China Postcards: Pictures Of Asian People Of The Yellow Earth By Xu Yong
The following text concerning the Asian People of The Loess Plateau is by Xu Yong translated by Qian Tong::-
The most cheerful occasion for the poor peasants there, as in other parts of China, is the Spring Festival. Every Spring Festival, every household would ardently decorate its home and put exquisite paper cuts on windows.
Farmers in colorful costumes organize their own parades to neighboring villages for exchanging New Year Greetings. The carnival is in sharp contrast to the stable, lonely and hard routine life in the Yellow Earth for most of the year.
The name of the Yellow River is also originated from the Yellow Earth. Accordingly, the Yellow Earth is considered by many the synonym of China. The poor transport means and the inaccessibility to information solidifies the evolution of productive methods and people's lifestyles. Farmers in the regions still cultivate lands with manual labor and the harvest relies heavily on the unpredictable weather. The grandest sacrificial ritual in the plateau is the rain-praying ceremony. Every year before the spring planting, the farmers throng atop hills to offer sacrifices for the Dragon King, the legendary Rain God, for favorable weather and a bumper harvest in the coming year. In China, the Yellow Earth usually refers to the loess plateau in the country's northern part. The plateau is acknowledged as the birthplace of Chinese nationality. The tomb of Emperor Huang, said to be the ancestor of the Chinese people, still locates on the northern Shaanxi province. Geographically, the loess plateau is situated in the central part of North China with an area of thousands of square kilometres and its altitude averaging between 800 and 1,100 metres above sea level. The place is one of China's driest regions partially due to over cultivation and soil erosion. For past centuries, people in the region developed a special cave dwelling, or "Yao Dong". They dig into the sunny slope of the hills till they finish an arch-roofed cave. -:: End of Xu Yong text.
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All Photographs of the Loess Plateau Copyright Of Xu Yong, China. July, 1996
Asian People Of The Loess Plateau: Festival Entertainment And Crossing Silt Laden River.
The Asian people living in the Loess Plateau welcome the time of the Spring Festival when they enjoy performances of singers and actors coming from other villages in the area. The early childhood of the Asian kids in the Loess Plateau does not include all the benefits compared with that of the Asian kids living in the cities of China, but even so, from the Xu Yong postcards, it can be seen that the kids seem happy and contented with their environment; at their age they may not know of any other. Life in the Loess Plateau is a difficult one for all the people living in such isolation, with few if any of the benefits of the modern world. Where are the planes, trains, and buses ? Ferry boats are used to cross rivers, laden with the silt of the Loess Plateau, to visit local markets to buy or sell their produce.
Special Cave Dwellings Of The Yellow Earth Pictured On China Postcards
The Asian people living in cave dwellings of the Loess Plateau depend on each other for help particularly at harvest time, when the children play their part in ensuring that the harvested grain is safely stored for later use, or sold as a source of income. For the Asian kids it is part of their childhood to contribute to the family needs, some of their duties may include the care of younger siblings while parents are engaged in other necessary tasks.
All Photographs of the Loess Plateau Copyright Of Xu Yong, China. July, 1996
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