There were three new children who had entered the hospital while I was away on my trip to the country. Here's Yuer (154 悦儿), whom we found roaming the halls on his grandmas' back. He's extremely kind and well-behaved, and he greeted us cheerily. His surgery is scheduled for Thursday.

Jiale (W3 家乐) was a little more mischievous. He revealed the paper airplanes that he kept stashed below his blanket. They didn't fly very well, but he was nevertheless eager to show them off. From what I heard, his disease is especially severe, so they're still figuring out his surgery and won't be until next week at least.

Little Hao (W50 小浩) was sleeping when we entered. I hope to get to know him better next time I come. He's scheduled to have surgery next Monday.

There were also two more kids whom we've already met. Little Ji  (153 小吉) was quiet, calmly resting and recovering from surgery.

Meanwhile, Xiaorui (141 小蕊) is still in the hospital. From what I picked up (and this might not be accurate, so please wait for updaes): There's a possibility of her getting another surgery to take the water out of her lungs, but it's very risky. She's eating better, but it will take a while for her to completely recover.

I gave all of them mooncakes to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival! Happy Zhong Qiu Jie!

Since I was gone for a while I missed Huier (152 慧儿), Xiaoqi (151 小琪), and Yanzi (150 燕子) before they left. Hopefully they found a safe journey home. I wish them the best!

On September 15, 2010, I went to the countryside with my co-worker Xiaofan. We left on Wednesday afternoon and returned on Saturday noontime. It turns out the trip was for three interrelated purposes: The first purpose was to talk to rural teachers to get them onboard with helping refer families with children with congenital heart disease to Little Red Scarf. The second purpose was to visit a few potential beneficiaries of Little Red Scarf. The third purpose was for Xiaofan to make a social visit the school where she used to work. Of course, that and her personal acquaintance with the local teachers conveniently coincided with the other goals.

1. Lanzhou City (兰州市) to Dingxi City (定西市) --- Bus ride up to Dingxi City

We took a bus straight to Shixiawan Township (石峡湾县). (Contrary to my earlier post, we actually didn't have to change buses.) Total time about 4 hours, cost 23 yuan.

To get there, the first stretch was a long ride from Lanzhou to Dingxi City (around 2 hours). Between the two cities the terrain was dramatic: Basically, it was long stretches of flat land, then suddenly huge mountain faces rising straight up from the ground. (The road tunneled straight through them.) The landscape was arid, dusty and very sparse. However, it seemed like everywhere there were traces of human modification: either the land was stepped and plotted with farmland, or it was terraformed with small shrubs growing in straight rows across the faces of hills and mountains. It really reminded me of the Gansu Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai, where they talked a lot about transforming the ecosystem of Gansu from an arid wasteland to fertile farms.

The road itself was extremely nice: It was brand new black asphalt the entire way between the two cities. Some of it was even tree-lined. However, to get onto this nice new expressway I noticed you have to pay a toll. 

My first thought upon approaching Dingxi City was that it looked like Industrial Age London. There were big stretches of dirt and big refineries in the distance. We passed through Dingxi downtown, and I thought it looked very much like every other middle-sized city in China. Hazy air, big broad streets, some new shiny buildings, lots of old tenement-looking buildings, some parks with people singing, lots of construction.

2. Dingxi City (定西市) to Shixiawan Xiang (石峡湾乡)

The second stretch of the trip was from Dingxi City to Shixiawan Township (around 2 hours). When we passed through the outskirts of Dingxi the road was extremely bumpy -- there was not even any semblance of a road, we were just traveling on dirt. My butt was really sore and knotted up at this point. But after a while the road became very nice again, all the way to Shixiawan.

