On Tuesday, November 7th, I was invited by Mr. Cai, the General Secretary, to take a trip to the countryside to visit some YMCA sponsored programs. We were accompanied by Mr. Song and Zhu Qi, the Executive Secretary. Zhu Qi arranges many international visits for the YMCA. The first place we visited was called Sunshine Village in Pingu located about 150 kilometers east of Beijing. Sunshine Village was founded by a retired woman who saw a need for the children of convicted criminals to have a home. Many of these parents are sent away for about 15 years, so it is the whole time a child is growing up. When they are released, this organization provides some rehabilitation and counseling to the parents before they are reunited with their children. Without this village, these children would be homeless or worse. The village is supported by many groups and countries. I saw a sign for the Rotary and one dormitory is supported by a German group, another by the Hong Kong YMCA. They serve about 80 children. During our visit, we saw some dormitories, the pre-school area, the cafeteria, the coal burning boiler and the vegetable gardens. There were several piles of coal around the premises. I haven't seen a pile of coal since I was a young kid in the 1950s. My aunt and uncle used coal for fuel since they hadn't yet converted to oil and we kids used to slide around the coal pile. While we were there, a high school group from Sweden were also visiting and some folks from England were donating clothing and toys.
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After this visit we stopped at some fields full of fruit trees. I'm told they are date trees but the they looked more like fig trees. However, the fruit does look like dates. I didn't get to taste it since it was already past harvest. Apparently these trees are sponsored by people who pay about 50 RMB per year ($6.25) and the proceeds from the sale of the fruit go to help support the local school. This is a poor, rural area. We also picked up a local vegetable which grows in between the trees. It looks like a turnip but tastes more like a mild radish. Very good.
By this time we had worked up an appetite. We stopped at a local restaurant. For the city people, this is a treat. Much like when we visit the countryside and have local farm fresh food. We had a kind of cabbage soup, vegetables, dumplings with egg and meat fillings, pork sausage and a favorite of my companions, donkey. I tried some and it wasn't half bad. It looked like pot roast and, indeed, it had been marinated and cooked the same way we would cook pot roast. However, it was served cold with a soy sauce mixture for dipping. The soup is my favorite. I'd had several variations of it before. It tastes something like a mild sauerkraut in a mild broth and can really warm up the tummy on a chilly day!
Next, it was on to another, even smaller, rural village about 40 kilometers north of Pingu. The purpose was to visit an elementary school sponsored by the Tokyo YMCA. The school is in a compound and serves about 120 students. We met the headmaster and the magistrate of the village. We spent some time visiting the kindergarten children and peeking in at a classroom. The children are also learning English in school. I can't speak enough about the hospitality of the people in China everywhere I go. You truly feel like an honored guest!
On Tuesday, November 7th, I was invited by Mr. Cai, the General Secretary, to take a trip to the countryside to visit some YMCA sponsored programs. We were accompanied by Mr. Song and Zhu Qi, the Executive Secretary. Zhu Qi arranges many international visits for the YMCA. The first place we visited was called Sunshine Village in Pingu located about 150 kilometers east of Beijing. Sunshine Village was founded by a retired woman who saw a need for the children of convicted criminals to have a home. Many of these parents are sent away for about 15 years, so it is the whole time a child is growing up. When they are released, this organization provides some rehabilitation and counseling to the parents before they are reunited with their children. Without this village, these children would be homeless or worse. The village is supported by many groups and countries. I saw a sign for the Rotary and one dormitory is supported by a German group, another by the Hong Kong YMCA. They serve about 80 children. During our visit, we saw some dormitories, the pre-school area, the cafeteria, the coal burning boiler and the vegetable gardens. There were several piles of coal around the premises. I haven't seen a pile of coal since I was a young kid in the 1950s. My aunt and uncle used coal for fuel since they hadn't yet converted to oil and we kids used to slide around the coal pile. While we were there, a high school group from Sweden were also visiting and some folks from England were donating clothing and toys.
.
After this visit we stopped at some fields full of fruit trees. I'm told they are date trees but the they looked more like fig trees. However, the fruit does look like dates. I didn't get to taste it since it was already past harvest. Apparently these trees are sponsored by people who pay about 50 RMB per year ($6.25) and the proceeds from the sale of the fruit go to help support the local school. This is a poor, rural area. We also picked up a local vegetable which grows in between the trees. It looks like a turnip but tastes more like a mild radish. Very good.
By this time we had worked up an appetite. We stopped at a local restaurant. For the city people, this is a treat. Much like when we visit the countryside and have local farm fresh food. We had a kind of cabbage soup, vegetables, dumplings with egg and meat fillings, pork sausage and a favorite of my companions, donkey. I tried some and it wasn't half bad. It looked like pot roast and, indeed, it had been marinated and cooked the same way we would cook pot roast. However, it was served cold with a soy sauce mixture for dipping. The soup is my favorite. I'd had several variations of it before. It tastes something like a mild sauerkraut in a mild broth and can really warm up the tummy on a chilly day!
Next, it was on to another, even smaller, rural village about 40 kilometers north of Pingu. The purpose was to visit an elementary school sponsored by the Tokyo YMCA. The school is in a compound and serves about 120 students. We met the headmaster and the magistrate of the village. We spent some time visiting the kindergarten children and peeking in at a classroom. The children are also learning English in school. I can't speak enough about the hospitality of the people in China everywhere I go. You truly feel like an honored guest!
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