Chinese New Year 2015 - My Trip to JiangXi - Ancient Village

Tina's family were really gracious hosts.  Her father especially insisted that I see some of the sights of significance, and he even arranged for transportation, which can be quite a hassle in China.

First we visited an ancient village that is about an hour away from Tina's home.  It is over 1000 years old, though of course only a few parts from that time still remain.

The view of flat fields and mountains in the distance.  JiangXi's primary crop is the canola plant, and its yellow flowers can be seen even in the wintertime.

A temple in the ancient village.  It's ok to take photos from the outside, but not from the inside.  Tina's dad (who has no religious belief) had no problem taking photos of the Buddha on the outside of the temple.  I didn't, either. :)

Burning incense.

The Buddha.

Tina's Dad (Shushu) and Tina's Mom (Aiyi) often take care of Tina's niece and nephew.  I was really impressed that on this cold, drizzly day, they carried or walked the children everywhere.  This is Shushu and Tina's niece ahead of us.

Of course, these windows aren't the originals, but they are stunning nonetheless.  The artwork is incredible!

Stones - I couldn't tell you the significance.

The entryway to an old house.  The atrium has an open skylight where these urns collect rainwater.

A display of embroidery.  I thought this one was interesting because I've only ever seen doorway hangings in Japanese-style homes or in Japan.  I didn't know that China used them, too.

Embroidered bibs.

Me, in front of an ancient home.  The funny thing is that to my left side, an enthusiastic Chinese man was watching.  Just after Tina took this picture, he hurried over and indicated he wanted to take a selfie with me.  I can't say it's that unusual in China, but still, it's always a surprise.  The funny / creepy thing was that we caught him taking photos of me at other times, too!

A machine used to separate the rice grains from the chaff.

Aiyi with Tina's nephew.  She was telling him the names of everything in Chinese - mountain, duck, what does the duck say - etc.  Tina's parents talk to the children in Mandarin, and they will pick up the local language as they grow up.

This window was especially impressive.  It has 100 carved bats on it, and it used to be gold-plated.  Unfortunately, during the cultural revolution, many of the bats were cut off.  Many still remain.

This camphor tree is 1200 years old.  So strong and wise, we touched it for good luck!

I can't say thank you to Tina's family enough.  They were simply a pleasure to be around!