Today we left the bustling cities, smoggy air, and heavy traffic behind as we headed to Pengzhou, a rural community north of Chengdu. On our way we picked up several undergraduate students from the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) and enjoyed the opportunity of conversing with and learning much from them. Pengzhou was a beautiful mountainous region full of lush green trees towering over a quiet riverbed. Among the solemnity lay a few scarred remains of the 2008 earthquake that killed about 70,000 people, a humbling thought for those of us who have never experience such vast tragedy.
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We made a few stops in the area to observe a little bit of the life of the rural Chinese. We paused for a bit at a little nursery with rows of greenhouses full of blooming Gerber daisies and corn drying above. Aligned in neat rows out front were fruit trees, various types of vegetables, and large hydrangeas not quite ready to make their show of beautiful pinks and blues. The little row of rooms where the caretaker lived were accompanied by pens of chickens and massive pigs. And a little old lady graced us with her presence and shyly allowed us to take some pictures with her. It is amazing to ponder the events that have transpired in her country over her 80 years of life and the changes she has witnessed.
With a hand full of daisies, we left the little nursery to visit a nearby primary school. A little class of six and seven-year olds joined us in the courtyard and sang a couple of songs for us. We presented each little girl and several of the bravest little boys with a daisy as they each told us their name. Fortunately they were willing to interact and speak with us and we greatly enjoyed seeing their excitement of having such strange visitors. We were impressed by how nice the school was, especially being in such a rural area. It is obvious that China does put a good amount of investment into at least some rural education programs.
This visit to Pegnzhou was a very rewarding experience for all of us and we were grateful for such an opportunity to experience a side of China rarely seen by foreign eyes.
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