Tale of Two Villages – Part 2

continued from Part 1

Following Village Leader Zhou up to his village

After leaving the village in Yuan Jiang, we were spent. To avoid middle-of-the-night driving on terrible mountain roads in a terrible Chinese vehicle, we slept (terribly) in the car.  But I was rejuvenated during the next day’s drive. The temperature became warmer, and banana and mango trees began to appear. We passed countless Hani rice terraces, which are famed in their beauty. The landscape started to become what I had always imagined Thailand to be like. This made sense, being halfway down to Xishuangbanna, which is like a mini-Chinese-Thailand. We paid our respects to a couple smokey Mo Jiang country government officials before taking the country roads up to the village in the hills.

Immediately upon arrival, Village Leader Zhou and his people greeted us warmly, with confidence. We saw that many young people had not left for the cities. Perhaps this is because their village basks in the sun year round. The village in Yuan Jiang is constantly in a cloud (literally), and her people’s moods seem to suffer from it. In Mo Jiang, Zhou wore a smile as his default expression, and our meetings were open exchanges. This was a welcome change, having just come from meetings with Bai Fu who wore a skeptical frown in Yuan Jiang.

A pleasant hike through some fields of corn, rubber trees, and olive trees took us to a lookout where we could see in the direction of their newly found water sources. Presently, they have small trickles of water from various sources, all of which go dry soon after Spring Festival every year. As the Chinese New Year is looming, water is very much on everyone’s minds. With the sun going down, we decided not to make the trip to the spring. They reported it was 6km+ and very difficult to reach. I would find this out for myself on my next trip back…

Over dinner at Zhou’s house, we discussed education. Village schools had been shut down by the government for not having enough students, so starting at age five (!) children are sent away to live at the county school for ten days at a time. They do not eat very well unless the family has extra money to spend, and they always come home filthy. I remembered one of my first times leaving home for more than a couple days without my parents - Sky Ranch, 5^th grade. It was a one-time event, I was double their age, we ate like kings, and I mysteriously didn’t need to poop the entire trip. So really I cannot imagine how frightened these kids must be. It is estimated fewer than 1 in 100 students make it to college.

Li Ju-Do relaxing before dinner

Well after dark, it was time for our big village meeting. Mok asked if I wanted to lead again. I was surprised my mouth said “yes” before my mind was ready. We took flashlights and marched along trails to an opening with a paved surface. At first, I saw no one. Zhou carefully took out a light bulb and screwed it into a hanging socket. Immediately I saw we were outside a church, and that there was a row of people, mostly men, sitting and waiting with their backs against the wall. Nonsensical government rules mandate that officially licensed churches cannot be used for anything except service. So we pulled the benches outside, and people began to gather under the stars.

Can you pick me out?

We three sat as strangers amongst 60+ villagers, and were not spoken to before the meeting. Mok gave a brief introduction, and handed me the floor. It became quiet. Too quiet. My Mandarin sounded more off than usual. My apology for being American earned a few chuckles and some forgiveness, and their intent patience begged me to continue. I found that this village was proud that they had the habit of drinking tea, which required boiling their water. But I was doubtful that an entire village could boil water every time they drank. The problem is, if you ever directly ask “Do you drink water without boiling it?” the only two reactions will be either silence or an emphatic “No!” So I tested my hypothesis with a trick question: “How does your raw untreated water taste?” My ploy worked – a few of the men, being quicker to speak and slower to think in comparison to their women (as is often the case) quickly began describing tastes of various water sources. In this way it was publicly admitted and acknowledged that water does not always get treated. They answered honestly when asked how often. A few women claimed they boil “90% of the time”. Then some of the men shouted “No way! Only half the time at most!” Somebody chimed in and said “kids love the cool crisp raw water the most, especially during summertime.” This set me up well for the topics I wanted to cover.

Surface water vs. Groundwater

I got them to think about where our surface water comes from, and all the possible things that could wash in whenever it rained. Some didn’t get my point until I asked if animals used toilets. One man agreed the water was dirty because he could sometimes see the bacteria swimming around. Many people laughed as they informed him he couldn’t see bacteria. An interesting exchange, from when I asked where groundwater comes from and why it is cleaner than surface water:

Villagers: “It comes from inside the mountain.”

