Jin Shi Tan

These picture are all from the outskirts of my hometown here in China. From my home to this community is about a 15-20 walk.




Goats provide milk throughout their lives, and as they move into old age become delicious dumplings ;)




Older homes are made of stone and mortar.




Newer homes are made from concrete. These ones were likely built after the cultural revolution.





The locals here are excited at the chance to show a foreigner some hospitality.




Though the homes here look ratty, their occupants are clothed and fed. I was surprised to find that every single one has a television and cable T.V.




This little boy drags his favorite toy behind him wherever he goes. It is a broken black grate tied to a long piece of black plastic covered wire. The girls who accompany him are sure to tell people not to touch it as he is very protective.




Though these girls are likely his cousins, he calls them sister. A common thing in China. Boy cousins are usually referred to as 'brother' and girl cousins are 'sisters'.





As farmland is purchased from the locals who live there, the Chinese government demolishes their homes to ensure squatters do not move in. Once all of the local farms are bought out, development moves in. Of course there is no need to waste the resources it would take to demolish them completely, so they are only demolished to the point of being "unlivable" and then left until the space can be properly developed by a private investor.







A local man comes to the town well to draw some fresh water. He tells me that all are welcome to this water including me.




Now with water in hand he must carry it home.










Jin Shi Tan, directly translated to Golden Pebble Beach, is the town in which I live. Only a decade ago this town was almost entirely a fishing and farming community. Fishing is still huge here. Farming does not play as big a role as it once did here, but during key growing seasons much of the food we eat is still grown right here in town. There is an amazingly stark contrast when one looks at the outskirts of Jin Shi Tan and the town center filled with high-rise apartment buildings. I spent some time in the farming community recently, there are NO white people to be found in this area, and the locals were eager to show how friendly they can be. I stopped into the local grocer and bought a beer. I stopped into a couple of farm houses as well. I imagine that within my lifetime this way of life will have vanished from China. This farming community is slated to disappear in the next year in the name of progress. Of course one needs travel only another 15-20 minutes to find another small farming village of the same variety, but farming here in the north is being done more and more often using green houses to allow for year round food production. For now though these are the people from whom I buy my food.