HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1979-06-07, Page 17(the second of two parts,)
At a horttculturai farm outside l fanning.
and other communes they visited they
were always served tea and plates of candy
or .fresh fruit like pineapple and bananas.
andintroduced to the farm's host, who
would relate the commune's history in.
Chinese, .which. was translated by the guides. The Canadians could then ask the
host any questions they wished about the•
farming operation,
CHINESE FARM
The horticultural farm was 10,000 acres
in size andgrew ;a variety of crops ranging;
from rice and; sugar vane tg; fruits like
pineaples,tangerines and apples. "here
were 2,300; labourers, employed: on the
farm, and 1 OOG people altogether' lived on
the grounds
in addition to the farming operation, the
farm also included schools:. a Milk powder
factory, a dairy operation with 43.0 cows
and a machinery ;repair shop. Mrs. 13,11
said residents of the farm: were ,fro%idcd
with excellent bus; transportation, back and
forth to :Nanning, for shopping.
THE DRAB CITIES, This photo, of a=Chinese street, .with the buildings
already crumbiing, gives an idea of the drabness of the country's cities.
The countryside, which is much more beautiful provides a contrast for
the traveller, (Photo by Bali)
ALITY MIATS
Choice
Local
Beef & Pork
Sliced cooked
HAM
Sliced
CHICKENi LOAF
Fresh
HAM STEAKS
Store packed ..:.
WIENERS
Store sliced :Y
BAC. ON
BEEF PATTIES no filler
TURKEY WI
IVC.7S 10lb.box
SIDE, OF BEEF
RIB OF BEEF
processed
processed
25-30 Ib.dv.
Cut into steaks, hamburg, roasts & short ribs
1
STORE HOURS
Tues:, Wed':, Thurs., and Sat" 8-6 p.n.
Friday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Store 262-2017. :. .
ABBATOIR HOUR
BEEF SLAUGHTER: — MONDAY PORK SLAUGHTER -- TUESDA
Hours for picking up freezer or custom orders •
Tues. Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p,m. Abbatoir 262 2041 Sat. 8 a.m.-1 p'.m.
•
THE
URON PQ
SITOR, JUNE
111
Cars; .are a rarity in ;Chula, and mos,
people either use public transportation ;or'
bicxcIes. The cars which were seen ;rice
n'indelled, an all eider 19$11's style and are
either .tgais or owned by government
officials:.
fIlL i.EG'E
The Canadrans,.also visited the Kwangsi.
Instituto for Nationalities, a community
college for 1.600 students from 12 -different
Chinese nationality groups. ;Many of the•
students had been teachers and; had come
to the school to learn English so they could
work as translators or interpreters, Mrs.
Balt said, She. met five students on a
one-to-one basis, and they were all eagertQ
practise their. ,English, asking her ques-
tions like "Do people in Canada travel'
much."", „How many languages do, you.
speak?" and "Do you have ice and snows:'"
Mrs. Ball said, the students wen.: also
curious about the tour's itiner'y„
When she examined' the textbooks the
students were using, she found much of
the English they were learning related to
their own lifestyle and included questions,
like ''Do you: live on a commune t" or
"What do you do there?" She said she was
able to have only limited conversations
with thestudents since they often had
difficulty understanding her replies. They
did apologize for their dirty hands. and.
explained it was a "physical labour day"
which. meant they had all been working on
the construction of a school dormitory..
Frances Balt said her overall imp res-
sion was that the students didn't have
much concept of Canada, since the
'Chinese have been so completely shut off
for so many years. She said especially. in
the southern Chinese cities of Nanning and
Kwaelin, when the Canadians were taken
into craft shops to browse, the Chinese
people would oftenline up outside to catch
a glimpse of the Western tourists. When,
the tourists came out of the stores, Mrs.
Ball said the boys would often look at their
badges and say "Hello,"` likely the only
English word they knew.
The. Cart'adians,were also taken ona tour
of the revolutinary committee. of Wuming
'county which included 13 communes and
two farmswith crops like .rice, corn,
peanuts, bananas and seedless Waterme-
lons. Frances Bali said the communes must
pay a certain amount of their annual
proceeds •to the state, and use the.
remainder to pay workers a ,salary and
make improvements. Although she didn't'
discover what a commune worker would
:earn, the two Chinese guides travelling
'With them earned 40 yuan per month:
over and . above their board:' A
Canadian dollar ,:equals 1.36 yuan.: Mrs.
Ball, .said mostworkers on the commune
must buy their fruit and vegetables just
like city dwellers; since it's only in the most
remote: areas that people grow cropsQf
their own.
The standard outfits for ' the Chinese
people are shirts and trousers, usually in
the same two or three drab colours. Older
Citizens wear black cotton outfits and only
the Chinese children are dressed in
,brightly colour fashions. Frances Ball; said
the women don't wear makeup, jewellery
or wedding rings and gold. in the country is
used for industrial purposes rather than for
personal, ornaments.
While touring the' cities;' the Canadians
were taken into a number of Friendship
craft stores where they could purchase
pottery, jade, bamboo work, embroidery or.
examples of the Chinese.. art of paper
nutting, Frances ,Ball said the tour;also
visited craft communes, and her r ipres-
sion was that the women :. worked, in
inadequate light and, damp building, to
produce the intricate embroideryort paper
work displayed ,in the shops.
