Chapter 2: Journey to Shandong
Bab 2: Perjalanan ke Shandong Lao Can memulai perjalanannya ke provinsi Shandong, sebuah wilayah yang kaya akan sejarah dan budaya, namun juga penuh dengan tantangan.
Lao Can began his journey to Shandong. Shandong was an important province of the Qing Dynasty, with both prosperous cities and impoverished villages. Lao Can wanted to witness with his own eyes the true condition of this region.
During the journey, Lao Can encountered various kinds of people. There were corrupt officials, as well as honest and clean officials; there were wealthy merchants, as well as impoverished commoners. All these people became subjects of his records.
Lao Can paid special attention to local official corruption. He discovered that many officials abused their authority to seek private interests, disregarding the lives and deaths of the common people. This corruption made him feel anger and sorrow.
Lao Can also observed the sufferings of the common people. Natural disasters and man-made calamities caused countless people to be displaced, hungry and cold. Although the imperial court occasionally distributed some relief, this relief was often embezzled layer by layer, never reaching the hands of the common people.
Lao Can's records left precious historical materials for later generations. His writings were vivid and realistic, allowing people to understand the true conditions of that era.