CHINA 2010 SATURDAY 17th 'THE ROUND HOUSES'

Capt. Mao, who attends Keith’s class had decided that this weekend we would go into the countryside, today being the most favourable day. Our destination was about 90 minutes or 3 hours depending on who you spoke to in the office to a place known locally as ‘Tulou’. Set in the mountains this is the ancestral home of the ‘Hakka’ minority of China and their houses have been added to the World Heritage Sites.

So it was an early start, well for me anyway as we had to be ready outside the office building by 9am. Bad timing because as we crossed over the busy road using the footbridge two teams of cleaners were hosing down the paved area in front of the building. Whilst Keith waded through the wet I chose to go under the canopy of the ‘Rainbow Store’ and keep my feet dry. We hadn’t long to wait before the car pulled up. Getting to it meant stretching across some deep puddles especially in the gutter!

Already the car was almost full with three familiar faces namely Sunny, Jenny and Mr. Cheng (Keith’s Taiwanese student) the other 4 faces being new to me. There was Capt. Mao, Mr. Zhang from the Crew department (who was also a keen photographer) and in the front with our driver was an older man who the girls referred to as ‘Uncle’ and was the Company’s Documentation Manager. Now we were on our way over the toll bridge into Jimei and out into the countryside. However our progress was soon halted by road works and for a minute there I thought I was back in England! Once we had cleared them we had a most enjoyable journey. On the flat we drove by never ending fields of banana trees, occasionally seeing small ponds full of ducks. The only ‘villages’ we saw were a few small houses alongside large rectangle brick buildings with rows of small square windows blocked with pieces of cardboard. These too housed bananas. As we moved to the higher ground we still saw the odd banana tree but now it was oranges or perhaps grapefruit by the size of the fruit and all in the green stage.

We climbed higher still with forests on the upper level and rice paddies down below and a river running through the valley. Then we came to the terraces all the way down the hillside with pools of rice or rows of dark tea bushes. The tall trees fascinated me as most of the trunk was bare with only a small amount of foliage compared to its size. I wondered if the farmers had stripped off the lower branches to let in more light for growing crops. On the ridges the single line of neatly planted trees looked amazing and from a distance almost formed a pattern in the mountainside.

Finally we arrived at the ‘Gateway to Fujian Tulou’ and a comfort stop whilst Jenny went to buy a ticket to enter the site. I had read in our Guide Book that admission was free but then it had been printed before Tulou became a Heritage Site. Our Book also said that at one time President Ronald Reagan and the CIA thought these round houses were missile silos! Through the gate we still had a fair distance to travel to reach a village where we had chance to look round these amazing round, oval and square shaped earthen buildings some over 700 years old.

Leaving the car and passing through a small gateway we stepped into a cobbled courtyard open to the elements. We noticed a well and an area which turned out to be where the washing was done. Supported on two brick columns was a well worn wooden plank on which the clothes were scrubbed. The washing done it was then hung on a large bamboo frame to dry. Sunny tried to wind me up by telling me the bamboo structure was for drying a type of noodle! Of course I didn’t believe her - the wood was far too dirty! The 5 storey interior was entirely built of wood and this particular building turned out to be an hotel, each level reached by a narrow wooden staircase. At ground level I had noticed that two adjoining doors were marked ‘kitchen’ and ‘restaurant’ written in English and thought it a little strange for a communal building but at the time didn’t know it was an hotel. By the gateway stood a modern round summerhouse type structure which looked completely out of place and I thought spoiled the effect of this ancient building.

Back into the street we walked by the fast flowing river where not only the ducks were enjoying themselves but Sunny too as she walked across the stepping stones, one or two of them being covered in water. Mr. Zhang was having a good time too taking photos of us all as well as being our guide as he had been here before.

