The Beat of Coal

Shanxi province is coal country. Fallout from the coal industry here in Shanxi is not too different from much of what I have seen scattered throughout China, here, there is just more of it. I have moved north from Xi'an to Pingyao to Yuncheng and now Datong. It's a dry, dusty, poor province running along the windward side of the Taihang mountains and 'there be coal'. It seems to be everywhere, just lying about. You can walk around through towns or fields and it's scattered here and there as if part of the natural ground cover. What is most disturbing, and this is true for nearly all the rural towns I have visited, is the everyday use of coal by individuals. It is used for heating and cooking. If you are in a fairly confined space when they are burning it for the above reasons, it is quite noxious. Sitting in guesthouses or small restaurants when they are using it, I have actually gotten light-headed and leave feeling a little crappy. Walking around the poorer towns there are piles of coal around every corner. People just come scoop a shovel full up when they need it. And if you are near a plant burning it for power, you can smell the same fumes. Atleast most of the harmful by-products of coal burning in more developed countries is scrubbed. Here, CO2 emissions seems like a lesser concern on the backdrop of the heavy metal, carcinogenic and ozone-depleting compounds purged into the air. It is no wonder that most Chinese people in the poorer cities are always coughing, hacking and spitting. I'm no statistician, but as I understand it life expectancy trends with the development of a country. Considering that prior to the industrial age the Chinese had a relatively high life expectancy, it would be interesting to see if life expectancy decreases here as industrialization marches on. Oh, did I mention they smoke like chimneys. They could put the Europeans to shame. RJ Reynolds really should consider setting up some factories in China.

Ok, so despite all that grimness, I have actually found some cool stuff in Shanxi hiding behind all those mountains of coal. I wrote about the near street carnival-like atmosphere of the food vendors on Yuncheng. Pingyao was also quite a treat. The inner, old city is surround by an ancient city wall. This section is only about 1.5 sq miles and is geared more towards tourists. But there are only a few main drags selling tourist wears. Break from these and it becomes a twisting maze of small alleys that feels entirely local and real. Vehicles are few within the city walls and you feel like you are stepping back in time. I spent hours and hours wandering around stealing pictures left and right. Outside the walls, where I saw no tourist venture, it is a lot like Yuncheng - dirty and dusty, but lively. Making for good walking.
I day-tripped out of Pingyao via a couple bus connections to the Wang Family Courtyard House. Using my usual method of writing down the characters of the place I wanted to go, the bus driver dropped me off in a town I had not heard of, leaving me a little confused. Fortunately, there was one Chinese women with giant camera in tow that was also going to the house. She didn't speak any english, but the bus driver motioned for me to follow her. I felt a little like a lost puppy, but I'm glad I followed her for the near mile walk - I would not have found the house otherwise. Apparently the Wang family has had significant success in Shanxi province with history in the region stretching back over 700 years. The house was outside the standard Taoist and Buddhist style in China and resembled something more along the lines of a castle, with outer walls higher than most walled cities I have visited. It was an extensive 'house' with several courtyards and winding alleys. Many of the rooms were furnished to give you a glimpse of what it looked like. It reminded me a lot of touring the Biltmore house in Asheville, built by the Vanderbilts. However, I had to cut the trip short and only got to see about half of it. Having had lost my proxy 'mom' I had no idea when or where my return bus would be, or even if there was one. After some waiting, walking and gesturing I finally caught the bus and made it back to Pingyao in time for my overnight train to Datong. The Wang House was a nice escape from much of the standard architecture I have seen in China. Also, getting off the beaten path and hitting the small coal towns along the way was a treat all its own too. The real, albeit unexpected, highlight was catching the tail end of a percussion and symbol band in one of the towns while hunting for my bus. The video is a little crappy, as I was standing in the middle of the road, but go ahead and crank it up - it kicks in about half way through. Also, you can only hear it at the end, but the car alarms were going off left and right.