to be the most popular spot
to catch some wind...
And what do the locals do in their spare time? One popular
choice with the male population of Jiangcheng (when there isn't any
cock-fighting going on) is to head down to the park for a play with their spinning
tops...
The aim is to throw one's top as hard as possible at your
opponent's in an attempt to knock it from the central square. I'm sure it's more
complicated than that though...perhaps we'll see some more top action in Beijing
in 2008?
It's a game of Olympian skill and aggression, and popular with
spectators too. On second thoughts, maybe the crowd was actually watching us
watching them!
The photos below were taken in the town of Kang Ping,
half way between Simao and Jiangcheng. The bus stops here for 15 minutes or so
and it's a chance for travellers to stretch their legs, grab some food and
escape the confines of a rattly, smoky bus for a while. Kan Ping is a very safe
place - its name translates as 'Health & Safety' - at least, that's what
Paul likes to tell his visitors...
L to R: Pomelos for sale at Kang Ping's street-side fruit market;
minority nationality (Hani, we think) women are a common site round these parts;
roadside services - boiled eggs in soy sauce, corn-on-the-cob, or bags of
peanuts
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