Crossing the river were several different style of bridges, some old some very new and uninteresting. Over one of the more ornate bridges narrow steps lead us to an area where tall thin carved columns resembling lances reached up to the sky. I had moved to an area by a stage where a young girl was having a lesson playing one of the square stringed instruments using fine hammers. I also spoke to a lady with young boys who although kept smiling at me were too shy to let me take their photograph. I got them in the end! At the side of the stage was an embellished red velvet sedan chair. Although we had been speaking basic English the lady was unable to understand me when I asked about the chair so Sunny came to translate. It was a wedding chair in which the bride was carried through the village as her husband escorted her to his home after the ceremony. So it was later when Keith told me about these thin columns that were dedicated to the memory of some of the village elders.

Walking back Sunny and I disappeared into another house where an old man was sitting in the corner close to two ornate wooden bird cages. He was joined by three young black puppies and on asking if I may take a photo he smiled and nodded. Another house we were to visit was again spoilt by tourism and a small shrine was being used to shelter several motorbikes and the chickens even though the incense burners gave the impression prayers were regularly said. We stopped going into some of the other houses because through the doorway we could see a circle of stalls. Sunny said not everyone was local some were just here to ‘do business’. We did however stop to look at a local artists work and from a distance Keith and I admired a view of the houses and countryside painted on a woven basket lid, but on closer inspection the basket was not very good. Inside his small gallery was a huge painting that ‘said it all’ but already framed in a large heavy wooden frame it was too big to take home – and where would we hang it?

Sunny was getting hungry and lunch was to be our next stop so it was back into the car. We arrived at a restaurant which was very busy in fact I think we occupied the last table but then it appeared we were the last to eat. Service was slow and when Jenny went to investigate came back to say only one cooker! So a plate of duck gizzard and a dish of salted peanuts, on the house because of the delay, were put before us. We had eaten the duck several times much to Sunny’s surprise and this particular dish is generally eaten thinly sliced and cold and is quite tasty especially when dipped in soya sauce. All diners are usually given a small split dish of soya sauce and vinegar when there is a selection of cold food. At last the food began to arrive, only not before Jenny had returned to the kitchen again and come back with a steamed bun in her hand, but it was noticeably very salty and some of the others didn’t like that. It was food, good and plenty of variety from chicken, duck, meat and fish all cooked country style which makes a nice change.

Back on the road more photo stops before visiting another settlement. We had to leave the car and walk a short distance through the countryside. Parked across the road from our vehicle was a large 4X4 emblazoned with ‘Discovery Channel’ signs with all the equipment at the rear on which to fix a movie camera. Arriving at the settlement we meandered the narrow streets and came across a little girl stood by a painting. No sign of the artist but with a colourful palette and all the brushes how could she not resist ‘having a go’ at mixing the paints without actually touching the canvas. By now a group of Japanese tourists armed with large expensive cameras making mine look quite inadequate had caught up with us. After taking a discreet photo it seemed I had been observed by the Japanese and now we had ‘a little celebrity’ as they all crouched down to take a similar shot! She seemed to take it all in her stride as she posed for them.

As we were about to leave we began to hear thunder. We had watched the dark skies get closer but I was not worried as I had brought our umbrellas. We didn’t hit the rain until we were in the car and on our way down the mountainside and then it only lasted a few minutes before we were back into the blue skies and sunshine. As we travelled along the chattering and laughing subsided and on looking round saw the girls had fallen asleep. Once we were out of the mountain region we came home a different route stopping in Zhangzhou City for supper in a waterside hotel.

Once again we experienced excellent food and drink. I stayed on the fresh fruit juice with our driver whilst I lost count of how many bottles of beer the others got through. So much ‘gambei’ (bottoms up) with the girls keeping up with the men! We thanked Capt Mao and especially our driver for such a lovely day out, one we will talk about for a long time.

It was very dark when we left Zhangzhou and our driver could not go very fast as all the oncoming vehicles had the car lights on full beam, so it was after 9.30 when we were dropped by our apartment. Once again we thanked everyone and thanked Mr. Mao for our present of a large model of the ‘Tulou’ houses.