The landscape on this stretch became very different. While still arid, the terrain was hilly rather than flat with sudden cliffs. We traveled along the tops of these hills (on very nice roads!), and quite dramatically, beautiful and grand vistas unfolded. It looked just like a pastoral painting -- farmland into the horizon, with little villages tucked into the elbows of terraced hillsides. It was all very dry though -- there were no rocks, everything was caked mud, and the crops were all very low-growing. The Dingxi area is most famous for its potatoes, and there was also some corn, wheat, and sunflowers. I believe those are all pretty low-water crops that don't need very fertile land. I marvel that all this farmland, straight into the horizon, was probably non-arable until the Columbian exchange, with the introduction of New World crops to Asia.

The road was still very nice -- Xiaofan told me later that all this was new and wasn't there when she worked here two years ago. Nevertheless, the roads winded around the hills, making it very hard to drive and see ahead. Whenever a car approached a sharp curve in the road, it would honk to warn potential oncoming cars just around the bend. The bus nearly hit someone one of of the high mountain roads.

We started passing through some villages, and we finally arrived at Shixiawan. When we got off the bus, I was really blown away by the beauty of the landscape. The town was perched on the top of a hill, and it overlooked these beautiful hillsides painted with a patchwork of dry crops. The pictures should speak for themselves. What pictures can't tell, though, is the freshness of the air out in the country. I felt like the week of lung-bashing in polluted Lanzhou was immediately reversed in Shixiawan's pristine air.

3. Shixiawan Xiang (石峡湾乡) --- met 宗老师

At Shixiawan we met up with the first teacher, Zong Laoshi (宗老师), at the town's local elementary school (plus kindergarten) campus. Shixiawan is the main town in this area, and its elementary school houses the administration for the broader school district.

Zong Laoshi is not actually a teacher; he is one of the school district's administrators. (But he's still called 老师). Xiaofan knew him from her time teaching in this school district. He invited us into his room (he lives in a room in the school) and he and Xiaofan chatted for a while. Xiaofan enlisted his aid in helping find children with congenital heart disease in the area.

We also got to see one of Little Red Scarf's success stories, Little Hong (小红). She had surgery in 2008. When we saw her she looked very full size, very happy, alert, walking. You'll see pictures on my blog in a bit. She talked; she didn't seem retarded at all. I remember now that Xiaofan asked her if she can run -- she said she can run with the other kids, just not as fast as most of them. I don't have much details on her.

4. Shixiawan Xiang (石峡湾乡) to Xinjian Cun (新建村) --- saw the local elementary school, slept over

After spending time at the Shixiawan elementary school, we took the local bus to the tiny tiny village called Xinjian Cun (新建村) where we stayed the night (bus ride around 15 mins, cost 2 yuan). The bus driver still recognized Xiaofan from 2 years ago! Xiaofan explained that lots of people recognize her because it is rare for outsiders to come to the village. Everyone was all very friendly on the bus, and they were very familiar with each other and with the bus driver. I really felt the small-town feel. 

The bus dropped us off by the road on the top of a hill, and we walked about 30 minutes downhill to get to this village. It was a really lovely walk -- it felt like walking through the open space by our home in California. [See pictures.] Xiaofan told me a lot about her experience here [see "Xiaofan"] and a little about agriculture in the Dingxi region [see "Agriculture in Dingxi"]. On our walk a few farmers out in the country stopped to call out to us -- some of them recognized Xiaofan and asked for her to come to their house for dinner.

Xinjian Cun is not really a village, it's more like a collection of a few farms and their families, with a school nestled in the middle. When we arrived at Xinjian Cun we first went to the school. It was a very small school -- three buildings in total. As the years pass it is growing even smaller. It used to have around 40 children, and now it only has 10+. According to Xiaofan, this is because of the one-child policy. Very soon there will be no need for a school at all.

This was the school where Xiaofan used to work, so she knew all teachers there. There are three teachers teaching at the school now. They all live on the school grounds during the week, but they go back to their homes on the weekend. There are two male teachers and one female teacher (generally it seems like most of the countryside teachers are male). They teach the core subjects (Chinese, English, math) for elementary school grades 1-6. In the village they basically only teach the three core subjects -- Chinese, math, and English -- which will be tested in order to graduate elementary school. The rest -- science, art, music, PE -- is 随便; the teacher might give a lesson from time to time, but since it's not tested it's not viewed as important, plus there's no one to teach it.

