Street Life of Jinghong, or The Trash Man

I will be the first to admit that this specific blog entry will not be much of a revelation for those of you who have traveled in China, or perhaps other Asian countries (I wouldn’t really know), but oh well. I feel the need to share one of the most enjoyable things for me during my stay in Jinghong: watching, and listening to, the streetlife. Although there are plenty of cars to fill the streets, and each driver is more than happy to let the others know that he is there by honking the horn, the most fun and interesting are the two- or three- wheeled vehicles, specifically the non-motorized, pedal powered ones. These vehicles are used not only as a means of getting from one place to another, but also as a way to get any number of things around town: piles of produce, furniture sets, friends and family, etc. Again, this is nothing out of the ordinary for people who use what they have to the fullest extent possible, but it was great fun to watch each day. Yet, what particularly caught my attention and held it for 2 weeks were the people who made their living either selling things from their cycles or using their cycles as a means of receiving things from others. I think this is because these people used sound to announce themselves as the moved up and down the street. The sounds come in the form of a recording, of music or voices, played into a megaphone. It took me a couple of days to figure out what the random sounds and announcements were that I was hearing all of the time, but once I figured it out, I was thrilled. Let me explain by using my favorite examples. First is the “bread man.” His announcement was only 4 syllables, which I think referred to two types of bread he sold or to his bread in general. Of course I have no idea, since I don’t know Chinese… I am just guessing about his announcement, but I loved the sound of him coming up and down the street. The second example I have is my favorite. It was the trash man, who I got to see/hear every day at breakfast. The first time I ever saw or heard the trash man I was very confused. I kept hearing this sweet melody that sounded like a kid’s toy playing over and over again. It sounded like it was coming closer, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Finally I saw him, and observed the situation. The trash man slowly rides his three wheeled cycle down the street, playing his melody over his megaphone. He would stop to either pick up the trash he saw on the street, or wait for people to bring him their trash. It seems silly, perhaps, but I enjoyed hearing the sweet melody of the trash man every day. I thought it was particularly interesting that his melody was played to attract trash, whereas in cities in the states, if we were to hear a sweet melody being played in the street, I think we would assume it was the ice cream man, intended to attract hungry children (and adults).