Localpeoplemayhavemovedtomoremodernhomes,buttheystillliketositoutsideandeattheirlunchinthesunshine.
TraditionalmusicanddanceaccompaniesfestivalsinthevillageofPeizhai.Asthehigh-speedtrainslicedthroughtheHenancountrysideanddroppedussafelyinXinxiangCity,IwasstruckbyajarringreminderofhowhighthestakesareforregionaldevelopmentinChina.Withapopulationofaroundsixmillion,thisHenancity,previouslyunbeknownsttome,hasmorepeoplethanmanyEuropeancapitals.Ifitwereacountry,HenanProvincealonewouldbethetwelfthmostpopulousnationintheworld.WhileIcontemplatedthesefigures,wetransferredtoabustocontinueourjourneytoPeizhai,whereIwastobeintroducedinearnesttoruralChineselife.ThedefunctremainsofawellmarkthecenterofPeizhaiVillage,persistingasareminderofhardertimes.Today,thevillagershavemuchmoreconvenientaccesstowater,butjust10yearsago,locals’dailystrugglestherewereunimaginable.Avictimofitsgeography,nestledinavalleydeepwithintheTaihangMountains,Peizhaifacedregularandacutewatershortagesthatcrippleditsdevelopment.Aerialphotographyhasshownjusthowbigadifferencethevillage’smodernreservoirsandirrigationsystemshavemadetothelandscape:previouslybarrenlandisnowblanketedbylushgreencrops.“Waterisextremelyimportanttothevillage,”explainsPeiChunliang,secretaryofthePartycommitteeofPeizhaiCommunityandalocal,self-madephilanthropistwhohasreinvestedheavilyinthearea.“Areliablewatersourcehasenabledustoprogress.”
Hisandothers’effortshaveproveneffective.Thewaterstoragesystemshavegivenlocalpeopletheupperhandintheirbattlewithdroughtforthefirsttimeinhistory,andtheresultingchangeshaverenderedPeizhaialmostunrecognizable.Thevillage’sorigi-nalbuildingshavelargelybeendemolishedtomakewayfornewerstructures,sotounderstandwhatlifethereusedtobelike,wevisitedanothernearbycommunitythathasnotseenthesamepaceofdevelopment:Dawangzhuang.There,adirtroadwindsthroughramshacklehouses,someofwhichstandemptyanddilapidated.Afewdogsrummagethroughroadsidetrash.Thepeoplestillsubsistalmostentirelyonfarming.Withthisasareferencepoint,Peizhai’sachievementsareevenmoreimpressive.
AspaciousvillagesquarenowwelcomesvisitorstoPeizhaiwithartdesignedbylocalschoolchildren.Basketballcourts,pingpongtablesandwell-maintainedexerciseequipmentwaitforusers,andneatrowsofmodern,terracedhousesshelterfamiliesthatpreviouslyinhabiteddeterioratinghuts.Asthecountrydevelops,suchscenescanbefoundacrossChina.SohowdoesPeizhairetainitsunique“village”aura?Itspeople.Thevillage’straditionswerenotabandonedaseasilyasitsbuildings.Seniorsstillgathereachmorningfortheirdailyexercisebeforereturninghometolookaftergrandchildrenwhiletheirparentsheadofftowork.Later,theyenjoytheafternoonsunshineintheirfrontyards,whicharelinedwithrowsofvegetablesordryinglaundry.Theirhomesarecleanandwelcoming,butscatteredwiththeparaphernaliaofrurallife.Despitethestressofmovingintomodernfacilities,theirmentalitiesanddailyliveshaveremainedremarkablyconsistent.Thepreservationmaybefleeting—thechildrenwillneverknowthehardshiptheirparentsandgrandparentsendured—butforthemoment,acurioustug-of-warbetweenpastandpresent,traditionanddevelopment,iscrystalclear.
Oldhabitsdiehard,evenmoresoincuisine.It’snosecretthatfoodplaysacentralroleinChineseculture,andPeizhaiisnoexception.Wewereinvitedtolunchwithothervisitorstothevillageandseatedinaclean,brightly-lithallatoneendofthevillagesquare.Despitethestarklymodernsurroundings,thecookingwasalldoneinalargevatoutside,witharoaringfireunderneath.Thefood,vegetablestewservedonabedofrice,wasdelicious,buttheirtraditionalmethodswereevenmoreremarkable,withsomeonerunningdishesinandoutofthebuilding.“Themostcuttingedgecookingequipmentintheworldcanhardlyrivaltraditionalmethods”wasarefrainrepeatedthroughoutthevillage.Onmultipleoccasions,wemetresidentscookingsteamedbunsoveranold-fashionedoutdoorstove,rightoutsideaperfectlyfunctionalkitchen.“Foodisimportantbecauseitleavesanimpressiononyou,”stressesPeiChunliang.“Ifyouleaveaplacefull,you’llhavegoodmemoriesofthatplace.”Achefhangssweetpotatonoodlesouttodrybeforetheyareusedinvariousdishes.
