China, Day 18. Yangshuo: Li River, Qing Farmhouse

Today we took a 4½ hour cruise down the Li River. We were surrounded by huge green mountains the entire time.  Our ship had three levels – two levels with large booth seating and one roof deck level for scenery viewing. It was an extremely hot day, but the breezes on the deck made all the difference. The unique and spectacular views speak for themselves.

 

(water buffalo)

 

(cormorant fisherman)

 

(more water buffalo) 

We disembarked in very hot Yangshuo and snapped a picture of the girls with a cormorant fisherman.

 

We then walked through the market and visited a 300 year old Qing Dynasty farm house. We learned that most old farm houses have been destroyed for new construction, so this one is very rare. After we entered, the grandma taught the girls how to make soy milk using the same stone system as used hundreds of years ago. The grandpa then showed us his pet bird and had it do some tricks.

We entered the main living area where Willa sat in a 300 year old chair. The grandpa told us about their lives. The stone house was very cool for not having air conditioning. The grandma served us peanuts. The grandpa’s five-poison jar was on display in the front of the room. It contains a liquid plus poisonous snakes, centipedes and other creepy things, and he takes a sip of it every day for longevity. He collected the ingredients himself from the area. Gave us all the shivers.

He also had a big jar of black ant tea. People apparently drink it for the same reason. We saw a package of dried ants for tea later at a store and learned that black ant tea is pretty common in certain communities.

Before we left, the grandma showed us her coffin. It is also sitting in one of the main rooms. Apparently most Chinese people are cremated, but it is traditional for very old farmers to be buried. The grandma was very happy about her coffin because she knew she had nothing to worry about if she died.

 

 

 

(Men pull their shirts up like this when they're hot.)

(Willa in a 300 year old chair.)

 

We then checked into Yangshuo Mountain Retreat on the Yulong River. This was our view and our room. It truly was a special place. We enjoyed watching the non-stop flow of bamboo rafts going down the river.

That night we attended the Impression Sanjie Liu water performance which highlighted various minorities and their songs, dance and costumes. The outdoor backdrop was incredible and made it an exceptional experience.

 

Tomorrow we are going to Jia's province!