Chinese Children Share Snacks In Shade Of Trees
Chinese children in Guilin, when I first visited the town in 1987, were not particularly well dressed, according to Western standards, but at least they appeared happy and contented, and of course enjoyed a better climate than the UK. One admirable quality all the Chinese children seemed to have, was that of sharing their snacks, sweets and drinks, with each other. I had noticed this in my contacts with Chinese children in the UK, then on a visit to a Temple in Guilin, we passed three young boys who were doing the same thing. They had chosen an ideal spot, sitting on rocks under the shade of trees.
Absence Of Sibling Rivalry Amongst Chinese Children
When our group returned to the coach, we were under the scrutiny of more Chinese children standing on the dusty road, looking like street urchins, bare footed and scantily dressed, but of course Chinese children with angelic faces! One lady in the group gave the elder child a few sweets. He did not run away to hide his spoils in some secret place, but instead went to share the small gift with his younger companion, who might well have been a friend or a brother. There was no sibling rivalry here ! It was difficult for me to judge whether the Chinese children looked under nourished, because at the time, all the younger children seemed to have the same physique, probably much healthier than the chubby children I would see in Beijing in later years.
Darting Fish Ignore Bait Of Chinese Children
On another visit to Guilin, Hong's family took me to see a section of an old canal, which had once been part of the Chinese system, and where the waters ran as clear as crystal. Of course, at different parts of the canal, Chinese children were fishing, then we came across these two boys standing on a rock at the side of one of the lakes. When we went closer to have a better look, there were large shoals of very tiny fish darting about in the clear water. For the very short time we were near the boys, they caught nothing.
Peaceful Slumber In Buddhist Temple
One of the highlights of my visits to Guilin, after a busy morning, was a surprise lunch which Hong's mother had arranged for us at a Buddhist Temple, about which I will write in other pages. All the walking about had exhausted her young grandson Chang Xi, so he had a sleep on one of the temple benches, looking very much like a young monk himself.
Pics of People in China. 
