A snapshot of ethnic Koreans in China
2019-09-16 09:10:41 Hu Chao, Wu Jinjing Mo Hong'e
The bridesmaid is checking the gift brought to the bride by the groom of the Jin family. (CGTN Photo)
Nearly half of China's Korean people live in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. It's located in northeast China's Jilin Province, sitting near the border of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Jin Donglong's family has lived in the Jin Da Lai village in Yanbian for generations. The family is now seven people strong; the Jin couple, their two sons, two daughters-in-law and one grandson.
Jin's younger son has just married. On their wedding day, the groom brought a pair of wooden geese to the bride's home, symbolizing staying together forever. The bride filled a bag with rice, which means the bride will be a good wife, cooking meals for her new family.
Two cooked chicken are set in bowls on the wedding banquet. (CGTN Photo)
And the wedding banquet saw a pair of roosters with red dates in their mouths wishing for having a baby soon. And many of their family members put on Korean dance on the wedding party, which the Korean ethnic group enjoys very much.
Unlike many other young people in the village who have gone outside to work, the Jin brothers chose to stay at home and offer a hand to their father's farming business.
"My two sons learned to plough land at the age of 15. They are really good at farming. When they grew up, instead of working elsewhere, they decided to stay here to help us," said Jin.
Jin Donglong and his elder son Jin Mingzhe, 1st from left, are feeding their cattle. (CGTN Photo)
With help of the two sons, Jin's farming business has expanded. Now his farmland is 440,000 square meters or 44 hectares. And they've raised upwards of 80 cattle. These endeavors have brought the family an annual income of around 300,000 yuan. That's about 42,000 U.S. dollars.
Wu Xin'ai is Jin's elder daughter. "Life here has changed a lot. We've earned much more than before," said Wu. She also feels happy that they can stay home and work together, "I think the most important thing is that the family gets along with each other harmoniously."
Jin Donglong's wife is filling bowls with steamed rice for all the other members of the family. (CGTN Photo)
In traditional Korean culture, daughters-in-law cook meals for the family. Thick soy bean soup, pickled spicy cabbage and fried fish are among what they eat most. Sitting around the table and eating their favorite foods are some of the happiest moments in their lives.
In 2010, local villagers were relocated to the new Jin Da Lai village after their homes were destroyed in a flood. Now the village has been renovated and decorated beautifully and promotes tourism.
The average annual income of villagers is four times what it was a decade ago. And the charming village beckons more people to visit, maybe even call it home.
