Chickens, Chairman Mao and spiced tea with the neighbours: Welcome to ‘the real China’
“He understood the ordinary people.”The nearest market is five kilometres away in a small unremarkable township, where everyone is curious about the visiting foreigner (me). It’s a confronting sight for the uninitiated, though Li tells me he has never seen dog meat for sale here before.By his own admission, Li forewarns would-be guests that his home is located in a rural village that most Chinese people have never heard of. There’s little tangible wealth in villages such as Xingming but community bonds are strong.
- ▪“He understood the ordinary people.”The nearest market is five kilometres away in a small unremarkable township, where everyone is curious about the visiting foreigner (me).
- ▪It’s a confronting sight for the uninitiated, though Li tells me he has never seen dog meat for sale here before.By his own admission, Li forewarns would-be guests that his home is located in a rural village that most Chinese people have ne
- ▪There’s little tangible wealth in villages such as Xingming but community bonds are strong.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","dateModified":"2026-07-24T01:04:42Z","datePublished":"2026-07-24T01:04:42Z","description":"Far from the smartphone-powered megacities with their gleaming skyscrapers and futuristic electric vehicles, lies another side to China emerging out of decades of poverty.","headline":"Chickens, Chairman Mao and spiced tea with the neighbours: Welcome to ‘the real China’","keywords":"China relations, China, Just in","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Visentin","jobTitle":"North Asia…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.