Guilin Local Customs

I saw the “show” of the cormorants fishing for tourists (see my tips on it).

I was tempted to believe that the tradition only lives now because of the tourism, but I’m not so sure: along the river lots of cormorants waiting in the rafts make me believe that they keep being useful and that, after the parade of the touristy caravan, life may continue in its traditional way.

Atten-hut!

Stand at ease!

Li, you wash the dishes

Xi, you pass the dishes to the room

Pi, you take care of the costumer’s requests

Ti, you take care of the drinks.

Di, you smile at everybody, and help the other if needed.

Is that understood? Let’s move inside and work.

Atten-ut!

Right face!

Forward… march!

One common detail in China’s way of life is the way people gather in the streets to play, or to dance.

Mahjong or cards were played everywhere, but the funniest thing that I saw was the contrast between the lined employees in the modern malls, and the ease of the workers in the public underground market, in the absence of clients…

It was hot, very hot, when we went to the Elephant’s Trunk park. We envied the lucky guys that were lazing in the shade, with the feet in the water.

That was the true image of serenity and easy comfort.

I've already posted something, somewhere in China's pages, about Chinese discipline at work. Remarkable. The almost military way how they line in their working places, waiting for the clients, is something uncommon in the west.

But there's discipline and discipline, and I think that all men will agree with me that discipline at work in Guilin has something special... a "je ne sais quoi"... a...

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Fishermen use cormorants to catch fish and return them to the boat. The fisherman drive the birds into the water where they dive below the surface in search of fish. When the birds catch fish they return to the boat and the fisherman removes the fish from their throat and places them in the basket. The secret is that the fisherman places a cord around the bird's neck to keep the bird from swallowing the fish plus they hand-rear them from chicks and train them to fish for them.

Chinese New Years lasts a lot longer than Western New Years... two weeks or so, depending on where you are, and people are still lighting off fireworks as of March 2! It is refreshing to see people allowed to play with fireworks in ways that the west would consider too dangerous. They are allowed to make mistakes and get hurt... they just can't necessarily pay for medical treatment... so, as fireworks arc their urgent way skyward, some actually making above roofline, as vibrations from countless thousands of firecrackers drown out drunken crowds and the constant horns and traffic noise, the clouds below affect the computer generated nature of a colorfully violent lightning storm... it's the New Year in China. Children and adults go slowly deaf to the careless blasts dangerously close to crowds retreating in vain to the advancing excitement. But safety doesn't get in the way of a good time. Deal with injuries if and when they happen, I guess.

Young kids spend the next days lighting off single firecrackers, something sadly unseen in the west -kids allowed to get hurt, to play and use imagination, outside, in the real world... they're smart enough to know what they're dealing with, to know they could get hurt. Refreshing. But that's not the point and there's no time now: the next volley of light has made its way up... much more powerful than we can get at home... display quality, and going off near the airports... wow, what a different world.

The locals have engineered a unique way to fish using commarants . They put a ring of rice around the birds neck so he can catch but not swalloe. ...not to worry he can swallow the little fish so he gets something for his trouble.