A worker at a baijiu factory shovels sorghum out of the steamer. The sugars are fermented in the grain in a pit, then dug out and distilled by steaming the grain. The process is repeated seven times. As nearly everyone in the town of Maotai (茅台镇) is employed either on the floor of a baijiu factory or as a coolie, there are a lot of ridiculously ripped people walking around.
A worker at a small mountain tea factory outside of Fengqing (鳳慶縣城), Yunnan dumps rolled green tea leaves into a machine that sifts out the smaller particles and dirt before they are taken to another machine to be dried. The workers were kind enough to give us the remains of their lunch when we showed up at the factory at lunchtime.
Despite our intentions to find the joy and dignity in life, our discoveries would carry less meaning were they to lack proper context. For most LBXes, life is hard. A casual observer will likely witness only the hardship. Our guiding mission is to dig deeper. Nevertheless, there is beauty in adversity, and the challenges we face and overcome are an integral part of what makes us human.
The man here is a worker at the Panjiayuan antique market in Beijing, where I spent some time this weekend. From what I could tell, he spends his time hauling heavy things back and forth on a tricycle cart, but unfortunately I didn’t get to spend any time with him.
I’ll be posting shots from the market throughout the week.
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