Standing inside my mother’s former home for the first time, I notice the uncovered skylight. The floor beneath it is moist with rain that has fallen through. Scratched pots and pans lay cluttered on the stove. The furniture is dusty and sticky with age. Only the barest traces of my mother’s stories remain, buried among the charcoal ash in the wood-burning stove and veiled within Chairman Mao’s faded portrait hanging over the dining table.
After ten years of waiting, fourteen hours of turbulent plane flight, and eight hours in a rattling bus, I am finally in Jiexi, a county in the southeastern province of Guangdong, China. For my mother, this is the village where she spent her youth. For me, it’s the village of my mother’s vivid stories. Yet, despite all these mud-colored and dirt-streaked houses, what I see now is not anything like I dreamed.
My mother was born just a few years before Mao died, living in a time when people kept the work ethic and spirit but not the stricter Socialist ideas. The life she spun in her stories possessed few physical luxuries, but was uniquely rich in spirit and ambition.
She would tell of the boy who refused to share the village’s only TV, and how she got revenge by throwing a fist-sized ball of cobwebs into his bedroom window. Or maybe how her father got a little tipsy each dinner and would repetitively lecture her for hours on important life values.
Back then, nobody thought twice about children openly defecating into a dirt hole beside the road. All meat was home raised – oinking, clucking, and quacking right inside the living room. Yet, teachers would shame a child for carefully fastening her hair bows instead of studying hard. Reading fiction or naming pets was an impractical and absurd use of time.
“On our roads roamed numerous cats and dogs that were used for functional purposes like rat-catchers, guards, and food – but never as pets.” I walk down the now-empty, dusty, and unpaved road, crushing used cigarettes and chunks of dirt as I go.
“I collected buckets of water from the village well each day and brought them home for the family.” The water buckets are now dry and cracked, their insides streaked with mold and shadows.
“Before Mao died, a loudspeaker attached above our house’s door woke the community up with spirited, political songs.” But this seemingly deserted place is quiet, its formerly revolutionary spirit extinguished – except in my mother’s stories.
Despite the village’s shabby condition, there are still signs of life – an occasional villager, a rack of drying clothes. As I walk through a small garden, my uncle thrusts his hand into the soil and digs out fresh, moist peanuts to eat. Two sweaty children, tanned brown by the sun and wearing faded clothes, openly stare at us, colorful foreigners trampling through their land. A few old men, wearing layers of wrinkles carved by the rivers of time, smoke in front of their doors.
In only a few decades, the young people of this village – and all of China, in fact – have leaped far away from their poverty-stricken history and into the big cities, leaving behind aged people and aged memories. To preserve the little village and its resilient spirit, stories like my mother’s must be retold, written, and passed through generations. Or else the dirt-caked childhood of my mother’s memories will disintegrate into oblivion, leaving future generations to remember only an abandoned shell of weeds and crumbling buildings.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
1 Reply to “Dirt-Caked Memories: A Story Revisited and Retold”
Comment on this article
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I have been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks , I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your site?
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
Hi webmaster, commenters and everybody else !!! The blog was absolutely fantastic!
Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need!b Keep em coming you all do such a great job at such Concepts
cant tell you how much I, for one appreciate all you do!
Hello!
I am student of the department of tourism at the University of Piraeus in Greece and i am excited that we are conducting a survey about Family Travel.
I would be really happy if you completed this quick survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1s1OjLYV6AtLcEgkaa6UsqtxjVCnLQ1NMjTGANmOqyAw/edit
Thank you very much!
Best Family Summer Vacations. Bookanyboat helps you search for boat rentals, yacht charters and sightseeing cruises in 3 exciting destinations, including: Dubai, Ibiza and Miami. bookanyboat.com
Exceptional post but I was wondering if you could write
a litte more on this topic? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit more.
Bless you!
Thanks for finally writing about > How To Chhoose a Dude Ranch When Therre Are
So Manny Chhoices – My Family Travels
Summer is the best time to visit Alaska because the days are longer as well as the temperature were warmer.
As ones luxury cruise ship glides past creaking blue-white glacier and lush woodland, rest on you private veranda.
The Last Frontier is a nature lover’s dream, with places like Production of essential which you can see big cats fishing trout or Queenstown with which you can witness humpback whales breaching on a whale-watching cruise.
In Icy Strait Point, soar over the trees on the a zipline, and learn about the history of the Gold Rush in Skagway.
Thanks for sharing informative post.
San Diego vacation rentals with private pool
Very superb information can be found on web site.
Fantastic site. Lots of useful information here.
I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing.
Lovely just what I was looking for.Thanks to the author for taking his time on this one.
Awsome info and straight to the point. I am not sure if this is really the best place to ask but do you guys have any ideea where to get some professional writers? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hey very interesting blog!
Ahaa, its fastidious conversation regarding this post at this place at this web
site, I have read all that, so now me also commenting here.
I think that what you published was very logical. However,
what about this? what if you typed a catchier post title?
I ain’t suggesting your content is not good, but suppose you
added something that grabbed people’s attention? I mean How To Choose a
Dude Ranch When There Are So Many Choices – My Family Travels is
kinda plain. You ought to look at Yahoo’s home
page and see how they create news headlines to grab viewers
interested. You might add a video or a related pic or two to get readers interested about what you’ve written. Just my opinion, it could bring your blog a little
bit more interesting.
Everything is very open and very clear explanation of issues. was truly information. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing.
It’s actually a cool and useful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, this post is good, my sister is analyzing these things,
so I am going to convey her.
You have brought up a very good points, regards for the post.
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thanks again!
Howdy! Someone in my Myspace group shared this website with us so I came
to look it over. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Wonderful blog and terrific design and style.
After going over a few of the blog posts on your web page, I seriously like your technique of writing a blog. I saved as a favorite it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
Your site is very good, I liked the information. Grateful. 10070690
I’m no longer sure where you’re getting your info, however good topic.
I must spend a while finding out much more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful info I was looking for this information for my mission.
Have you ever thought about creating an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog centered on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my readers would value your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e-mail.
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back often!
Do you have at least some idea how to cancel Hawaiian airlines flight? Booked tickets can be dropped online by Visiting Hawaiian Airlines’ actual webpage. explorers don’t have even the remotest clue how to drop the trip on the web, they can contact flight chiefs at Hawaiian Airlines drop ticket
Hi there! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the great information you will have here on this post. I will be coming back to your weblog for more soon.
Its excellent as your other posts : D, regards for posting.
Great Post ! I have read your other posts which are really informative for any family traveler. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful informative information.
Exactly what I was searching for, thank you for posting.
very nice publish, i certainly love this website, keep on it
Many years ago, I did study Spanish in Barcelona, with a school called CIEE. I loved every minute of my month there, stayed with an older woman who ran a boarding house for students. She made us all speak Spanish at every meal. I remember eating a lot of patates fritas at her house, but I did learn a lot of Spanish (a little Catalan too) and I fell in love with Barcelona.
I was just telling my friend about that.