Bixu and Jinjiang
In the cold of early morning we leave for the mountain village of Bixu. The bus climbs a dirt road through the mist but there are occasional glimpses of green hillsides as we pass through small villages where mud bricks are waiting to dry later in the sun.

Bixu students welcome their Australian guests

On arrival at Bixu we notice two boys who look like they are practising their trumpets. They turn out to be heralds, and a bit further on there are two more of them. Around the next corner we find hundreds of school students lined up in a guard of honour—there are girls with floral hoops, the school band, old people, babies and toddlers. We are greeted with loud chanting, 'Welcome honoured guests'. It's a humbling and emotional experience. What could we have done to deserve such a welcome in this remote mountain village? It's a poor area and the school has limited facilities but we're made just as welcome as in the towns.

Young pioneers at Bixu Primary School

At Bixu Primary School, the children are wearing their blue and white uniforms and the red scarves of the Young Pioneers. They're doing their morning callisthenics and some of us join in.

Later we have lunch with the staff at another remote school at Jingjiang and visit the market. Some of us are wondering whether we're still in 1999.

Background Information about Yunnan Province

Lesson plans (open in new windows):
Years 5-6 'Learning about markets in Asia'
Years 4-6 'A Chinese folk story'