This morning we went on an excursion to a water village inhabited by the Tujia people. They are one of the 55 minorities who live alongside the Han majority. The mountainside village is below the Three Gorges Dam so it did not get flooded and the ancient artifacts are all still intact.
Their statues resemble those on Easter Island.
Young girls dress in bright colours and have baskets of flowers on their backs. On festival days men walk around and ask their favourite girl how much her flowers cost. If the girl sets a high price she is telling the boy to go away. If she indicates a low price she is telling the boy she likes him too and the boy serenades her with music. Then he must work for her parents for 3 years before consent to marry is given.
As we walked up the steep mountain path a few friends dropped by.
We witnessed a Tujia wedding ceremony. The bride must cry for a month before the wedding to show respect for her parents. Here are the bridesmaids.
The scenery was spectacular yet serene.
The afternoon excursion was to the Three Gorges Dam. Construction started in 1993 and was finally finished in 2016.
On the left side is the actual Dam.
To the right of the Dam is the Ship locks which handles the busy commercial ship traffic on the Yangtze River.
The Dam contains 32 turbines and has been producing electricity for 14 years. During its construction it displaced 1.39 million people who were all relocated to neighbouring towns and big cities. In fact, our guide's family was one of those families and he says that though it was hard for the older generation to leave their ancestral homes they are now happy to have modern housing with indoor plumbing and running water.
After a busy day We returned to our ship......which by the way is pretty nice.....to have happy hour before dinner.
Donna
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