'Real' China

Last night walking home from a fun date, Jim and I decided to take the 'back alley' way home. We live in a local apartment community, and it feels like we live among 'the people'. But taking that route home felt like we were in 'Real China'. The China of 1996 when we lived in student housing on a university campus. The China where my roommate and I used to visit in the dark while we baked a cake in a toaster oven because any more electricity would trip the breaker. The China where hot water was available from 6-7am, and 7-8pm, maybe. The China where your heater in the winter was the glowing orange, open flame kind where is was hard to sleep because it was so darn bright. The China where I learned how to assemble my own toilet parts, rewire an outlet, and bring the clothes in from the drying line before they fired up the coal factory at night. And it felt kinda reminiscent.

There were crowds huddled together watching television outside in the dark... A community Monday night football sort of thing I suppose, except this was Chinese drama. So maybe more like a LOST or a 24 neighborhood party? There were pool tables every 10 yards... There were one room units where people sold their vinegar, or veggies, or automotive parts; and one meter removed in the same room are their beds and rice cookers. There were noodle huts, meat-on-a-stick stops on the street, and already baked sweet potatoes for sale. There was the aroma of coal burning stoves, rotting trash heaps, and barbequed lamb. There were mommas singing their babies to sleep. There were many stares from curious faces wondering what our white faces were doing walking down their streets. And it was the most visionary 20 minutes of our first 3 months back here.