1 CHAPTER 5 1 The fun and games of taking children to the field in Guizhou, China Candice Cornet, Université Laval When I began studying anthropology I imagined myself doing fieldwork alone in a remote region accompanied only by my notebooks and pencils. Indeed, many of the ethnographies that constituted my anthropological education were written as if the ethnographer had no ties and could disappear for long periods of time in faraway villages to undertake research. The only exceptions to the ethnographer working alone were when their spouse joined in the research and publications were sometimes co-authored (cf. Comaroff and Comaroff 1991). Sutton and FeƌŶaŶdez ;ϭϵϵϴ, ϭϭϭͿ defiŶe this oǀeƌaƌĐhiŶg uŶdeƌstaŶdiŶg as aŶthƌopologLJ's fouŶdatioŶ myth of the lone ethnographer, the anthropologist as hero, a myth that has withstood the ĐƌitiĐal theoƌiziŶg of the past Ϯϱ LJeaƌs. “iŵilaƌlLJ, FƌohliĐk ;ϮϬϬϮ, ϱϬͿ deĐoŶstƌuĐts this iŵage of fieldǁoƌk as Đaƌƌied out ďLJ solo, Đhildless ŵeŶ oƌ ǁoŵeŶ ǁho leaǀe theiƌ faŵilies aŶd home ĐoŵŵuŶities foƌ loŶg peƌiods of tiŵe, statiŶg it is aŶ uŶƌealistiĐ ŵodel that peƌpetuates the ŶotioŶ that fieldǁoƌk is, oƌ ought to ďe, a diseŵďodied pƌaĐtiĐe ;iďid.Ϳ. As I pƌepaƌed foƌ ŵLJ first official fieldwork experience in the People's Republic of China as a Ph.D. student, the image of the LoŶe EthŶogƌapheƌ did Ŷot applLJ to ŵLJ situatioŶ ǁheŶ thƌee daLJs ďefoƌe leaǀiŶg, I found out I was pregnant. 1 Chapter 5 in S. Turner (ed.) (2013) Red Stamps and Gold Stars: Fieldwork Dilemmas in Upland Socialist Asia, Vancouver, UBC Press.