After our recent exploration of northern Yunnan
we finally found a very suitable
place to live
We've just moved into that place
Baisha. Come with us to find out why!
On this road you can always see lots of local
villagers and elderly folk relaxing in the sun and talking
The sun's great here
so people like gathering together
Today we want to give a couple of elderly folks this photo
This is the local elder's secret base
There's lots of old people inside playing majiang, cards and poker
Let's go check it out
We need to find these two aunties (polite form of address)
Are these two aunties here?
It's us two!
Have a look if it's any good or not
It's great!
You like it?
It's wonderful
Where's your hometown?
I'm from Henan
Do you know how to play?
No
Nature's Music
You guys aren't playing music at the moment?
Some people still haven't arrived
Ancient Naxi music
Yeah
Then how long have you guys been playing?
Over 20 years
You've played for over 20 years?
Yeah
You play everyday?
You play everyday? Yes
Yes
Here comes another one
Hello!
I'm playing the erhu
Oh, the erhu
This is the zhonghu
And this one?
jihu
The wooden fish (mokugyo)
Yeah
Come and join us!
It’s not just villagers who live here
there’s also an abundance of outsiders
who have made Baisha their home
But it’s still the locals who leave the biggest impression
Big Chinese chess - such big chess pieces!
And you thought that I was scared of you - ha!
I'm not scared - I'm not scared
I'm not scared!
I've got a dog, is it okay to bring it in?
No problem
I've brought a container for soybean milk
It's for four people?
Yeah, I reckon we won't be able to finish it
There's a window here
Yeah a window - when I'm doing stuff it's a little inconvenient for others to come in
Selling stuff from the window is easier
Next time I'll come to your window
Hahaha
You just finished this? It's hot?
Yeah the soybean milk was ready earlier, but I had to finish making the tofu after calling you
After finishing the tofu do you go to sell it in town?
Yeah I'll go into the village
(telling a story) ...They introduced themselves to the customer
Yeah
The main thing is that he said the tofu's tasty
1250g
There's two places to stock up on vegetables, though they're not very big
but enough that you're able to buy whatever you'd like to eat
What vegetable is this?
Chameleon plant
Huh?
Chameleon plant
Isn't chameleon plant white?
This is it's leaves
Oh, it's my first time to see chameleon plant leaves
This way
We're often selling these
Pretty tasty huh?
This is just a normal house
but they sell stuff
This is spinach huh?
Yeah spinach, and this is beetroot
What a big vegetable garden!
Yeah
Kind of interesting huh?
They sell Chinese cabbage and eggs and these little things
200g, 200g, I'll add a little and make it 250g
200g is enough
200g is 200RMB
Yeah okay
So many
Can you explain to us a little what these are?
Big hu, master hu, master hu, this is a case
This is a pipa, this is a caixian, this is a jihu and this is an erhu
You can play the pipa?
Yes
Can you play the pipa for us?
What I'll play now - I don't play modern songs
I'll come again to buy some veggies
Bye bye
How much for one?
This one's 2RMB
Then altogether, 6RMB
Okay, I don't need a bag auntie
Don't need a bag - we'll eat it right away
You need a bag
No it's okay I don't want it
Hahaha
The countryside surrounding Baisha is sprawling fields
And the people who work them are unusually hardworking
As you leave Baisha and venture towards Jade Dragon Mountain
the fields give way to an untamed desert-like expanse of flatland
It’s a dry windy area in winter
and makes you feel like you're in a desert
The majority ethnic minority in Baisha is the Naxi people
Naxi people not only have their own language, but also their own written script
This type of script. This script is a little like China's heiroglyphics
but it's called the Dongba script
Naxi characters are the only living form of hieroglyphics in the world
Because there's only a small number of people who are able to read and write them
Naxi script
These came back from an exhibition in Korea
therefore, it's very likely they too will soon pass into disuse
Is this the original or a copy?
It's the original, it's not a copy
Yeah, he wrote it himself
Then can you read the Naxi script?
I've never been able to read Naxi characters
I just know how to cook haha
It was written by my husband, these are all his books
Written and researched by him
Wow, he's got talent
He passed away
He could paint too, he could do many things
He wrote calligiraphy, poetry, articles and painted
Yeah and he could speak other languages
Yeah, he was really gifted
You must miss him so much?
Yeah you know, I don't want to talk about that
Someone else painted this for him?
Yeah yeah, he also wrote all our menus and that
Your restaurant menu?
Yeah
Next film
We'll take you with us to climb Jade Dragon Mountain
to meet more interesting people
So your welcome to subscribe - see you next time!