In the heart of Foping Nature Reserve there is a small family that provides lodging and food for travellers that wish to stay in the forest for an extended period. They were extremely hospitable and still live in the traditional way. Their home is made of rammed earth which is extremely durable and a wonderful insulator. The house stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The family keeps a variety of livestock including ducks, pigs, and chickens (one of which they butchered for our dinner). They grow corn, peppers, turnips, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce and other vegetables. They also gather wild foods from the forest including a variety of nuts(which we helped collect) and 'Mu Er' (Wood Ear) an edible fungus that is dried and later reconstituted in soups. They have an orchard of 'Shan Ju Wu,' a tree that produces sour red berries that are used medicinally. The berry is brewed in water or corn liquor and taken for back pain. They keep bees in the orchard as well. The honey they produce has high medicinal value as it is derived from the diverse plants found in the mountains. We sat by the hearth, ate our fill of their wonderful homemade kim chee, flatbread, cornmeal porridge, and chicken soup, and stayed up late trading stories and laughing.
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