The Other Side of Prosperity
I grew up in Guangdong Province, which has the highest GDP in China. While it was nowhere near as prosperous when I lived in China as it is today, it was still a relatively wealthy place compared to other parts of the country. But here’s an interesting look at the flip side of that prosperity — people living in mud houses in a rural village in west Guangdong:
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/09/chinas-other-billion-mud-houses-in-china…
I also noticed this passage from the story:
“The most important thing is that our girl will study hard and go to high school” Chen says. “We have no education which is why we have to work so hard”. (Chen only speaks the local dialect. Her daughter acts as translator.) The girl’s elementary school fee is only 25 Yuan per term, but that will go much higher next year, when she’ll start middle school in town. This is why Chen stays awake at night in her mud house, making more baskets. Education is the most important thing.
That emphasis on one’s children’s education is, of course, nothing new in China. During my research for the book, I found it to be a recurring theme. For instance, when my great grandfather passed away, my grandfather was but six years old. My great grandmother did odd jobs to help make ends meet, but never took her eyes off the goal of sending her son to medical school so he could follow in his father’s footsteps.
