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Daily Life In Chen Village...A Taste of Old China
From 2002-2006, I went to Chen Village several times a year to study Tai Chi. At that time, living in China hadn't changed that much from the past. Life was still quite simple. So I was able to experience a bit of Old China. I lived in a traditional home, experienced a slower paced village life and enjoyed traditional Chinese culture and customs.
Although the facilities in the village were quite basic, people really enjoyed the small pleasures life had to offer. The years I visited, I was surprised to find that the alleyways were still uneven; making it difficult to walk or ride a bicycle. One night, a group of us went out for dinner with my Sifu and his family. The restaurant was located at the entrance of the main road in Chen Village; a 5 minute walk from my SiFu's home. It was -10 degrees...very, very cold. So, it was a good excuse to drink a lot of Chinese white wine! On the way back, we had to pass through some of the uneven alleyways. The night was dark and it was snowing heavily. The road was already full of snow and very slippery. This, along with the wine, caused one of our friends to lose his balance and he fell! He was covered with snow and we all laughed! It was such a happy evening.
Bathing in Chen Village was also quite an experience! I would have to walk to a neighboring village to bathe. The bath house in my Sifu's town was not open during the winter. It was such a cold walk...so cold that a hot wet towel would almost immediately turn to ice making it into a great weapon! But despite the cold I always enjoyed a winter bath because, for reasons unknown to me, the people in the village only washed during the winter months...never in the summer. So, I really had to make some adjustments to my lifestyle when I visited during the hotter parts of the year...
During one of my visits, I was fortunate enough to see a Chinese Opera with my Sifu. The roads in the village at that time were very dark at night. Streetlights did not exist. In order to see, we would normally carry flashlights. On this occasion, I did not have one. So it took me a minute to adjust to the darkness, but my Sifu had a confident stride. He was used to this and had no problems navigating his way around. We walked through alleyways and roads that I did not recognize. I felt completely lost. But we ended up in the village where the bath house was located! I followed my Sifu into a traditional house that had a courtyard where a platform was set up. There were actors performing a Chinese Comedic Opera. Many villagers crowded around the stage. There was a black and white photo of a man that was set up near the stage. My Sifu told me that someone had passed away and as part of the farewell ceremony, the family would hire the Comedic Opera to perform. My Sifu said he didn't know the deceased man or the family, but it was quite common for anyone in a neighboring village to visit and watch the show! The Opera went on for several hours. So I decided to let my Sifu enjoy his evening alone. So I decided to try and find my way back home on my own! I wanted to explore the village at night while it was dark. It was a completely different experience walking at this time with no one else on the road. It was a maze and I kept worrying that I would get lost! There were so many alleyways.
When the weather was warm, one of my favorite things to do was to go for a bicycle ride. Sometimes I would ride with my Sifu, sometimes alone. I liked to ride towards the North where I could enjoy the beautiful farmland and gentle breeze. As I rode I always felt like I was riding into the past...
