A Few Facts About Where We Are ...

I know, I know, just the cute pictures, Jerry, just the cute pictures. But please allow me this short digression for Lia's sake when she wnats to know something about Shanxi. It will be important to her to know about where she was born and how it fits in with the rest of the world.

Shanxi Province China is one of the oldest provinces of China and is home one of its most important natural resource ... coal. Obviously, it's most important resource is Lia Faith but we've got her now. Anyway, back to Shanxi. Tai Yuan is its captial city. It is also home to one of the oldest cities on earth, Pinyao, and the Yellow River, where many claim civilization started.





Today, we visited two sites in Tai Yuan, to get to know Lia's province a little better. We had our choice: Wal Mart or the Coal Museum. Now, I know what most would have selected, but trust me on this one. The coal museum was very interesting and we were able to purchase large chunks of coal fashioned into the animals representing the years in which we all were born. Thus, we have coal rabbit, monkey, rooster, dragon, and dog. And the museum was actually Connie's idea, not mine! We got to see how coal is mined from the beginnings to now and it was really fascinating. We actually went down into the coal mine, equipped with hard hat and light. We even rode one of the trains that the workers would ride down to the mine! Check out the photos.

Our second stop of the day was at the Jinci Temple. The temple is on the outskirts of Tai Yuan. It was just as interesting to see the local life in its most raw and unbiased state on the way to the temples. It really makes you long for the good old USA! There are many buildings abandoned and crumbling. But what's really sad is that people have taken up shelter in some of these buildings and simply exist while their world around them crumbles. All of us came back with our heads so full of dirt and grit that we're scrambling for the benedryl, sudefed, or whatever else can clear this stuff up.

The Jince Temple is no longer an active temple, but has become a very popular tourist attraction. Many of the temples nearly 1000 years old - and they are still standing! Some of them still have incense buring in the courtyard. One of the trees on the grounds is believed to be the oldest tree in China! It grows out of the ground sideways and then turns in to the oldest temple on the grounds. Austin really enjoyed visiting the temples and so did the girls.







A local artist was on the site and had drawn charcoal sketches of many views of the temples. I was able to purchase three large drawings as souveniers - they are beautiful. The visit to the temples was going really great until just before we needed to leave, Connie decided to stand under a large Cypress tree. She has said many times that she was going to take in China in this trip. Well, it seems she got more than she bargained for when a large bird in the Cypress tree took aim at her jacket and splattered her back with his lunch. Austin and I were sent roaring, until I remembered that she was wearing my jacket! Great, just my luck.

They say that three of the dirtiest cities in the world are in Shanxi Province. I don't know if Tai Yuan is one of them, but it has to be close. It never rains here apparently. And I mean never. On the new car lots, the cars are covered with at least a 1/4 inch layer of dark dust. Are we breathing that? Many of the people wear masks here to keep the dust out of their lungs. It's a very unusual site to behold.

For Lia Faith, we hope the pictures from today will be a great reminder of her heritage. And we hope that you may find them interesting and informative about Tai Yuan. Tomorrow, we visit the orphanage in Datong and get to meet the angels there who kept us up to date on Rong Rong. We will post about the visit tomorrow night. Then, Friday it's off to Guangzhou.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five