My Friend Shi Mao Ting or Sherry in China

After 25 years of travel throughout China one meets many people and some remain friends. Here is my friend, Mao Ting or Sherry as my wife and I call her. I met Sherry when she was but 4 years old in the remote small village of Yellow Creek Village near Chengdu in Sichuan province. I took pictures of her on a cold winter morning as she was standing in the street outside her home holding an orange in her hand and covered with a hand made orange colored cape. She is almost 17 here as you see her with me during my visit with her family. A very bright student when she was in primary school, she is now at boarding school in one of the best high schools and will be taking her entrance exams this coming hear for the University. We are very proud of her. Dad died two years ago and her Mom and Grandmother have a very small shop in which they support themselves working 14 hours a day 7 days a week. Sherry has classes from 7:20 in the morning until 5:30 and then from 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. each day. She has classes on Saturday morning from 9:00 until 12:00 and then comes home 30 miles until Sunday afternoon as she has classes on Sunday evening from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m. also. I have followed her life for almost 14 years and hear from her via email or letters between visits each year. Having known many Chinese in this way, I have many personal insights to China which I often share when I teach a class at area Universities and colleges on Travel to China. Check my web site at www.interlakechinatours.com I do Tours to China only and have for 25 years. Up date 2015:  I wrote this in 2009.   Sherry now graduated and is a teacher.