Discovering Hainan's tropical interior

Working in a rice field near Tongzha 1993. [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]

The landscape was a timeless scene of human labour where a lack of mechanisation resulted in many sounds being more easily heard. I stopped by a rice field where a farmer was gently calling “whoosh” to encourage his buffalo pulling a wooden plough onwards through the mud. 'Klonk-klonk' from its wooden neck bell and a suction noise as each leg was extracted from the mud. Carrying an audio recorder I sat there recording those moments which were all so new to me. Continuing along the gravel road, girls protecting their heads with bamboo hats sang gently in the sunshine as they transplanted green rice shoots or scythed mature yellow stalks which were fed into wooden foot-powered threshing machines.

A narrow bridge of bamboo poles led across a river to a small stockaded settlement - I crawled carefully over before turning round to head back to Tongzha. Early evening was casting a different glow, the sun setting behind forested hills was bathing the waters of the rice padis with a gentle golden light. I sat there until darkness started to descend before walking behind farmers carrying wooden ploughs and children herding buffaloes home.

From a village, music emerged which I first thought was in a local dialect but was a 1985 popular song, 'Xing, Xing Suo'. A truly ethereal memory of a really beautiful day.

Next morning, bags packed, I was preparing to return to Haikou. After looking from my window across to mountains under a clear blue sky, within me I knew I could not leave. Quickly unpacking, putting my boots back on it was time for more exploration!

At first I headed out of town following a country road running alongside a river. Traversing partly forested countryside, it was very quiet, no vehicles passed. Occasionally farmers, looking puzzled, would stop and say something I later understood as "Qu nali?" ("Where are you going?"). I apparently was heading in the direction of Nanshenzhen?

A dirt road led down to an extensive plain with a backdrop of forested hills. A large village was centred around an elementary school and a shop. Hoping for a cold drink I entered - people obviously not used to seeing a foreigner just froze. Trying in Chinese and English to ask for a beer I was greeted with silent stares. More villagers arrived. Somebody left returning moments later with a school girl who knew a few words in English. She smiled, explaining most older people only communicate in local dialects. A chair was brought for me to have my beer while watched almost in a curious disbelief!

Outside a hill track rose above a scene of intensive farming. A herd of buffalos descended as I looked over this stunning landscape before starting back to Tongzha. Thinking it would be a long walk I heard a vehicle approaching from behind - an army truck! Oh,Oh! It pulled up, a group of cheerful young soldiers beckoned me onboard. As we headed to town I thought what a fantastic end not only to another glorious day but also of the many valuable experiences of this mountain city and of course Hainan Island.

Next day, with my memories and photo records, I was on the bus to Haikou for the boat back to Guangzhou - incredibly a fellow passenger on that sea voyage was a Li student from Tongzha