Xiaofan caught up briefly with the teachers -- she was very close with them since she worked with them for a year. Then we went over to one of the villagers' house right next door the the school. Teachers are very respected in the countryside, so Xiaofan had a really good relationship with the parents of her former students. When she worked here, she used to visit the farmer families' houses on the weekends, and at each house she visited they would cook a meal for her. Today this family near the school was very kind and let us sleep over for the night.

While we waited for them to cook dinner, I asked to go to the village temple, which was right nearby. Only men are allowed into the main temple, so one of the male relatives took me and Xiaofan. First we went into a smaller temple on the side, which women can also enter. It is a temple to the goddess San Qing Niang Niang (三请娘娘). Apparently this building that women can also use was built recently, in 2006 or 2007. The villagers all contributed a little bit of money to build it. It certainly was very pretty, both on the outside and the inside. Most interesting was the inside: It was very small and very intimate, so the white statues of the goddess and all her attendants were very very close (unlike in the big city temples we have seen). I felt a little bit of the supernatural in here; it was a little spooky. Then we went into the main temple to San Fo Ye (三佛爷). This temple was much older. Though the outside was prettier, the inside was surprisingly a lot less impressive. The statue of San Fo Ye was smaller. It was also curtained, so all you could see was part of his face.

Then we went back to eat dinner. I watched the mother and a female relative cook in the kitchen. They rolled fresh pasta from scratch -- they made 面片, small pieces of pasta in a clear sauce, with thin slices of potatoes. (I saw them use packaged powder to thicken and flavor the sauce). They also had stir-fried bell peppers. It got really smoky in the kitchen and my eyes started watering -- it seemed like there was no ventilation at all. It was very good and I was starving, but I was a little afraid of eating it at the time. Hugely fortunately, the whole trip I didn't have any bowel problems!

The family had to eat no meat and no leftovers, because apparently there was a special event they were preparing for. They had to go up to the hills and 念经 recite scriptures of some sort for their ancestors. Apparently this happens only once every 10 years for an entire week. I couldn't really make out any more details.

After dinner Xiaofan and I went back to the school and Xiaofan socialized more with the teachers. I went outside and walked around the small schoolyard, enjoying the really refreshing breeze and the clear moon. I thought about how I must be totally romanticizing the rustic life, but as long as the harvest is good and you don't get sick, it seemed perfect. That led me to thoughts about becoming a doctor, and about how important being "comfortable" in life is. (More on that later.)

We went to sleep very early. I slept in my sleeping bag in the main room in the house. There's a humongous sleeping area there that only the grandpa (Yeye) sleeps in. I slept there next to the grandpa. Sleeping was very delicious -- unlike in the busy city, it was really quiet in the country with no sound at all. The temperature was also perfect -- cool enough to make my sleeping bag nice and cozy. I also had cool dreams, but I remember them feeling very American... Even in the beautiful countryside, I must've missed home a little.

When we walk into Huier's room, she is enjoying a sweet biscuit. Yunyun Jiejie fills out some forms with Huier's parents. I ask the parents how they have been. They've had no opportunity to rest, they say -- all three sleep on Huier's patient bed. Tomorrow will be Huier's surgery, so somehow they need to find enough rest so that they can support Huier as she recovers.

Xiaorui is doing better, says her grandmother, but she is still grumpy as ever. "Baba," she says again. She's here in the hospital with her grandparents, but she still misses her other family members back home. Her father has to keep working, and her mother is looking after her one-year-old sister at home.

Xiaoqi looks as good as new! She's very coordinated -- yesterday she was peeling eggshells and today she can drink water lying down, without spilling. She'll be leaving the hospital soon.

