Deep In the Shibao Mountains

(Allen)

The past couple days have all been a blur as we moved from one traditional Chinese city to the next, spending no more than two days each. For me, having been in China a couple times already, many of the things weren’t so foreign. Temples, caves, busy metropolitan areas are all great but it was nothing new…that is until went to Shaxi village.

Shaxi, located in the heart of the Shibao mountains, is packed with history and culture. To give you a little history about the village, Shaxi used to be a pivotal stop along the Tea and Horse Caravan Road, which is an important branch of the Silk Road. So it still has that border-town kind of feel, with many of the same cobble-stone structures that were originally built over a thousand years ago. It is the oldest and most culturally preservative of all of the villages in the Shibao mountains.



First off, let’s talk about the drive up to Shaxi. That alone was quite the adventure because for the first couple hours coming from Dali, we drove along the base of the Shibao mountains where all the farm and rice paddies were. When we finally started to scale the road up the mountain, that’s where all the breathtaking scenery began to engulf us. Traveling along a tortuous road along the mountains, all I had to do was look out my window and I could see how just how high up we were among the trees. There were no guard railings on the curvy road, so we had to be extremely careful while driving up the path. Despite the feel for danger, the imagery was mesmerizing: lush green patches of trees amongst the rocky mountainous terrain. There was even a mountain shaped like a lions head along the top. After driving deep into the mountains for over an hour, we finally began our descent into the valley of the villages. From one point, we could look out the window and oversee a cluster of villages everywhere, but the one of interest was Shaxi.

My first impression of Shaxi was one of awe. Walking down the cobblestone streets, you learn to appreciate and not look down upon many of the regressions. For example, their sewage system runs in a small irrigation ditch on the left side of the road, while on the right, there is a fresh stream of water where locals sometimes do their laundry. Also, there is hardly any modernization at all, with many of the cobblestone or wood houses untouched for centuries. Everywhere I go, I see the traditional-style Chinese tiled roofs and red lanterns hanging, a reminder of how homey the Shaxi culture is. In addition, the village center is a small confinement that is surrounded by a small temple (which infuses the beliefs of Buddhism, Taoism, and the local religion into one) on one side and a small stage on the other. Unfortunately, we did not get to see any performances.

But probably the most respectable aspect of this community is how tight-knit it feels. It feels as if all these houses are all interconnected and everybody is a neighbor with each other. People will always be walking up the streets and greeting everybody. But most impressive is the fact that there is virtually no crime at all. Everybody sleeps with their doors unlocked and the police literally have nothing to do at night. Just last night, a couple of cops asked to stay in our courtyard to play cards, smoke, and drink but our caretaker politely kicked them out (if only Dover cops were like this). But like I was saying, this extremely small-town feeling was even more evident today at the place that we had lunch. An English speaking Chinese woman had opened a small (and when I say small, I mean a restaurant with 2 tables and 1 cook) Western restaurant two weeks ago and she cooks everything by herself. Everything on the menu was Western, ranging from spaghetti, to hamburgers, to salads, and even tuna sandwiches. I was amazed that she made everything herself in her small kitchen, which was literally a counter with a stove. Eating about it was the ultimate epiphany of the small town feel, which is something I will never forget about Shaxi.