Ethnic minority child in Fulu, Guangxi in 1993

Here is a picture of an ethnic minority child in Fulu in Guangxi province in southern China. Fulu is famous for its fireworks festival.

The extraverts

These Hani women saw me sitting holding my camera by the side of the path and posed for a photo. They thought it was all great fun. We also went to visit a Hani woman in her house and took her photo. When we got back home we posted a copy to her - I wonder if she ever received it.

All this took place in Jinping which received few foreign visitors at the time in 1993.

Drum tower in Dong village near Congjiang in Guizhou province southern China 1993

Drum tower in Dong village near Congjiang in Guizhou province southern China 1993.

Dong village by the river in Guizhou 1993

A small Dong village by the river with a drum tower in Guizhou near Congjiang in 1993.

A wonderful hat

This ethnic minority woman in southern China in 1993 is carrying a wonderful hat. The hats were wonderful in the markets and I bought one.

Bulang woman in Xishuangbanna 1993

Bulang woman in her house in a village in Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China in the Autumn of 1993.

Congjiang river scene, Guizhou 1993

This was the river scene in Congjiang, Guizhou Province in 1993.

Ethnic minority woman with basket on her back in southern China in 1993

Here is a picture showing the basket used by an ethnic minority woman in southern China to carry her shopping in 1993.

Houses in Xishuangbanna 1993

Beautiful Dai minority houses in Xishuangbanna in 1993.

Wind and rain bridge near Congjiang, Guizhou 1993

Another picture of the Dong minority wind and rain bridge near Congjiang in Guizhou Province in 1993. Beautiful!

Water buffalo in southern China in 1993

In 1993 there were water buffalo all over China. Here are a couple of them in some water.

A Dong village by the river between Fulu and Congjiang, 1993

This is a picture of a Dong village taken from the boat between Fulu and Congjiang in 1993. I believe the village had no road access and was rather isolated in the border region between Fulu in Guangxi Province and Congjiang in Guizhou Province. Often the most interesting places to visit are in border regions the furthest from the seat of government where the influence of the capital city is least.

Wood being transported on the river, Fulu Guangxi 1993

This picture shows wood being floated down the river at Fulu in 1993. This is a very efficuient form of transportation, much better than trucks. I have the feeling that we are going in the wrong direction and so-called progress is causing more and more damage to the planet. A crunch point is coming, but I don't know how soon.

Congjiang street scene 1993

In this picture taken in Congjiang in Guizhou province in 1993 there were no cars. It was quiet and pleasant and most people were walking everywhere. They didn't need cars as everything they needed was within walking distance. If they needed to go further afield they took public transport. Bliss!

River transportation from Fulu to Congjiang

This is the boat that carried people up the river from Fulu to Congjiang across the provincial border from Guangxi to Guizhou.

Village in Xishuangbanna in 1993

This beautiful village in Xishuangbanna was untouched in 1993. No concrete buildings, no road access and no cars. I wonder what it's like now.

Two children

This photo shows a little boy in modern clothes looking at a little girl in traditional clothing. What is he thinking?

Woman who makes her own clothes, China 1993

Here is a Chinese ethnic minority woman who makes her own clothes using material she has dyed herself. She doesn't go to the shopping centre to do her shopping. In fact she's probably never seen one. People in the developed world used to make their own clothes too but now clothes are so cheap that nobody bothers anymore and nobody has the time. We're all too busy working to earn money to buy things. We now have so many clothes that we never wear. This woman probably only has one or two outfits at most. Her lifestyle is efficient, relaxed and she doesn't have a boss telling her what to do all the time.

Woman smoking a pipe, Xishuangbanna 1993

Here is a minority woman smoking a pipe in Xishuangbanna in Yunnan in 1993.

Man on horse cart, Yunnan 1993

In one of the towns we visited in Yunnan, there were numerous horse carts and the men driving them were standing up like this. What a good sense of balance they must have!

Dong woman in Congjiang, Guizhou 1993

Here is a Dong woman in Congjiang, Guizhou in southern China in 1993. She is demonstrating a great way to carry your shopping home if you haven't got a car. The Dong lifestyle was very efficient in terms of use of resources with very little wastage. Their villages were neat and tidy with no sign of rubbish tips of discarded electrical goods. They appeared to be fit and healthy and to have enough to eat. Somebody once described China's ethnic minorities as "pure" and I think that is a good word to describe the Dong. The book about them that I have is called "The Dong - A hidden civilization" and now I can understand what it means. I wish we could all live more like them.

The ferry at Fulu, Guangxi 1993

This is the ferry in operation at Fulu in Guangxi Province in 1993. The river was also used for transportation as the road alongside it had not been finished yet. River transportation is a very environmentally-friendly way of getting about as it does not require construction, unlike roads or railways. Let's make use of our rivers again!

Dong women in Fulu, Guangxi, China 1993

Dong women in Fulu, Guangxi Province ion southern China in 1993.

Bulang minority house in Xishuangbanna 1993

This is a Bulang minority house in Xishuangbanna. We visited one of these houses in 1993 and the owner told us she was planning to build a new house and that she wanted a concrete one which wouldn't leak when it rained.