From Grits to Chopsticks

Our 11th floor apartment overlooks an unoccupied 4 story building.  But recently, the building has been undergoing a renovation, where the walls are being busted out and rebuilt.  Here is the building at the beginning of the project: A major part of any building project are the laborers.  These men and women possess an amazing amount […]

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On a recent Sunday afternoon, we explored the northeast corner of Dianchi Lake, walking into some of the areas that were formerly active fishing villages (pre-pollution).  A few things that we saw along the way: a snack of quail eggs:A fisherman on his make-shift boat:Some goats grazing alongside the highway:fishing boats that appear to have been idle for a […]

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A few weeks ago, we visited the Yunnan Railway Museum:It is very well done (especially if you’re an engineer), charting the vivid history of railroad construction and modernization throughout our province.The English descriptions throughout the museum were unusually clear.  Documentation included strong adjectives that didn’t gloss over historical perspectives :The museum contains relics and photos of the massive project to build a railroad between […]

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We recently joined the 100’s of millions of people who traveled during the National Holiday, heading north to visit Tim and Caitlyn in Chengdu.  It was wonderful to spend time together talking, walking, and eating.  Our first walk took us toward the downtown area where things were a bit crowded (Timothy is the tall guy with dark hair):Along the […]

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One of the interesting things about living in a different culture is the opportunity to enjoy new foods.  There’s nothing quite like a plate of fried bamboo worms to start off a meal: We actually ate them and they weren’t too bad.  We’re still not sure which end is the black part, but we hope […]

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Last weekend, we made a quick trip to the nearby city of Dali to spend some time encouraging a dear old friend who is in the final stages of cancer.  But (as we expected) his deep faith and love for others probably encouraged us more than vice versa:At his house, we enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal with other friends: […]

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Here are a few more photos from our weekly market.  This is the day that farmers and collectors come to town and sell their stuff, like freshly gathered walnuts and mushrooms:beehives and bees in a bottle:Roasted chestnuts and seeds:Freshly made chips, seasoned with a few cigarette ashes:fresh goat meat:and hundreds of other fruits and vegetables: If […]

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It’s always interesting to walk through the Thursday market nearby our apartment and see the variety of products and services for sale.  If you’re willing to take a small risk, you can get your hair cut…… or you can take a bigger risk and get your teeth fixed:You can buy traditional Chinese musical instruments……or you can just […]

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The school year in China is underway, bringing a new group of freshmen to campus.  On this rainy afternoon, they assembled in the school plaza for firefighting training: Most of their time is spent marching.  For the last two weeks, we’ve been listening as they counted “yi, er, san, si” on the nearby field (click here to watch Marching Freshmen): Perhaps […]

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Seventy years ago, on September 2, 1945, the Japanese foreign affairs minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on board USS Missouri.  Prior to the Japanese surrender, the American Volunteer Group fought alongside the Chinese from their base in Kunming.  This cooperative effort is memorialized inside of the Kunming City Museum:Their nickname, the “Flying Tigers,” came from their amazing […]

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