From the very moment of our arrival, the city of Guiyang put on quite a show for us. National Children's Day celebrations were in full swing, and there was a big outdoor exhibition of the children's marching bands going on in the central plaza. People in charge of the events spotted us in the crowd and insisted that we take the front row seats. When the local television cameras showed up, there we were, cheering on the bands in bright red baseball caps that had been placed on our heads. Apparently we were on TV later that night because after this, we became local celebrities.

From the city we made several trips out into the countryside to visit villages. The landscape was mountainous with rice paddies gracefully carved into the hillsides and across the fields right up to the edge of the road. At the villages we had a great time with the children drawing pictures and wandering on the narrow paths between the rice paddies. Our fearless leader Gan took off his sandals and got right into the muddy water and the spirit of things by guiding one of the waterbuffalo-drawn ploughs himself.

Some of the most wonderful opportunities on this trip to China were the chances to visit Gan's artist friends in their homes. We met artists in Beijing, Xian, and last but not least, in Guyang. I will always remember the afternoon we spent at painter Gu Lin's apartment, painting with his brushes on sheets of rice paper. While we painted, I could hear a street vendor calling out his wares down in the street and the songs of pet birds on neighboring windowsills.
See some of my journal pages.