Here is a translation of Huier's bio from her project page. Again, please make any corrections:

Huier is four years old. She has an older sister who really loves her; even though the older sister is only [12] years old, she really looks after Huier. When the staff visited Huier's home, her mom was away from home to work [as a cook for migrant peasant workers in the city]. Her father was very busy at home harvesting wheat. The whole family lives inside an abandoned cave. Their lifestyles are poor and honest. When Huier meets strangers she really is not shy at all, but when we left she was really upset. Huier's father is really worried about Huier's illness. For a very long time, he has been looking for help. When he found out about Little Red Scarf, he contacted us right away. We also will help her recover -- and recover she will!

I scanned the family photo we have on file. I hope Huier's sister doesn't miss Huier too much during her stay at the hospital.

Although Fang Fang completed heart surgery, she passed away very soon after returning home from the hospital. Fang Fang's heart disease had been especially severe, and she was in especially bad health. As a result, the journey home after her surgery was too much to handle: reaching her village required a 9-hour car ride in 40-degree Celsius weather, plus a two-hour climb up the mountainside. Her village had no access to emergency health services, and she died right after she came home.

Now Fang Fang's father still owes 7000+ yuan's worth of hospital fees. After more than two months he has not been able to borrow enough money from his friends. Fang Fang's case had been especially expensive because she had an especially severe disease and because she had been especially small and malnourished.

Fang Fang's father is heartbroken. He spent all his money on his child, and now he has neither money nor his beloved child.

I want you to meet Yanzi's older brother, who is ten years older than Yanzi (who is 12). I really admire him a lot -- he has cared for Yanzi non-stop this entire time, when his parents are not available. Whenever Yanzi is in pain or distress, he is there to comfort her. I think he is a worthy role model for all of us as a sibling, a son, and a person.

Meanwhile, it seems like Xiaoqi is as good as new again, at least in terms of her unconquerable spirit! When we visit her she is peeling an egg -- very skillfully, may I say, for a two year old. Yunyun Jiejie asks if she can have any of the egg, and Xiaoqi generously offers her the egg shells :)

With faltering Putonghua is ask him a few questions. He tells me he is excited to return home this coming Sunday. Here in the hospital, there's no one to play with, but at home he has lots of friends. He has a lot more energy, as well -- but his legs are still weak.

We're soon interrupted by the nurses, who tell him he should start walking around and getting sunlight now. With the help of his mom, he stands up slowly and makes his way to the window. As he turns to look at me he smiles energetically. Standing up is something most of us do without thinking every morning. But I'd never seen Xiaohong standing before. To see him stand now -- I feel like I have witnessed a great victory.

I don't take a picture of Xiaorui because she really doesn't want to see us. She is coughing today, and her grandmother tries to comfort her as she cries "Yeye, yeye" -- where is Grandpa?

When we enter Xiaorui's room, she is sitting by the window staring off into the distance. She refuses to make eye contact with us -- we must be unwelcome strangers in a very tumultuous time in her life.

Xiaorui had heart surgery about a month ago, and she is now back in the hospital because of some very serious complications. From what I can gather, her surgery was fine -- but afterwards, her grandma and grandpa were not able to take care of her properly. When she got a cough, they had given her Chinese herbal medicine -- two bowls of herbal soup every day. Because she had just gotten heart surgery, her system was unable to take that amount of liquid. As a result, she got water in her lungs and fell into a coma. After emergency measures she is in the hospital again. I hope the worst has passed.

After we leave the room her grandfather comes out and talks to us a little bit. He is very afraid -- no one knows how things will turn out. He wipes tears from his eyes. I don't know how to respond. It is difficult to see a grown man cry.

Later we find Xiaoqi sleeping peacefully on the bed. Today he will be getting surgery. Xiaobo Jiejie advises the parents to get rest as well -- Xiaoqi will be needing their support even more after the surgery, so they should not tire themselves out now.

I took the opportunity to try to translate Xiaoqi's bio from Chinese. Please forgive  and correct any errors:

Birthdate: May 16, 2008 It was discovered that Xiaoqi had congenital heart disease when he was six months old. His family was unable to raise enough money for the cost of surgery. Treatment was dragged on until now when he is three years old, when his parents found out about the Little Red Scarf Alliance and called the hotline to talk to our staff. Xiaoqi's grandfather has hepatitis, and every year his medical expenses reach more than 5,000 yuan. In these three years, when Xiaoqi did not have a cold it was because he had a serious pneumonia. The whole family has worked hard for Xiaoqi's sake, hoping for kind-hearted people's help.

