I was travelling with my driver and in the distant foothills I saw what I thought were Cave’s and so I asked; “ Are those caves to the right?” yes was the response-now I became even more curious and asked; “do people live there”, yes, many people. I told my driver, to his surprise-I want to go there. I spent three days in an area called “Yellow Earth” in China. There are schools, cows, and people of all ages that live in caves. Most importantly, one of the first things a young man does is build his coffin and paint the history of his life. Later I would learn that these caves have begun before recorded time, this area was also a safe heaven for Mao to hide in his long march to power.
This is the polar opposite of what the media reports on China, and most likely not what China wants reported-in that well groomed image lies a history older than recorded time. Their schools are well maintained, the children wear uniforms but they return home to help with the farming-there is no iPhone or computer-they write there lesson plans in longhand and they are happy. Unspoiled and with deep respect for their elders painting the history of their life, one year at a time.
When someone in this community dies, their coffin is either buried or hung on the side of a cliff-there are no exact numbers but over one million people live in caves today. Each cave is like a home with several rooms and a large open area, in the winter all of the beds have concrete frames that are heated with fine straw-these caves are as Eco Friendly as one can get. The community’s economy comes from both farming and ceramics, which they sell to other cities. JPN
Tech notes; Camera-Mamiya 7 with a 65mm lens.