Beauty manzhuang

I have been to Manzhuang, a small cottage on the border between China and Laos, lived in a Dai family for the first time, and tasted the original Dai cuisine for the first time. Of course, it's worth remembering more than that. What impressed me more was the beautiful, simple and kind Dai people. They were deep in the mountains, but their hearts were not closed. I found that they were more valuable than those who lived in an impetuous world.

? Manzhuang is surrounded by mountains, and a stream extending from the mountains runs through the village. The host family told me that Laos is beyond the mountain in the south. In the mountains, those Dai buildings are like scattered beads, looming in the tropical jungle. I really don't know that these people live in the mountains without looking carefully. Even if it is not easy to find this place on the online map, I would like to thank my sister Luo Lijuan for coming to Kunming Changshui Airport.

? Sister Luo is from Panzhihua, Sichuan. She went to Kunming by train and flew from Changshui Airport to Xishuangbanna to find relatives. On the plane, she told me that her father joined the army and was stationed in Mengla, Xishuangbanna for many years. At that time, there were many Dai people in the army, and they maintained an old-fashioned culture. Friends born on the same day in the same year will become brothers of life and death. His father forged old roots with four other Dai people, and later lived here with his family for a period of time. She spent her childhood in a village called Manzhuang. Dai people are very United and friendly to outsiders. Roger's father came here with nothing, and even his life became a problem. If it weren't for the Dai brothers, everything would be unimaginable. Laogen and Roger's children are just like their brothers and sisters. She is also called Laogen's parents, so she is as close as her parents. I heard Sister Luo recall her life with her "mother" and learned from her mouth that the house she lived in collapsed because no one repaired it. However, how can the natural wind and rain stop the emotional maintenance? When I picked up the camera to help Sister Luo and her "mom and dad" take pictures together, I realized for the first time that family ties other than blood can be so close.

? Sister Luo is a child of the host family, but she hasn't seen her for more than ten years. Between Xishuangbanna and Panzhihua, there are thousands of waters in Qian Shan, and this kind of affection is precious. I have nothing to do with my host family, and I brought two Korean friends. On a whim, I agreed to Roger's invitation and flew to Manzhuang. When Roger and I stepped into Manzhuang together, I regretted that I had set foot in a foreign land without thinking deeply, and I was afraid that I had disturbed the host family too much, but the enthusiasm we felt during Manzhuang gradually dispelled our initial concerns. I think the enthusiasm of the Dai people is beyond doubt.

? The owner's daughter's name is Ira. She is very tall and always wears a traditional Dai skirt. The vertical pleats of the skirt set off her slender. Before Manzhuang, I was worried about tropical mosquitoes, but I was glad that I slept beautifully that night. This is the first time I have enjoyed such a high-quality sleeping environment since I came out of the countryside. When I got up in the morning and was about to make the bed, the old lady of the owner's house quickly came over and asked me to rest on the balcony. I sat in the attic on the second floor of their house. Several children happened to be on weekends, but they were afraid to talk to me. Probably, they see very few outsiders, and they all look shy. After a while, an older child came running from the wooden ladder and gave three coconuts to two friends, Jin Renshou and Young-Kwang Kim. I also want to know where coconuts come from. Young-Kwang Kim asked about the child in very poor Chinese. He stood on the balcony. I was shocked when I turned my eyes to the past. The man cut down the coconut tree in front of the door. Many small coconuts don't grow completely, and coconut trees cross the stream. Several children in shorts also crossed the "single-plank bridge" on the stream, while the owner picked up all the branches and made firewood. Roger's "mother" came over after folding the quilt. She seems to know what I am going to say. The coconut is not ripe and the tree is too high to pick. His second uncle simply cut down the tree. Although there are not many coconut trees in the village, we are not rare. You came all this way to let you eat. "She kept smiling at us, but I felt a little guilty. These coconuts make us a little uncomfortable. If Sister Luo doesn't say "Don't let my mother down", we all want to put this coconut down.

? Before breakfast, an old man in his seventies came to sit on the balcony and chat with us. Sister Luo told us that this is "Five Dad", and he called us to his house for lunch at noon. It turns out that they have arranged it since the first day we came. After breakfast, Luo Jie and others and I walked around Manzhuang. I noticed that there were some fresh tributes under the bodhi tree in the village, and the most magnificent buildings were always related to the Buddha. Towards noon, we all went downstairs to find "Five Dad" Dai, who runs a fish pond with bamboo rafts in it. I stepped on it excitedly and experienced the water traffic different from the Jiangnan wooden boat. I enjoyed a "fish feast" for lunch, or "Five Dad" made it himself. He is a good cook, but he didn't cook much when he was old. In order to welcome us, he specially made a fish feast. Almost every dish is related to fish, but each fish has a different taste. Many dips come from Thailand. All the people who live here are from Shui Dai. Although they can't see any rivers, their way of life is still maintained, which is far from Dai Lu. Grilled fish is really great. I wonder how they did it. I went to visit their kitchen, but the simplicity of life was beyond my imagination. They don't have a stove or hollow stone tools. They can fish on the grill and cook in the pot, but the fish roasted by bamboo fire deeply touched my taste buds. "Five Dad" is so generous when chatting and drinking with us, but his wrinkled face releases a relaxed and open mind, which is probably rare in the city. What we see is the deliberately tight skin on our faces, and we feel a depressed heart. The life in Manzhuang has completely released us, and I seem to miss the beautiful childhood that passed away in the countryside again.

? In the evening, my son and daughter-in-law of the host family began to chat while eating watermelon. People here are very hardworking. Xishuangbanna is located in the tropics. During the day, many people seem to be very leisurely, but they all get up early. His sister and her family all went to the rubber field to cut rubber at three in the morning. After the sun came out, the rubber trees stopped flowing and were only suitable for working at night and in the early hours of the morning. Many families in the village are rubber farmers, and most of them have adapted to this lifestyle. However, many people have also gone out. The host family told us that the watermelon we are eating now was produced by the son of the "third father" in the watermelon field contracted by Laos. Domestic labor is very expensive. The Lao people are hardworking and the labor force is not expensive. Many businessmen go there to look for business opportunities.

? On the last day in Manzhuang, we followed our host family to participate in the tower-catching activities in Mangana Village next door. The capture of the tower by the Dai people is actually a temple fair in mainland China. I saw many Dai girls on the road. They walked neatly on the edge of the country road. Their decorated faces told me that they came out after some serious dressing and their clothes were very formal. More interestingly, all the girls in the same team wore the same clothes. They not only love beauty, but also are very devout to Buddha. When they arrived at the Golden Pagoda in the middle of the village from all directions, they set up lotus lanterns in the square with the little novice monk in the temple. The big horn in the village has been singing Buddhist scriptures in Dai language, and the sound introduced into the ears is very ethereal; The eyes are full of burning pink lotus lights, and the monks with folded hands look serious; The lush banana garden in the distance reflects the vitality of the tropical jungle ... The kind eyes around me seem to remind me that I am in a Buddhist country.

? On the way back from Mangana, I saw many vehicles with Lao license plates. Small villages on the border show tolerance and kindness in a closed world. In fact, they are not closed deep in the mountains. When I left Manzhuang, I saw a slogan in the village: "Build a boat, stay at multiple ferries, and soak in rice in many places." On the way back to Kunming from Xishuangbanna, I thought of several places that Manzhuang came into contact with. The names of these places seem to have just the right meaning. Until today, when I see the words "looking up to heaven" and "being stupid", I always think of Manzhuang and the families we have contacted in Manzhuang.