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My Hometown: Past vs. Present

Daphne Xu

“People belong to nature,” said a Chinese writer. Due to the background of my growth, I have deep affections on nature. When I was a child, I almost lived with nature. My everyday life and diversions could not be separated from nature. As time goes by, my hometown along with its lifestyle has changed.

My hometown, a primitive village, is surrounded by farms which many narrow paths cross and its transportation is inconvenient. In the past, the paths were dirt road covered with fireweed. After rains, these roads became muddy. My shoes would sink into muddy soil easily and make me angry. Even so, my playmates and I had a lot of fun in the farmlands. We often poured water into the holes in the farms and watched crickets running out, and then took off our shoes and touched the soil on feet.

In my childhood memory, people lived in “san-ho yuan” and followed tradition. Traditions made people live together in harmony, and people in the whole village would help each other. One thing that made me most cheerful was the celebration for worshiping gods each year. Every house would have a banquet. There were also puppet shows and Taiwanese operas on that day. A lot of venders came and attracted children’s attention.

As time goes by, young generation has moved out to urban areas and the population has declined; thus, the elders account for half of all the population in my hometown. The rivers have become jet-black and the paths of farms have been paved with asphalt. Cement buildings have sprung up. With the development of technology and the Internet, people can get information more conveniently and children tend to play online games as their entertainment. The yearly celebration for worshiping gods does not exist. Machines have replaced handworks. Few families use traditional ovens to make pastries of flour or glutinous rice during Chinese New Year.

Until now, I can still remember that limpid water flowed through my feet and the fish swam happily and freely in the rivers. Material life is getting better while people think little of traditions and customs. Although the village where I grew up is still there and its transportation is still inconvenient comparing with other cities, the lifestyle has changed a lot. All good memories seem to go with the wind. I hope my hometown keeps making progress while a clear environment still remains there.