If you were to take a day-trip out of the city here in the USA, you would probably pass through suburbs of fairly modern and sometimes expensive houses. Eventually, you’d end up on a ribbon of highway bordered by open land, farms, forests, and a smattering of small towns which are usually quiet and clean.

We took a break from teaching with a one-day trip to Bai Mai Springs, two hours out of Feicheng in the Shandong Province of China (our job site). I watched in fascination from the back of the van as we  passed from the city into the countryside, and I noticed that while most of us in the United States live in single family homes, especially in the country, a large majority of the Chinese live in apartments, even in the countryside, where people live in close proximity to each other in something similar to our patio homes–in a row of dwellings.

I took these images from the back of a moving van; many show the smudge on the van window and many are blurry. Please watch the short video of a collection of some my pictures which tell a story and give a glimpse into life in the country. Relax, listen to the traditional Chinese music, and travel with me through the countryside along this small stretch of highway in China.