Upon initial inspection, the Meimei Village, centered in the green, bountiful island of Hainan, China, is exactly what you’d expect from an underdeveloped, poverty-stricken community of farmers. Concrete roads that are permanently plastered with dirt, homes made out of crumbling brick and bamboo, chained up dogs that you can smell before you can see, and trash and rotting fruit on the sides of the road all create an atmosphere that is painfully similar to that of Western news, media, and movies. (Eleven commas in two sentences, baby!) And rightfully so- this is the truth. The “poor village” trope that many Americans associate with much of China is rooted in fact. The village is stinky, dirty, and poor. This is irrefutable.
My perception of this community led me to the question: how could someone be happy living in a place like this? Granted- this is an ignorant question but it’s asking led me to some interesting observations. Firstly, no one in the village seemed unhappy. Everyone I passed on the street would smile or wave at me. Any opportunity to be generous that presented itself would be seized without hesitation. Even to an American who has everything, the village people were humble, kind, and giving. Naturally, you can assume that their personal happiness must be detached from the material goods in their lives. Of course they would cook two entire chickens (half their inventory) for one meal because to them, a chicken is a chicken and not a measure of wealth or happiness… which leads me to my next observation.
Second, the people in this community possess a contentedness that is absent in most Americans. I noticed that the village was not without power or internet. They have every ability to see how life is for others and often do (i.e. watching Chinese singing shows, news, etc). They are not ignorant to how life could be. This is very interesting to me. Most people, upon knowledge that other people have a better life, would desire to improve their lives in that direction (the “grass is greener” phenomenon). But not the villagers of Meimei village. Yes the grass is greener in the wealthy neighborhoods but the guava are much sweeter in this village.
My third observation is beauty in simplicity. I mean… that really says it all, doesn’t it? Sure there may be mud all over your feet and legs but when you look up and realize you’re standing in a field of papaya trees and a butterfly gently crosses your path- you can’t help but crack a wide open smile.
Yes, the MeiMei village is underdeveloped but it’s not an underdog. We were told,
“You are not here to save the world. The world does not need to be saved, it needs to be influenced in the most positive way possible.”
Isabella Qin
William Tate 