A Quiet Day in Zhangjia Village, Rural Northern China
Video transcript
hi I'm Zhang welcome back I live in a small county in China in this video I will continue showing you the most authentic rural life in China and let you experience the everyday life of ordinary Chinese people today I came to a small village called Zhang jia Village in northern rural China this usually means that the surname Zhang is the dominant family name here this is a village that once had a population of 2500 people now only about 400 people still live here at the entrance of the village there is a school bus parked here used to take children to
school usually the driver drops the children at the village entrance and they walk home by themselves where I'm pointing is the villagers vegetable garden in rural China people are more used to eating vegetables they grow themselves the weather today is perfect with a light breeze very comfortable the sign reads danger please be careful but curiosity still made me go down and take a look it had just rained and the river had risen quite a bit this is my first time experiencing something like this it's fun but it also made me a little dizzy this is the
village activity square whenever there are important events people gather here to sing or dance and there is also a stage now I'm walking deeper into the village it is still very quiet with almost no people only birds on the road this house is very well kept did you notice an electric vehicle just passed by even in rural China electric cars are becoming more and more common compared with gasoline electricity is much cheaper in China about 7 cents per kw/h it is also easier to install charging facilities in rural areas this little dog seems like it hasn't
had anyone to play with for a long time very friendly the murals and signs on the walls show what a model villager should be like harmonious family respect for elders financial responsibility and consistency in words and actions a Ford car I'm impressed by the parking skills these wall paintings are interesting I always stop to look at them when I pass by this is an old courtyard gate with a small roof above it providing shelter from rain for passers by there is a Chinese at home everything is easy outside life is hard it reflects the idea that once
people leave home they face many challenges people understand this difficulty so they are usually kind to strangers if you travel alone in rural China you don't need to worry they may not express it well but they are warm and gentle inside I walked into a narrow alley a flower bed made from old tires there were a few people repairing a bicycle to be precise one working and two watching this should be the village clinic I went inside to take a look there weren't many people inside only a few elderly patients receiving for treatment a very simple rural
clinic the characters on the wall say treating the elderly well is treating your future self well many households here still use coal for heating in winter the chimney is connected to a coal stove winter temperatures can drop to around 0 degrees Celsius there is also an old house here it looks abandoned but I like these old houses and always stop to look at them this is the village administrative service center with a large digital screen I guess there might be outdoor movie screenings here in summer evenings a memory many people share from their
childhood I used to love watching outdoor movies in the village square as a child there is also a village history museum here but unfortunately it is closed some agricultural machines are parked by the road further west lies farmland with wheat and peanuts I walked back and saw several villagers chatting from them I Learned that there is a market in the north of the village today I had already vaguely heard it when I arrived but I wasn't sure can you hear it the sound of the market the market is in a small forest it is small and not crowded mostly
elderly people a vendor selling lamb soup is preparing ingredients a young man is selling homemade pancakes it looks good for elderly people this kind of market is not only for shopping but also a place to socialize old friends meet walk around together and sit down to chat pork 1.4 USD per pound compared to other markets I've shown before this one is quieter and less crowded I prefer quiet environments so this calmness makes me feel more relaxed I bought a box of strawberries for my daughter she loves strawberries 0.4USD this is an old man repairing
shoes this traditional craft is becoming rare people now prefer to buy new shoes instead of repairing them and these skills are slowly disappearing an elderly man and his friends are selling tobacco leaves they grow themselves while chatting for them it is more of an excuse to gather at one corner of the market people are playing chess others are watching for me chess is too mentally demanding outside the village there is a church some villagers are Christians I wanted to go inside but the door was closed probably only open on weekends in July the church
will hold an event and I will come back here to film it on the east side of the village are rice fields and tea gardens people mainly grow rice and tea here income is not high so most young people go to cities to work these elderly people are very friendly and naturally chat about daily life she is a little worried about this year's tea price as it affects her income her children have all moved to cities leaving only her and her husband in the village elderly people in rural China often work their entire lives my parents are the same even though they are
already retired this is the daily life of many ordinary Chinese people not grand not romantic but real what do you think feel free to leave a comment
