Datong (part 2)- The Cave Village

After heading to a hotel to freshen up after our train ride, we had a western style breakfast and boarded a bus.


Winding through rocky, sandy mountains we pulled off the road to park. The tour guide told us that villagers in the valley all lived in caves. The place is called Dong U Tao.


Everyone is busy snapping pictures and peasant children come running up to sell us handmade Chinese toys.





The poverty is striking as we are just an hour outside the city of Datong. Farmers use mules to plow fields. Because the area is so dry, the crops are mostly corn. There is no rice in this part of China unless it is shipped in.



People grind corn to make noodles which is a staple in their diets. Outside homes you could see corn drying on clothes lines.



The region is known as a major coal producer. Thousands work in mines. In fact, I see stories almost every single day about fatal coal mine accidents.


The village did have electricity, which explains the satellite dish. But there was no plumbing or running water.


I noticed a home across the street with steep steps leading up to a series of caves. Our tour guide asked me if I would like to pay the owner a visit and of course I said yes. That is him pictured below.




Most people would dread having 20 strangers tromp through their home on a moments notice, but not this guy. He was incredibly welcoming. He lived in caves all his life and has had people visit him from all over the world. In fact, on his wall was a newspaper article about him written by an American journalist.



His home was fascinating. He drags water up the side of the mountain from a village well and stores it in this barrel. I can't imagine what a pain that must be.


His bed is built on a block of bricks. Inside those bricks is an oven where he burns coal to keep warm during the winter. I don't know how trusting I would be of a bed which doubles as an oven, but he said it works just fine.

The cave is carved out of the mountain, but villagers use a mixture of corn stalks and mud to plaster the walls and ceiling.


There were three "rooms" inside the cave. The bedroom/living room, a food storage room and a main enterance. I didn't notice a bathroom.


Outside his home was a garden where he not only grew food but also flowers.


He too had a satellite dish running to his TV although I couldn't tell you what channels he was able to pick up.


Most of the people in the village were elderly like this gentlemen or farmers. Younger people migrate to cities to work and then send funds home. However, in China, it is very hard for them to get permanent residency in cities (population control laws) so people have to return home when they retire.


This was a good reminder that I am in a developing country despite the modernities of Beijing and this was just our first stop.