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Post by tyuti1668 on Nov 29, 2012 23:05:15 GMT -5
...of course denominations that only went to 100RMB did not help. and now that i am back my wallet feels ridiculously lightweight... Reminds me that evening in Oct . Brought 2 Iphone 4s for cousin's husband & receives that seventy-odd bills. Went to village office where he works as the village patrol . NO rubber band found so it's wrapped in newspaper .
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 1, 2012 2:46:43 GMT -5
Just one more entry before I travel back to Hong Kong tomorrow by bus. My big wad of RMB notes is now down to just a few you can count on the fingers of one hand. Tonight, there is Ming's dinner on her mother's Last Sventh Day of passing.
Fay Chee, the grave was undisturbed , I took it the government did not expropriate the land for other purposes. It is unlikey to be the burial place for your father's skeletal remains. Mao was in power when your father died.
This afternoon, a group of older villagers, mostly women, including a former carer of my mother, joined others on a tour to Thailand. They travel to Hong Kong for a flight to Bangkok (or Pattya.) For most of them , it is their first flight in a plane. China and Thailand have no visa requirements for tourism travel. Most of these people had suffered under Mao. It is their moment in the sun. The trip costs 3k RMB / person, inclusive. Quite affordable to most villagers these days.
If I had known in advance, I wouldn't mind joining them for the trip. Yes, they are unsophisticated, talk loud, and act strange sometimes. But I don't feel any superior, their lot could have been mine if I had not the chance to leave China as I did fifty-six years ago. I would perhaps try to restrain their excitement and re-discovery of a boys and girls outing in them. At the same time, I would defend them against any snide, demeaning remarks in English or Cantonese by city slickers and onlookers.
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Post by FayChee on Dec 1, 2012 4:38:39 GMT -5
"This is it - bare land beneath a tree- 2 plots in a semi circle." Helen, While researching the meaning of an "undisturbed" grave, I came across this paper written by an anthropologist about Chinese cemeteries in California, and thought her description of the shape of the graves were similar to yours. Here is a piece of what she wrote: "The family considered the shape of the grave as important as the location itself. Sometimes artificial ridges were built along the back and sides of the graves to allow rain water and negative energy to flow away from the grave (DeGroot 1989:19). An omega shaped grave, burled with the head up against the slope of a hill, afforded this type of protection around the tomb. ........ the heads of the deceased were deliberately oriented toward the uphill slope. In this manner, the knoll formed an omega-shaped grave which served as a protective barrier against harsh winds carrying potential evil spirits. Similarly, the feet of the deceased were oriented toward the Auburn Ravine, which flowed in an east/west direction just south of the cemeteries. Geomancers believed that flowing water passing alongside the grave allowed the yin,or negative, energy to pass while absorbing the yang, or positive, energy . www.scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.13Rouse.pdf " Douglas, I share you sentiments in so many ways...... Fay Chee
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Post by helen on Dec 1, 2012 15:57:16 GMT -5
Thanks for your research Fay Chee - I have posted it on my facebook page. It's always great to read of people's research - it gives us a better understanding of reasons. I wonder what the Chinese have to say on the subject. I will post a photo of an armchair grave in my husband's village.
Douglaslam - Lap Chi and co have arrived back in NZ. They said it was raining for days in Guangzhou. They took a tour for 6 days, to Diquig xianggelila - the price was quite expensive in NZ dollars - and they would not recommend anyone going on it. They spent most of the time as captives in tiny rooms full of peple touting for business. And it was cold.
He said that he went down to the bottom of a gorge - 300 steps. Then he didn't have the strength to walk up again. Lucky for him, there were people offering a service - 2 people carried him back up - for 100Rmb. Some places like the temples, didn't allow photos -
I too agree that the life of the Chinese is so much better today. I often wonder what would have been if our forebears didn't have the guts to leave the sorry place, as it was in the late 1800s.
Enjoy the last couple of days in HK. And thanks for the memories - looking forward to the pictures.
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Post by helen on Dec 1, 2012 16:02:56 GMT -5
A family of armchair graves in Gwe Leng village of the Wong Family - April 2011 Attachments:
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 2, 2012 2:31:28 GMT -5
Dear all, I am now in HKG after a pleasant bus trip from Shekkei. I have no difficulties finding my hostel Ah Shan. It is vastly superior to Chungking Mansion. I have the use of high speed internet free, no more blocked sites, no more waiting for over half-an-hour or more at my cousin's place just to get on to Yahoomail sometimes.