Me: “Sure, but how does it get there?”

Villagers: “God?”

Me: “Certainly! But what method does He use?”

Villagers: “Now that we don’t know!”

So I went on to describe God’s beautiful natural water filter making use of soil, rocks, and sand to filter water as it seeps into the ground.

Immune Systems

When some older folks expressed skepticism about the dangers of drinking untreated water, I wanted them to think of their children and grandchildren. I asked if they knew if adult’s have better immune systems than children have.

Villagers: “Yes, the children seem to get sick and have diarrhea more often”

Me: “Do you know what makes your immune system stronger?”

Villagers: “God?”

Me: “Certainly, but what method does He use?”

Villagers: “Now that we don’t know!”

So I went on to describe the wonderful way our immune systems, through experience, strengthen over time. Many seemed pleased with the newfound understanding, and agreed it would be unsafe to allow their children to drink untreated water, just as it would be unthinkable to allow them to eat feces.

Water quality, unlike quantity, is a problem that is unseen, and usually difficult to teach. Like all villagers, they were doubtful and would say “But I’ve been drinking this water my whole life!” Like in Yuan Jiang, I explained why that doesn’t guarantee that the water won’t be contaminated in the future. The reaction here was completely different. Instead of suspicion and doubt hanging in the air, they acknowledged that as mere mortals, we cannot see everything, so it was entirely possible that water could be contaminated in the future without them ever knowing. These villagers were visibly excited to have learned something new about the world, and most importantly, they believed me and wanted to do something about it. The hard part had been taken care of. 

Methods of Treatment

With the problem well understood, I was free to teach different methods of making polluted water safe. The first they knew – boiling. But this requires them to spend time and energy gathering firewood, and more time to wait for the water to boil and cool. The second method, they did not know – using UV rays to kill bacteria. Much like how blankets come in fresh and clean after my mom sets them out in the sun; the same can be done with water in plastic bottles. Good smells usually mean bacteria-free, and bad ones mean bacteria-rich (think excrement and rot). The third method was to use our water filters. This is the best of the three, being 99.9% effective, and requiring no work or waiting. Symbols were drawn on the ground to help them remember. Going back to our main goal – to help villagers find long term solutions to improve their lives, I stressed we did not care which treatment they method they used, as long as they promised to remember and use one of them.

With my portion complete, I handed the floor to Li Ju-Do. He discussed the spring intake, pipe system, and storage tank which would address their problem of water quantity. Li Ju-Do is a guy with very little education, a bit of experience, and plenty of pride. His greatest contribution came through knowing the local Mo Jiang Hani Minority dialect (his wife is from the area) and gave his presentation using it, further building trust.

Oooh... Ahhh...

Mok quickly discussed financing and logistics, and then concluded the meeting. As we gave an informal filter demo, a massive crowd formed around us, with necks craning for a better view. Then we set up a sample that we would leave for them to try. The reception and reaction was hugely enthusiastic, and we did not notice anyone slip away from the meeting, despite it running late into the night. Li Ju-Do and I became immediate superstars. Many were dismayed that we had to leave, and asked us to stay with them. Despite our many refusals, they packed our car to the brim with many bunches of bananas, pumpkins, a large bag of taro roots, a half dozen freshly caught fish, and a couple live free-range “dirt chickens”. I remember being filled to the brim with hope that night.

After the visit

A week later, we found out that of the forty-three families, thirty-eight bought a filter. A few days later that number grew to forty-seven. One family bought five extra for their friends in other places! The sadness I felt about Yuan Jiang was far outweighed by the joy for Mo Jiang. Of all projects I’ve ever worked on, this was the first true success I can claim wholeheartedly. I write here not to boast about achievements. After all, it took me a quarter century to mark down a single success.

So what accounted for the obvious disparities between the two villages? It could have been a combination of a lot of things; I had my guesses, but at that point was not certain. Causes of observed effects can be difficult things to pinpoint.

My first 60-day period in China was nearly up, meaning a visa run was in order.  The others headed home to Kunming, but I needed to get to Thailand. So being halfway there already, I continued south by bus to Jinghong, the capital of Xishuangbanna.

To be continued…