Travel

First of all I would like to mention I am writing this based on what I have learned via word of mouth, having visited Meizhou recently and having relatives from that area who are Hakka.

The Hakka people are quite unique in many ways, first of all their name means “guest” as they are a migratory people who almost one thousand years ago migrated (were exiled) from northern China about the time that Genghis Khan took over the region starting the Yuan Dynasty.

They were not exactly welcome when they arrived in their new homeland in Guangdong, so they were forced to move to the mountainous and hilly regions, many overseas to places such as Singapore (Lee Kwan Yew is Hakka). Their capital is Meizhou, a city in eastern Guangdong with a small population of five million (small when compared to bigger cities in China such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, etc.).

In the countryside in Hakka territory one will find that homes are a lot different than those of, say Shantou. The farm buildings are grouped together, sometimes in a circular formation that provide protection from outsiders. In fact, if one looks closely one will find holes just large enough to shoot from dotting around the outside of the fortifications. The farmers themselves are large square fields that typically yield rice. Unlike the farms in other parts of China one will not find as many small huts dotting the farmscape, instead you will find irrigation pools used for the important task of flooding the rice paddy and cooling down (one will often spot groups of young farmers taking a break in the pools. Yaks or water buffalo are very common, and are seen doing much of the work (tractors are virtually non-existent out here). When the rice is ready, one will not see water or a paddy but a field of something that looks like wheat.

In Hakka culture education is very important, but traditionally men were the only ones educated as the female’s primary role was to marry off into another family. Women also do a lot of working in this area, and while men are studying, the women are out in the fields working on the crops. It was amusing to see a woman riding a bike with a man sitting on the back holding an umbrella (there was no rain, but some Chinese are picky about not getting a tan).

In the city lots of people use tricycles to get around, and hire someone for a menial price to take them where they want to go. Unfortunately Meizhou is famous for dog meat, and one will often find signs displaying the “gou rou” characters. After a while one might also get tired of the Hakka dialect, as it has evolved from people yelling across the mountains to each other and still retains its sharp, noisy characteristics. However, Hakka people are generally more law abiding as their position as commonly not owning land has made them focus on education and many enter civil service.

The thing I’ve noticed about farms in China is that they partition the land into very small segments, and some of these segments are covered by black tarps perhaps to protect the crops from the sun. Instead of using large machines crops are hand grown and tended, and usually there are water buffalo nearby to help with some of the labor.

There are irrigation canals through the fields, and one can often spot a group of three or more farmer kids swimming in the water. I assume they have built up a resistance to the local flora including bacteria and parasites. Most likely these people have no allergies, as studies have shown that the more hygenic the area, the more prone children are to have allergies to pollen and other materials.

In the distance one will spot the farmer’s homes, usually made of concrete and brick and built two or three stories high. Probably these building house two or three generations of one family. Once in awhile you will spot grandoise structures built in the middle of shanty villages, sporting greek columns and statues. Most likely owned by the wealthy landowners (yes land can be owned here) or the owner of one of the many factories that dot the rural towns. The pollution is not so much a problem here, as the strong winds from the ocean blow it inland.

On the hills around the farms you will spot tombs built into the rocks, on the tomb there will be one to several graves. Each family shares a tomb. Concrete is poured onto the steeper sides of rocky hills next to highways to avoid landslides, which come when the torrential rains pound the area.

Looking into the farm towns, one will see archaic three wheeled motorized contraptions, resembling tractors but much smaller. Also mopeds are pretty common in the area, along with motorcycles and blue industrial trucks used for hauling goods to the cities.

Construction is commonplace, but here in the rural areas contruction is mostly done using iron scaffolding, concrete, and bricks. More farmhouses are being constructed, all facing east. Much work is being done to improve the highway system as well, and one can spot a truck traditionally used to carry livestock being used to carry a truckful of workers to a new construction site.

All this can be seen on the five hour busride from Shenzhen to Shantou, China.

As the holiday season approaches, many people are thinking about what they can buy their loved ones as a gift. According to consumerreports.org, gift cards ranked second in popularity as a gift item in 2006. Best Buy reports that it made a forty-three million dollar profit just from people forgetting to use their gift cards before the expiration date.

According to a survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, only 27% of adults that had received gift cards during the 2006 holiday season used them before the expiration date (usually 1 year). The most widespread reported reason for this was:

1. they didn’t have time to shop
   
2. they couldn’t find anything to buy

The credit-card gift cards are a step better, they allow you to purchase almost anything you could with a card. However they too have their drawbacks, as not only could people use them, but also there is a two to ten dollar fee when getting one.

I guess the most important drawback of a gift card is this: “What happens if the store/company that issued the gift card goes bankrupt?” This is not uncommon, as even in Idaho there are multiple examples:

• Sharper Image did not honor its gift cards, but imposed a new rule after it went bankrupt that people could use the gift cards if they spent twice the value of the card on a single transaction.

• Bombay Co., which closed 388 stores including one at the Boise Towne Square Mall, redeemed only 1/4 of each gift card’s value

• Other local examples include: 8th Street Wine Co., Zutto Japanese Restaurant, Franco Latino

In conclusion, one must agree that buying gift cards is a risky venture, and something one should consider very carefully before doing this holiday season.