Graduate Students (研究生)

This was my last class with my graduate students, only four showed up plus this random undergrad boy who stated sitting in on our class. This class was always pretty low on attendance because it was a last minute elective that was added to their last semester of classes, but this week 10 or so of my students had to be in Taiyuan to grade tests. For those that did show up we just got to hang out and mess around, and after class took a few pictures.

Lao He（涝河) and Dayang Village (大阳村)

Biked back to LaoHe (涝河) and ate in the nearby Dayang village (大阳村) for lunch.

The Great Scholar Tree (大槐树)

"gen" it means roots










That's the fake tree the put up after the real one finally died




Map of the migrations










Lunch in a cave dwelling (窑洞)



This is another pretty famous landmark around here. Located up in Hongtong county (洪洞县), this tree commemorates a large scale migration that took place after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (明代 1368-1644). Other areas of China had been greatly devastated by wars, so the government organized several migrations to other parts of the empire over a 50 year period. Today many Chinese are able to trace there roots back to this part of the country.

Susan Prison (苏三监狱)

This is the hole they would drag the dead bodies out.


"Hu tou lao" - The lions Head Jail
Where the worst prisoners were kept including Susan.


Susan's cell (苏三)















This Ming Dynasty (明代) prison is supposed to be really unique in China. Located in Hongtong City (洪洞市), it's now named for a a female inmate who was kept there named Susan (苏三), that's su-san not the English name Susan. I've heard different variations of her story and I've also heard that her story is just that, a story and that it's mostly fabricated. Either way I was trying to knock off some of the last few nearby sights before I left. The place was interesting enough for what it's worth.