Guanlan Print Base

The Guanlan Print Base in an old Hakka Village, the Hakka are a very ancient tribe from Northern China who migrated to the south and also to Taiwan and several other Southeast Asian countries. The people who lived here were wealthy. The family name was Ling. I haven’t been able to find out when the village was deserted but it appears there was a factory close by. The government decided to start this print base during the Print Base during the 1990’s to honor a famous Chinese Printmaker who lived near here. China is well known for its printmaking. They rebuilt the factory into this huge up-to-date print center. It is very clean with good equipment. Many people come to visit every day. The area is about 1.4 million square meters in size. The Governor of Gongdong Province came to visit the other day. Many important government officials are here daily. I guess they want to see how their money is being used. We try to look intelligent and artistic.
The Hakka houses were kept the same on the outside, but the interiors have been updated. Lucky for me there is an American toilet or I might have to get a hotel. Because Craig and I are here together we have a large cottage. There is an entry hall (ceilings throughout are 15 feet tall) , our bedroom is to the right of the entry hall (it has a very hard bed and an air conditioner). While in the entry hall you go forward and step over a raised concrete entry way into the living room. The living room has a wood slated couch and 2 chairs (no cushions), a water cooler, coffee table and side table. There are two more bedrooms behind the living room and to the right. In one bedroom built into the floor is a grain pulverizer that is quite large. (Luckily I don’t have to cook) To the left of the living room is a dining area and a stair way going to the 2 upstairs bedrooms. In the front of the house next to the dining room is a study with a desk and bookcase. Behind the dining are is a utility room and the bathroom, the sink shower and toilet are altogether so everything gets wet when you shower. Easy clean up with a drain in the floor. It is quite the set up. I am still acclimatizing to the humidity and my stomach hasn’t gotten used to the food. I find myself quickly walking the ¼ mile to the cottage several times a day since I am not that good with squat pots and don’t want to embarrass myself.
The walls of the houses are 10-12 inches thick, I can’t speculate how many of the Hakka cottages there are. Many are used for visiting artists, many are artist studios (we think they rent them, but who knows), many are galleries showing the works of Chinese artist. There are two cottages dedicated to the history of printmaking in China. I would tell you all about it but it is all in Chinese.
There are ponds everywhere and they are building a canal and planting flowers inside and all around the canal. Craig has a large studio that is air conditioned. It looks out over a huge field. Everyday of the week there are at least 25 men and women in the field working. It is all manual labor.
We have formulated an hypothesis while watching the people work . Why don’t they use modern conveniences? Before we left the US we listened to the history of China on CD. Mao’s philosophy was more people more of a labor force. Everybody works when you don’t use modern time saving devices. It is amazing to watch. I am grateful for the modern conveniences I have at home.
Love to you all,
Pam