Learn. It's good for you.

I went to Jinyun Mountain this weekend. My friend Libby, who teaches less than 1 hour away from me, had mentioned that she may be interested in visiting. After a stormy night, I woke up to sunshine, crisp air, and blue skies. It was a hiking day.

Libby

We walked up the side of the mountain. We had to ask for directions constantly because the trail goes, what seemed like, right through people’s gardens. We were so close to their houses, we could have enjoyed a little afternoon television with them.

It also goes over many streams. I mentioned, off the cuff to Libby, that people frequently get their water from the mountain because they believe that it is less polluted.

Over the stream and through the farms...

At the top is a pagoda and we climbed to the top of that too. From the top, Libby pointed out the blue tin roofs on many of the houses. She said in one city, all the roofs are red. There was an NPR report on why, but she couldn’t remember the details. We could not spot any red roofs in Beibei.

All the way to the top of the pagoda

This is at the base of the pagoda.

On the way down the mountain, Libby pointed to people carrying water. “It’s good they don’t have to climb up the mountain with those filled,” she remarked. Then I realized something. Without mentioning the water on our climb, would Libby have recognized those bottles? I definitely wouldn’t have questioned the blue tin roofs.

How much of this world do I leave unquestioned and unnoticed? I’ve heard it said that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. Although this may be true and overwhelming, I would rather feel like I know nothing and see parts of the world more clearly than let my life pass by in a blur.

I’m going to share a piece of China with you today, and hopefully I can share a bit in my future posts, so you too can see the world a bit more clearly.

A few weeks ago I went to a performance of the School of Minority Studies.

On the picture of China are drawings of a sample of minority groups.

There are 55 recognized ethnic minorities in China. Combined, less than 10% of the total population is from a minority group.

Students sang and danced to traditional music.
The diversity was incredible.

When I first arrived in China, I had a single story of China. I thought I was more knowledgeable than the average American. I had learned about Chinese government. I had read Wild Swans. That's good, right? It should have occurred to me that such a vast country would have great diversity, but it didn't. I'm slowly learning more about this country and I'm slowly learning how little I'm seeing.

On a side note: I also went to the School of Agriculture’s performance. It was mostly students singing or dancing, although at one point an older man got on stage to sing a song. While he was singing, my friend next to me nudged me and told me, “That is my professor. His major is rice.”

This is a major.