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 There are a
variety of breakfast options available on the streets in
Kunming,
China. We bought fried rice cakes
with sugar or egg pancakes every
morning from these vendors.
A minority woman in Kunming
wears her baby on her back.
Mingei has an assortment of fine
old baby carriers from several
different minority groups in
the Yunnan.
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Kunming, the capital city of
Yunnan province in southwestern China, was in many ways
what a first time traveler from the US might expect. We
saw legions of bicyclists passing at rush hour in a
separate lane and directed at intersections by a traffic
guard. We also saw laundry hanging to dry in the trees at
the University, children carrying their own small stools
to school, and street vendors selling food, produce, toys
and lots more. We were stared at and spoken about
wherever we went.What was
unexpected was the extensive construction going on all
over the city, and the small numbers of minority folk.
This is the central city in the heart of the Yunnan--a
province known for its 28 different minorities. But the
Han Chinese, the major ethnic group of China, dominate
this city and its economy. Though there is the Yunnan
Minorities Institute in Kunming , and people from the
rural minorities come to the city looking for work, their
presence was not easy for us to discern.
The
ubiquitous construction and concurrent destruction of old
buildings and neighborhoods is part of a plan to
refurbish the city for a major agricultural convention
set to happen in April this year. It is hard to see,
however, how this city will support the number of huge,
shiny new steel and glass hotel, bank and office
buildings that are going up. Perhaps some will be used
for apartments; those surely are needed. Construction
went on 24 hours a day, and while Kunming was much
quieter at night, there were produce markets open, and
people in small open shops along the streets playing
cards, eating, and cutting customers' hair.
Beijing,
in contrast, was much larger and seemed much more
cosmopolitan. We were stared at much less and people
generally were not shy at all. The city was vast, and
roads, building and traffic seemed to extend forever.
Dress was modern and we saw many fewer babies carried on
backs.
In both
cities, however, streets were free of trash. While
pollution was noticeable and there was fine grit in the
air, the streets were swept regularly by people on foot
with small brooms. In both cities, too, people we
encountered were very friendly and funny.
We were
struck by the helpfulness and interest extended to us,
and by the keen sense of humor most people seemed to
have. It didn't seem to be a problem generally that we
spoke no Chinese (well, about 10 words) and that most of
the people with whom we interacted spoke no English. We
had a wonderful time gesturing, pointing, and using a
calculator, phrase book and often pictures of our shop or
our children. We found people to be so good-humored that
when we could go no further with communication, we could
just laugh together .
We
always enjoy meeting and talking with folks who shop at
Mingei, but this trip to China proved how terrific Mingei
customers are. The help of two Mingei customers,
Americans living in China, made our trip much easier.
Both spoke some Chinese, told us about places to shop and
came with us sometimes, hosted us in their home or made
guest house reservations for us. Their help was
invaluable and their generosity made our China trip much
more successful and pleasurable.¨
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