•
A special part of the Sitio-Canadian
Friendship tokir ,was the five theatrical
performances.the Canadians saw, includ
ing a combined performance• featuring the
Shanghai Ballet Company and Shanghai
Symphony Orchestra, Frances Ball: said: it
is only since 'Chairinan Man.'s deaththat
these Ova companies have been allowedto
perform Western music and dances, and
their program combined western and.
Chinese pieces,
The tour also saw a, performance of the
colourful Chinese opera and a Chinese
puppet theatre,
Frances Ball said there were 4,000
people watching the ballet and the guides
tele them the theatre would be packed
every night. The top !seats cost. 50 yuan and.
the cheaper seat were 20 ,yuan, but the
entertainment was considered such a treat
that ,people" would often return to the
Theatre night after night. Mrs. Ball said
even the yotttiger children in the audience'
stayed. .wide awake during the entire
performance.
Now that she's 'home. Frances Ball is
still reviewing her impressions of China.
Anyone else consicdering a visit to the
country should remehtber it's not a place to
go, "if they want to live the way they do at
home," she advises.
CLASSLESS SOCIETY
Mao's dream and the dream, of Marx and.
Engels. authors of The Communist Mani-
festo, was for a classless society. Frances
Ball concludes the Chinese people "appear
to have achieved ai classless:. society -the:
people look happy arid: they look healthy."
Materialism, she discovered, • is on the
bottom line of people's priorities in China,
Although the guides emphasized the
country now has equality of the sexes, it
might not be quitethe same equality we're
talking'. about in Canada. For example,
young men and women are rarely seen
together in public in China and couples..
don't marry until the men are 30 years old'
and the women 21. Two .children .in. a
fancily are considered, the ideal, but Mrs.
gall said couples are often at;owed to try
again if both children happen to be girls..
Both black.-outfittedold men' andold
women can be seen in the streets pulling
heavy carts loaded with 'coal . and gravel.
Also, women are a common sight working
on road- gangs alongside men. Although
the highways iia the country are both paved
and tree -lined'; most of the road eonstruc
tion is still done by physical labour rather
than by machines.
Finally, Mrs, Bali l recalls that English
speaking Chinese students often asked here
age, and when she, replied, they would
seent,surprised and assure her she looked
much, younger. Frances Bali assumes
because the physieal labour that's., a
common part of life in China ages menand
women faster than we age in Canada.
Frances Ball's visit to, Chinahas
provided her with a ;fascinating glimpse
behind the bamboo curtain -a glimpse at
the People's Republic, of China before the
'country becomes as Westernized as some
of its other Communist counterparts:
FORD
IS RETURNING
TO SEAFORTH!
For new branch opening
'1n Hutson County
this ad maybe the Most iMportant you have ever
responded to since we offer the right person two
years financing program with one of the highest
commission schedules in the industry, a possible
five -figure retirement and qualified' contacts
daily. We want you to spend most of your time do-
ing What you do beat, selling and being well gold
for it:
For A Confidential Interview Cali'
Tharsday 9 a.iw . 6 p.m., .t p.m. 10 p.m.
and
}Way 9 rt.m. - 3 p.m.
Mr, W. Kenn
482-3489 Clinton
M'iis!! f
• CM1AO;A$HE.4o40Fiet.11 041.01.4.46,
i' ►,� ' + rill► "
TRANSPORTATION iN CHINA — Frances Bait reports the streets of
Chinese cities are filled with cyclists and the only way the drivers of cars,
trucks or buses can get through is to depend on their hprns as much as
their steering wheels. On the grounds of the Peking hotel where the.
travellers stayed was a traffic sign picturing trumpets with a line drawn
through, a way of asking drivers;not to lean on their horns in the area
of the hotel,
(Photo by Ball)
1
YOU'RE THE
WINNER WITH PRICE$
LIKE THESE:
OFF
INSECT:
REPELLENT.
266G,
ONLY
239
• j
SAN
ROLL ON
DEODORANT
2,5 OZ:
$'
ONLY. _I
49
•
TRfANG{
DISC
• '5ETte.Square.GOPERICH/MainCorner, CLINTON/MainCorner, SEAFORTH
"OUT OF THIS WORLD SAVINGS. RIGHT IN YOUR OWN NEIGHBOURHOOD" •
eople
Ms. C. Schofield
Wingham, Ontario
That's right!' We've sold nearly' 500 ROYAL HOMES already and for
a good reason...The quality thcit goes into every 'ROYAL HOME
males a superior home: anal the best house money can buy.
Come and i.e for yourself- visit our Model hOrne and; tour the
plant. Open' Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 ,p.m. and evenings
by appointment-
"Discov'erthe Royal Way of Living"
I Wrtto far0rsiir Irochiurot
I i
!'Na:I:.. Y .... �i Y'Y'.ir..ii;y-.Viii!;Y•'i ►,., 1
I
11 1
I
I
lgloatis'1011Yet MOO 1
.Royali Hordes Ltd..
•ox 310, witogham, o rt;, .
call (Mt 35741