Yu's Father

““Our home is right beside the church, but I rarely take part in church activities.”

To support his eldest daughter, who attends high school in Lijiang, Yu’s father left the mountain village to drive a taxi in the city. For him, this is not a rejection of home but a response to family realities: the city offers more educational opportunities, and his children’s future has become the household’s most immediate priority.

“Right now, the more practical concern is the future of the family.”

His life, however, has not separated completely from the village. Whenever he has time, he returns to help his wife manage their medicinal-plant fields. The family grows Polygonatum and bingqiuzi, and these plots remain an important source of household income. His wife has not moved to Lijiang with him because she also needs to care for an elderly mother and their younger son, while the income from medicinal plants makes the family reluctant to abandon the land.

Their marriage also reflects the realities of a multiethnic mountain household. Faith brought the couple together, but his wife is Han and from Dongchuan, while Liju is predominantly Lisu. Living together does not erase cultural distance; differences in language can still limit communication across generations within the family.

Their home stands near the Sanchahe church, but Yu’s father rarely participates in church activities. At present, he says, the more practical concern is the family’s development. Their house has needed repairs for years, but education comes first. Once the children are settled, he hopes to improve the house.

His story captures how a high-mountain household continually adjusts within processes of modernization: a father enters the city for income, a mother remains in the village to sustain land and care, children receive urban education, and elders still depend on family support. Village life and modern urban life are not separate worlds; they coexist within a single household.