Xiaohong is feeling a little tired. Yesterday at his checkup, his body was very weak and he couldn't stand by himself. He can't turn over on the bed by himself, so the nurse has to help him so that he won't get a bed rash. But at least he is making progress: last night he slept well, and his smile as he talks to us is bigger than ever.

He can also eat food comfortably -- but the food situation hasn't been easy. "Living is easier in the village," Xiaohong's father explains. As an low-income Muslim peasant family, it is hard enough for them to find appropriate food to eat in the city. True, Lanzhou has many halal diners -- "清真qingzhen" food is all over the streets. To me as an American, these shops are super cheap -- a big bowl of hand-pulled beef noodle soup is about 3.50 yuan (~50 cents American). But compared to cooking at home, these shops are expensive for Xiaohong's family.

"We are 100% peasant," laughs Xiaohong's father. As peasants, they don't have much. After hospital fees, they only have 90 yuan total, explains Xiaobo Jiejie. Yesterday they ate very little -- maybe just one 饼 biscuit each. So Xiaobo Jiejie went out to buy them some halal beef noodle soup, a gesture that Xiaohong's family really appreciated.

"Tomorrow, teach me English," Xiaohong says as he waves goodbye. I look forward to seeing him tomorrow even brighter and better than today.

For the benefit of the English-speaking public, I took the opportunity to translate Xiahong's bio to English. Special thanks to nciku.com dictionary :) Disclaimer: I am definitely not fluent in Chinese, but this is what I reconstructed from the dictionary. Apologies ahead of time for my mistakes, and corrections are definitely welcome!

Xiaohong is a 17-year-old Hui ethnic minority who lives in Pingliang City, Gansu Province. It was only when he was 8 years old, when he caught a cold, did he discover that he had congenital heart disease. Normally when he walks he has asthma. His fingernails and lips turn blue. He cannot straighten his waist to walk. To cure his heart disease his family has already spent more than 10,000 yuan, but to no avail. Xiahong still suffers from very serious curvature of the spine.

Today was my first official visit to the hospital -- Lanzhou Military District Central Hospital (兰州军区总医院). It's a very modern and clean hospital, and it is the best one in Gansu. As a result, most of Little Red Scarf's children go to this hospital to get their surgeries done.

I had the opportunity to meet the children that Little Red Scarf benefits. First I met a Little Red Scarf success story: Benben (奔奔 95). He used to be skinny, but now three months after his surgery, he is cute and chubby! We bumped into him and his family because he was back for a post-surgery checkup, which turned out very well. Unfortunately, his older brother also has congenital heart disease, but after two surgeries at another hospital the brother is still not better. As a result, Benben's father was very happy that Benben's surgery was successful.

Then we visited Yanzi (燕子 150), who was very shy and talked very little. She took the pile of paperwork that Yuynyun gave her in stride. She will be having her surgery soon.

Afterwards we saw Xiaorui (小蕊 141). She was a little bit cranky today -- I'm sure that she must be very scared and nervous to be in a strange environment with loud visitors. She's already had a successful surgery, but she had to come back to the hospital because she got a cough. Let's hope she gets better soon!

Yesterday I had met Xiaohong (小宏 147), who is recovering from surgery. Today he seemed a lot more alert, and was able to eat a few spoonfuls of food. Like yesterday, he greeted us with a big smile. I'm so glad that he is able to be so positive in a time that must be very hard for him.

Finally we saw Xiaoqi (小琪 151), who just arrived in the hospital and will soon get surgery. She was so happy and positive (and extremely adorable), and I hope her confidence will stay just as strong as she goes through surgery and recovery.

 Edited 9/09/10: I had previously written Xiaoqi as a boy. She is a girl.