After lunch at the acrobatics school, we boarded the minibus for a trip to the Ningjin economic development area to visit some wood companies. On the ride to Ningjin County, we saw farmers drying wheat and hay along the sides of the main road, in parking lots, on country lanes - wherever the sun touched the ground. Along the way, we saw people raking the wheat into shallow piles for d
rying, and on our way back to Dezhou later in the day, we saw them raking it up and bagging it for transport. There are three pictures showing wheat along the sides of the road - in one you can 
see a farmer raking the wheat to spread it out, and in another you can see several bags of wheat ready to be picked up.In Ningjin County, we saw many contrasting scenes: wide new streets and modern buildings in the industrial zone, acres of farm land with a few farmers and farm animals visible, an
d narrow streets in the towns crowded with people walking, bicycling, riding motorcycles and driving small trucks. On one street in what was evidently a poorer neighborhood, our hosts told us that the people were cleaning up after a festival. The streets in the towns were lined with many roadside vendors selling watermelon, local vegetables, food prepared over small grills, and every other household and farming implement you can imagine.
d narrow streets in the towns crowded with people walking, bicycling, riding motorcycles and driving small trucks. On one street in what was evidently a poorer neighborhood, our hosts told us that the people were cleaning up after a festival. The streets in the towns were lined with many roadside vendors selling watermelon, local vegetables, food prepared over small grills, and every other household and farming implement you can imagine. That afternoon we visited several furniture and wood processing companies in the Ningjin Industrial Zone. In one small town we stopped at a wood yard. Two men were unloading a good sized truck of pieces of wood, by hand. All around we could see wood stacked for drying.
Later that afternoon, we met with local politicians and economic development officials for discussions similar to those we'd had in previous meetings. The room set-up was familiar: two long table facing each other, with interested individuals (many business owners)seated around the sides. Once again, there was a lot of interest in seeing the pictures from Evergreen Timber, and many business cards were exchanged. In preparation for the meeting, our hosts, ever considerate, arranged for a few minutes rest at a local hotel and provided some fresh bottles of water. We certainly appreciated the water and the rest.
Later that afternoon, we met with local politicians and economic development officials for discussions similar to those we'd had in previous meetings. The room set-up was familiar: two long table facing each other, with interested individuals (many business owners)seated around the sides. Once again, there was a lot of interest in seeing the pictures from Evergreen Timber, and many business cards were exchanged. In preparation for the meeting, our hosts, ever considerate, arranged for a few minutes rest at a local hotel and provided some fresh bottles of water. We certainly appreciated the water and the rest.After the meeting we enjoyed dinner at the Ningjin Hotel with local officials, including the Communist Party Chairman of the area. He was quite a jovial man, and encouraged us to try his favorite, dried donkey meat. I was surprised to find it was actually pretty good - though not as good as the donkey I'd tried at lunch earlier in the day. Most of the entrees were familiar and we enjoyed the dinner amid numerous toasts.
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