Childrenfromneighboringvillageshaveachancetotastethesweetpotatonoodles.Aprimeexampleofthevaluestillplacedontraditionalcookingisthecelebrationoffentiao,or“sweetpotatonoodles.”ThroughoutPeizhai’shistoricalstruggleswithdroughtandpoorsoilconditions,thesweetpotatoenduredandbecameknownasthemostreliablecrop.Thevillage’snewfoundprosperityhasallowedthemtobeginholdingacelebrationdevotedtothefaithfulvegetable,anditisajubilantevent.Theyopenthecookingareatospectators,andIwitnessedthetransformationofsweetpotatoesintofentiaobeforemyeyes,backedbylivetraditionalmusic.First,thesweetpotatoesarecutintosmallpiecesandmashedwithflourtoformadoughymixture.Whenthedoughreachestherightconsistency,itissqueezedthroughakindofsieveintolong,thinstrips,whichlandinatubofhotwaterwithafireunderneathit.Thechefscookquicklyandexpertly;theirbrightwhiteoutfitsarefitforanupmarketrestaurantandclashwiththesmokeandflames.Afterafewseconds,thethinstripsarescoopedoutofthewaterandhungoveraracktodryinthesun.Nothingiswasted:eventherootsofthesweetpotatoesareexportedtoJapan,wheretheyareadelicacy,accordingto62-year-oldWangZhongmei,whorunsasweetpotatobusinesswithhisson.APeizhainative,WangwasoneofPeiChunliang’smiddle-schoolteachers.He’sconfidentthatdespitethehugechangeshehasseeninthevillageinhislifetime,appreciationofthesweetpotatoandfentiaowillendure.Thepeoplehiredtosetuptheeventseemedtosharethatsentiment.“Thisfestivalgivesusanewopportunitytoshowourlocalspecialtytooutsidevisitors,”onetoldme.“Itgiveslocalpeopleanewplatformtodisplaytheirproduceandtherebyapathtoprosperity.”
Ofcourse,thepeopleofPeizhaihaveworkedhardtogettothispoint,andfarfewernowgrowsweetpotatoes.Thevillagehascomeupwithanumberofinnovativeindustriesthatemploylocalpeopleandgeneratesignificantincome.Peizhaiisspinningtheproverbaboutteachingamantofishtofeedhimforalifetimeinto“Teachamanhowtoraisegoldfish,createahighlysuccessfulbusiness.”Atoneendofthevillage,along,lowbuildinghousesrowafterrowoflargetanks,inwhichgoldfishofvaryingsizesareraiseduntiltheycanbesoldtopetstoresasfarawayasBeijing.Foravillagethatonlyrecentlyovercameadevastatingdrought,thedecisiontoraisefishseemsassymbolicasitislucrative.
Still,agricultureremainsthelargestlaborsector.TheestablishmentofPeizhai’smodernindustriesrestsonafoundationcementedbygenerationsoflocalfarmers.Acrossavastarea,28largegreenhouseshousefruitsandvegetablesfarmoreexoticthanthehumblesweetpotato.Eachgreenhouseisangledtocaptureasmuchsunlightaspossible.Atallwallofcompactedclayononesidehelpscapturethewarmth,andtranslucent,plasticsheetingservesasaroof.Theoveralleffectisimpressive,withthetemperaturenoticeablywarmerthanoutside.Thegreenhousesrepresentprogress,butthetraditionoffamiliesoperatingbusinessestogetherhasn’tchanged.Mr.Liang,afarmerinhis50s,andoneofhisdaughtersmaintaintwotomatogreenhouses.Businessisbooming,andthepairmakesfiftyorsixtythousandyuanayear.Nearby,Ms.Ru’syoungdaughterplaysoutsidewhilehermothertendsanexoticcropofdragonfruits,sproutingbizarrelyfromthin,spindlystemsthatlookliketheybelongtoacactus.
WeheadedintothevillagecenterandreachedCommerceStreet,theprideofPeizhaianditscommercialhub.Thebusinessesthereembodythehopesanddreamsofmanylocalpeople.SnapshotsoftraditionalChinesevillagelifeareinfusedwiththetrappingsofmodernity.Anelectronicsstoredisplaysgleamingtelevisions,washingmachinesandairconditioners,whileoutside,anelderlymansellsfruitfromawoodencart.AgroupofchildrenenthusiasticallylearnsthestepsofaLatindance,energeticallywavingaChineseflagineachhand.EvenplaceslikethisarewithinthereachofChina’se-commercegiants,andaJDstoredistributespurchasesmadeonline.Theproprietor,Mr.Yang,isjust21yearsold.AconveniencestoreoperatedbythePostalSavingsBankofChinaofferswell-stockedshelvesofnon-perishablefooditemsandhouseholdgoodsaswellasapreferentialvouchersystemtoencouragesavingsofbankaccountholders.Theshopkeeper,whoissixmonthspregnant,wearsathickcoatbehindthecounterbecausethestorelacksheating.Thisvillageisstillaworkinprogress,butitspeopleareproudofit,astheyshouldbe.
Peizhai’srealizationoftheChineseDreamwaspossiblethankstothegenerosityofSecretaryPeiChunliangandthesupportoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),andthevillage’sgratitudeisoverwhelminglyapparent.AnexhibitioncelebratingthelocalachievementsoftheCPChasbeenplacedproudlyinthevillagesquare.ButthenarrativeofPeizhai’sdevelopmentisalsoacomplextapestryofindividualstories.Successesandfailures,triumphsanddefeatsonthesmallestandmostpersonalscalehaveallcontributedtowhatthevillagehasbecome,andwillcontinuetodosoasPeizhai’speopleforgetheirpathintothefuture.
Intheexhibitionhall,Iwasdrawntoalargegroupphototakenatacelebrationin2015.“Weareonefamily,”readsthecaption.Anddespiteallthechangesthatcomewithmodernization,thisenduringvillagespiritgivesPeizhaiitsownspecialidentity.