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The governor wants everything to be captured properly.
He explains to the villagers who we are and what we want.
During the time of our stay,
he forces out of sight the elderly men and women, especially those wearing shabby clothes.
We continue travelling south and arrive in the drainage areas of Yangtze.
This river is the principal source of water for the irrigation in central China.
This agricultural commune is on the outskirts of Suzhou city.
The experiment of agricultural communes continues through surges of enthusiasm and disappointment.
And these work units are presently the foundation of the Chinese rural economy.
China lives along its rivers and channels.
The origins of both political centralization and collectivism
lie in the historical need to build and maintain the network of dams and channels,
so precious, yet so vulnerable.
The Chinese historians see it as a sign of the imminent decline of a dynasty,
when the emperors start treating irrigation with negligence.
We arrive in Suzhou almost by chance, and discover a city of remarkable beauty
covered with a patchwork of channels,
not too different from the remote times when they were constructed.
Of course, Suzhou reminds us of Venice.
It has a long history and has been often ruled by militant sovereigns.
A thousand years ago, the silk produced in Suzhou was the most sought-after in China.
When Marco Polo arrived here, he was struck by the advances of civilization.
Back then, the city was already using paper money, producing brocade,
it excelled in literature and medicine,
and had "6000 bridges, so tall that a boat could pass underneath,
or maybe even two boats together."
Today it's a city of industry, commerce and laborious life.
Like in the other Chinese cities,
the elderly people attempt to regulate traffic and maintain order at their own discretion.