{"id":7828,"date":"2023-08-06T16:14:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-06T08:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pureviewartfoundation.org\/?page_id=7828"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:57:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T03:57:26","slug":"pure-view-liangdeng-miao-village-side-story-volunteer-life-lack-of-water-pit-toilets-outdoors-centuries-old-houses-just-the-reality-of-daily-life","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/www.pureviewartfoundation.org\/zh\/project\/pure-view-liangdeng-miao-village-side-story-volunteer-life-lack-of-water-pit-toilets-outdoors-centuries-old-houses-just-the-reality-of-daily-life\/","title":{"rendered":"”Pure View\u00ae Liangdeng Miao Village” Side Story: Volunteer Life: Lack of Water, Pit Toilets, Outdoors, Centuries-Old Houses \u2013 Just the Reality of Daily Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77\uff0c\u6b64\u5185\u5bb9\u53ea\u9002\u7528\u4e8eEnglish<\/a>\u3002 For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.<\/p>

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Reflecting on our time in Liangdeng Village, we realize \u2013 there are some things you can never know until you experience them yourself.<\/p>\n

Before coming to Liangdeng Village, many volunteers couldn’t imagine themselves enduring life in this impoverished mountainous area, under the scorching sun and drenched by rain, as resilient as wild grass, overcoming challenges, adapting, and enduring days of accumulated sweat, all while sincerely appreciating the remote beauty and sharing pure joy…[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7829″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The first time up the mountain, facing a 270-degree turn and steep slope, everyone was filled with fear and concern. By the time we left Liangdeng, we had become accustomed to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]Water is scarce in the five groups of Liangdeng Village, with no stable supply. We stayed in Group One, where in 2022 each household contributed 2,000 yuan, organized by local villager Wu Guozhuang, to bring water into their homes. The other four groups still rely on communal wells.<\/p>\n

Our group of 19 volunteers and Wu Guozhuang’s family of three, 22 people in total, shared one faucet. We had to conserve water, unable to bathe, only able to maintain basic hygiene.[\/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499955440-9d5ba340-5099-1″ include=”7830,7831″][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]When the pipes clogged and the water stopped, we could only use a little for simple washing.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest initial challenges for the volunteers was using the pit toilet made of wooden planks.<\/p>\n

The transition from flush toilets to pit toilets was significant, but after a few days, we became “squatting buddies.”[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7832″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

We had to squat over the gaps in the wooden planks.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]Cooking was done on a large traditional stove using firewood. Each day, we used ingredients gathered from the village \u2013 wild tomatoes, wild leeks, eggs, and a spicy corn mash \u2013 to prepare simple meals.[\/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499955441-64c18b25-1959-2″ include=”7833,7834″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Left: Wild cherry tomatoes, one of the main ingredients for our tomato omelets.
\nRight: A type of fungus called “fire charcoal mushrooms” found only under chestnut trees, which turns black within half an hour of being cut.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_single_image image=”7835″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Wu Guozhuang picked some wild leeks and bought a piece of homemade cured meat for an extra meal!<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499955441-9aab7cbb-39bb-7″ include=”7836,7837″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Wu Guozhuang helped chop wood and start the fire, while Teacher Wang prepared the vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499955441-8b2e9baf-e288-1″ include=”7838,7839″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The adult volunteers cooked large pots of fried rice with eggs for the children, paired with a spicy red corn relish.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_single_image image=”7840″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The crispy rice crust that forms when cooking in a cast-iron pot over a wood-burning stove.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_single_image image=”7841″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

After eating, we lined up to wash dishes, taking care of our own responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_single_image image=”7842″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The adult volunteers took care of the rest of the dishwashing.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]At night, we slept on the uneven floor of Wu Guozhuang’s century-old house, always worrying about whether it would rain and if the roof would leak.[\/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499955442-b38943a3-8353-6″ include=”7843,7844,7845,7846,7847″][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]If it rained, the priority was to wash our hair in the rain and eat quickly \u2013 because we still had to go out after the rain stopped.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]And then there were the “old friends” \u2013 mosquitoes and biting insects that came out as soon as it got dark, battling them every day. Mosquito repellent wasn’t very effective, and they could sneak into mosquito nets.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7848″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

A mosquito that was killed on the ground was immediately carried away by an unknown insect.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_single_image image=”7849″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

A large spider hung near the pit toilet, hopefully catching more mosquitoes for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]During outdoor sketching, stepping on three steps meant encountering five grasshoppers, and seven insects in five steps was common. Younger volunteers went from being frightened to gradually adapting.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7850″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Count how many insects you see on this blade of grass?<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]Traversing through tall grass and ancient forests was part of daily life in Liangdeng Village \u2013 climbing walls, crossing forests, and working in artists’ courtyards, capturing the deep affection for the most rustic parts of home.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7851″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Blazing a trail through waist-high grass.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499955442-8f8ca13a-8239-9″ include=”7852,7853″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Crossing fields, we saw hardworking scarecrows at work.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]Volunteers and local children adapted to the terrain and environment in various postures for sketching and creative work.[\/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499961415-7f248fb7-2945-2″ include=”7854,7855,7856,7857,7858,7859,7860″][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]Upon returning from sketching, the young volunteers themselves became works of art.[\/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1722499955443-3d5730ea-b77e-9″ include=”7861,7862,7863″][vc_empty_space height=”2vw”][vc_column_text]This is the daily life of the locals in Liangdeng \u2013 farming depends on the weather, water must be conserved, and meals consist of a bit of pickled vegetables with a bowl of rice. Young people leave to seek a living elsewhere, while those who stay search the mountains for sustenance, working diligently from dawn till dusk.<\/p>\n

During our days in the village, we conducted field research in the simplest way possible, experiencing and documenting the authentic life of Liangdeng Village with our brushes, remembering its beauty and poverty.<\/p>\n

In the first two days, a young volunteer asked Teacher Li:
\n“Why should I come here to suffer? I will never live like this.”
\n“Child, you are broadening the depth of your life.”[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7864″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Teacher Li teaching class.<\/span><\/p>\n

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