Helen, it has been wet, wet, wet, for so many days that my laundry just wouldn't dry on the line under cover. I was reluctant to change outer wear daily. Hong Kong is about the same. Give me the Australian sun any time.
My mobile No. remains the same: 852+6125 1884
Douglas
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Post by helen on Dec 2, 2012 3:04:37 GMT -5
Yea for high speed internet - for free. No more stamping the foot - silently cursing the slowness, and the outdated software. Pity about the rain Douglas.
Lap Chi took about 1,800 photos - to add to my almost 3,000. Just looked at about 3 weeks of his photos. Now he's gone out to sort someones keys out. Will have to look at the rest later - and to sort them all out.
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Post by FayChee on Dec 2, 2012 12:37:28 GMT -5
Helen, I love the picture of the Armchair grave. I did a search of 'armchair graves in China' on Google and found photos of others....in addition, I found out from one website that I am called a 'Taphophile' ("A taphophile is one who finds they are attracted to walking around cemeteries, reading the headstones and musing upon the family history contained therein.").....who knew??? I can't even pronounce the word...
Douglas, Sorry to hear of all the cold rain in the last few days. Hope you can get dry and warm in HK and stay healthy. Fay Chee
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Post by carbacca on Dec 2, 2012 18:11:16 GMT -5
in hong kong because of the lack of space they are generally made to the "mini armchair design". basically the same concept, but on a much smaller scale, only about the width of the coffin as you can see its pretty tightly packed...
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 2, 2012 19:33:14 GMT -5
These are perhaps the "lucky" ones who have a lasting resting place. Most burial sites in Hong Kong are now for a five year or ten year term, at the end of which the deceased have to be "re-awaken", cremated, and the ashes transferred to a lasting, hopefully, place if you could find and pay for one.
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Post by FayChee on Dec 3, 2012 1:05:30 GMT -5
Thanks for posting that picture Carbacca. I had no idea about these armchair graves until Helen posted her beautiful photo. I must be a really weird person to love to look at them, but they are just so beautiful.
Douglas, that is so sad that some graves are only temporary......that's a new one on me. I hope it never gets like that here. I had my tombstone made several years ago and placed on an empty spot next to my Great Aunt whose house I bought and renovated in North Carolina. All they have to do is fill in the date of death.
Douglas, I've been searching through your old posts to see when you are returning home......I can't find it.
Fay Chee
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 3, 2012 3:34:01 GMT -5
Fay Chee, I am flying out of HKG on 5th. Dec., two more nights here on the current trip. And to let you know, I posted your personal seal to you this morning local time. I waited outside the post office for it to open at 9:30 to make sure it gets to you by Friday.
Now, you have a name unique amongst your friends, it is a name you were born to.
It is still a custom in China to exhume the deceased after a number of years. That's what my bone picker companion do for a living. The skeletal remains are then re-interred somewhere in an urn. Weird? It is hard for people of different culture to understand. The armchair graves are more the rule than exception in the old days. The grave you'll be taken to see would probably be an "armchair" one.
Burials are not allowed in our part of China but not re-burial of the bones. Work that one out. In the past, urns of bones used to be stowed by hillsides. In one of my earlier posts I recall as a child going to Shekkei town on the back of a bicycle or a rattling steam-powered bus, passing hillsides stacked with large urns of bones. It was a scary experience for a little boy, seeing the broken urns with bones showing.
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Post by FayChee on Dec 3, 2012 9:29:37 GMT -5
Wow! Thank you so much Douglas, this will be the best Christmas present ever and a fantastic way to complete my 2012 journey with the wonderful members of this forum. I have learned so much here, not only about my Chinese family, but about myself..........a new sense of self and self-worth. My dad is no longer just a black and white face on faded photopaper, but a living color person with personality, feelings, and honor.
A picture of my chop will be displayed enlarged and framed, next to my collection of family photos hanging on my living room wall for all to see.
Thank you again Douglas.......
Fay Chee
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Post by lachinatown on Dec 4, 2012 13:04:18 GMT -5
Love to see it FayChee. Wonderful keepsake.
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Post by FayChee on Dec 4, 2012 19:43:59 GMT -5
Lachinatown, As soon as I get it, I'll post a photo here. Douglas thinks it may come this Friday, but I don't think the mail is that quick.
Fay Chee
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