It filled me with great joy to see more private cars on the road in my hometown,an insignificant riverside village tucked away on the bank of the Yellow River during my home-coming trip for the National Day Holiday.Granted,town fellows sported little change in their dressing code or style. What stuck me most this time around was their modern way of transport:sedan cars with price tags of over 200000 yuan or over 30000 US dollars.
But that joy was brought to a sudden halt...when I was told about two tragic happenings in a casual talking on the street.The first episode derived from a fatal land-leasing dispute. It's so happened that one man in a nearby village coerced his follow villager to lease out his land at an offered rent. The potential leaser refused to accept this deal he deemed unfair,only to find himself attached by hit, men hired by the prospective lease.The bully even threatened to get the land no matter what, saying that a life costs him no more than a few grands.Consequently,as even a worm will turn,the troublemaker got killed at his place by the landowner and his two brothers.Sadly,the result was total collapse of four families.
The other disturbing story took place in my home village.As I was told, one corn harvester attempted to drive through the cropland nearby,but was rebuffed by a grandma,the land owner,for fear of crop collapse.As the row heated up,she simply lay down at the furrow end,crying:no way,or over my dead body!Tragically,the motor vehicle roared past over her body.The case was later settled outside of court with a compensation of just a few grands.
In my early childhood,as I can recall,villagers were simply of guard against one another,keeping their doors open day and night without any fear of theft.Warm-hearted aunts in the neighborhood would invite me over for dinner if my parents were not available when I came back from school. All seemed so warm and natural. Back then,neighbors were called in to give a helping hand during harvest seasons and were reward with hearty chitchats see life and homely meal. Alas,much has changed in local values and perceptions of life.Locals see life and community quite differently today.
Granted,rural economy is booming with policy incentives and I expect my hometown to be transformed soon. Yet what happened there also prompts me too argue for insightful guidance on cultural values in rural China.
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