I am writing from an internet cafe in the centre of Liumutang Village, just outside the larger city of Lianyuan. I did not make it as far today as I would have liked. The road was hilly and the air full of ash, and by the time I got here I needed to rest for the evening.
The hotel I am staying in is 60 yuan, more expensive than the countryside, but comes with the luxury of real hot running water and its own toilet.
I followed today the realization that I had yesterday: country roads in these parts are actually better than large roads. Large roads are worn down by a river of heavy trucks and buses, but the country roads don't see much but the occational motorbike or tractor.
The hotel I am staying in is 60 yuan, more expensive than the countryside, but comes with the luxury of real hot running water and its own toilet.
I followed today the realization that I had yesterday: country roads in these parts are actually better than large roads. Large roads are worn down by a river of heavy trucks and buses, but the country roads don't see much but the occational motorbike or tractor.
I took a shortcut through the countryside towards the city of Lianyuan. This area was poorer than I had seen, the red brick houses smaller and more worn down, the shops fewer and farther between. The demographic shift that I have heard about before is obvious here: the old people and children stay in the country while the parents go to cities to find work. Many of the younger men I have spoken to here have only just returned from a nearby city or as far away as Guangzhou to spend the new year with their families.
In the the marketplace of Longtang Village, this woman was selling candy for the new year. Brightly coloured sweets like these are given out to the many relatives and visitors that come around during the holidays.
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