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Post by Henry on Nov 27, 2012 21:00:12 GMT -5
FYI & enjoyment:
Henry
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Post by FayChee on Nov 27, 2012 21:20:02 GMT -5
Henry, thank you so much for posting the link to the video of Guangzhou. It was truly an eye-opener! So beautiful and modern...........not old and dirty like New York. I will send the link to my brother to see. I am excited to visit GuangZhou on my way to dad's village.
I have been searching YouTube for videos of Kaiping, Chishui Zhen and Chao Yang..........I found alot on Kaiping and Overseas Chinese finding their Ancestral village there. I didn't expect to find much on Chishui and especially not Chao Yang Li as they are so small, but I looked anyway.....
Fay Chee
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Post by Henry on Nov 27, 2012 21:33:14 GMT -5
Hi Fay Chee,
There are parts of Guangzhou that are still old and some parts that are quite "colonial".
As for New York City, what can I say - I was born & raised there - yes, there are parts that are old & dirty - but, still has a lot of character. I left when I was 27 years old, but, it is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.
Because your ancestral place is a small village ( hamlet ) and if you are interested in acquiring a family genealogy book - please contact my nephew and ask him to do the research before you arrive - it may take some effort to find the genealogy book.
Regards,
Henry
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Post by FayChee on Nov 27, 2012 21:49:30 GMT -5
Hi Henry, I am also a fellow New Yorker and always proud to tell people that I am from Harlem. But the fact is that I was raised from the age of 4 in New Jersey, about 40 minutes away on the shore. For some reason, I prefer to be associated with the 'City' rather than New Jersey, it makes me feel like I have 'tough-skin' or am 'hardened' in some way. In reality, my heart is as soft as a marshmellow.
I was going to wait until I hear from Douglas when he returns to Sydney, of the details of his visit in case he mentions anything about the Zupu. If he wasn't able to ask about it, then I will contact you nephew. I also want to get an idea of what it would cost to have some improvements done to the home, but there is no rush. I will definitely ask Shi to be my guide. I'm glad that he speaks some English.
Fay Chee
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Post by douglaslam on Nov 28, 2012 1:43:38 GMT -5
First of all, my congratulations to Henry for becoming only our second member to have contributed one thousand postings to this very special discussion forum. Henry has helped many people in tracing their ancestral homes and villages, not only in the Pearl River Delta, but elsewhere in China. Congratulations!!
Fay Chee, the Szeto zupu is kept in Chikan, which I had the pleasure of visiting during the monsoon season in 2010. Tan Shi Cheng can certainly do the leg work for you ahead of your visit.
From my untrained eyes, the house is very sound. It was wet on the day of my visit. There was no visible leakage. The remedial work strengthened the house, and prevented it from collapsing. The house is divided into three chambers, with the family altar occuping the centre. The loft above would serve as storage for good quality firewood and other household items. There is a little surprise in store for you, just wait for my photo report.
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Post by FayChee on Nov 28, 2012 10:16:22 GMT -5
Douglas, thanks for the information on our family Zupu. I will contact Tan Shi Cheng about obtaining a copy of it. Is Chikan and Chishui the same place? Guess I should look on a map....
You have no idea how anxious I am to see your pictures....but I also know that you will need some time to relax and wind down from this month long adventure.
Congratulations Henry! I love going back over the years of posts and learning.....everything is new to me.
Fay Chee
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Post by Henry on Nov 28, 2012 20:54:31 GMT -5
Hi Douglas & Fay Chee, Thank you for your very kind words. Since my move to the Phoenix area 2 years ago, I have not contributed very much to the Forum, as I became President, PebbleCreek Gun Club [ www.pebblecreekgunclub.org ] and establishing, organizing, developing this club has been quite a challenge. But, there have been several Forum contributors that have really assisted many of the newcomers seeking their heritage & lineage. I sincerely hope that this generation will do as much as it can because it is going to become more difficult with every passing generation. In January, I will be conducting a Chinese Genealogy Workshop here in the PebbleCreek Community [ www.robson.com/pebblecreek ]. So, I am still involved. Regards, Henry |
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Post by helen on Nov 29, 2012 0:32:44 GMT -5
Fantastic video Henry - I have shared with others in NZ.
Your input is always greatfully received - and yes there are a group of fantastic people on here, who can help us with our queries. Thanks for being there.
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Post by Henry on Nov 29, 2012 11:34:16 GMT -5
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Post by FayChee on Nov 29, 2012 21:23:31 GMT -5
Hi Henry,
I looked at the Pebble Creek website and thought it is the perfect place to live. Everything situated perfectly for enjoying life and Scottsdale nearby. Plenty of hospitals, clinics and colleges. So convenient and I'll bet the weather is excellent as well. No more snow, no more hurricanes, less traffic.....I can see why you moved there.
I also looked at the 45 pictures of China 120 years ago.....most were dated in the 1870's when my granddad was growing up in rural Chao Yang Li....made me think....alot.
Thanks for posting the links.
Fay Chee
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Post by douglaslam on Nov 30, 2012 1:05:24 GMT -5
The video link Henry put on is blocked here, like Youtube and Facebook. I have to wait until I am in HKG or back home in order to see it. I did see some gracious older buildings in Canton during my short stay there.
Fay Chee, looking at the old photos does make you wonder what if.....what if your great grandfather did not go to the U.S. hence your father? You and your siblings would take on different persona. Food for thought.
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Post by helen on Nov 30, 2012 1:11:51 GMT -5
Thanks Henry - great photos. Those boards around people necks - was that the punishment of the day? |
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Post by Henry on Nov 30, 2012 22:38:45 GMT -5
Dear Fay Chee, Helen, and Douglas,
PebbleCreek is probably one of the best active adult communities in the US - this is what some of my friends that have searched the entire USA for a place to retire. There are 330 days of sunshine with humidity at 10%- 15%. My wife enjoy living here tremendously - the homes are quite wonderful, but, people move here for the lifestyle. In Maryland we had the normal array of friends and did about a dozen activities per month, here we do 2 or 3 activities - each day. PebbleCreek does not do very much advertising - probably because it does not need to. Some of the people that move to PebbleCreek have lived and work in Scottsdale and then they retire to PebbleCreek.
Too bad the video is blocked, but it certainly offers a historical viewpoint of China yesteryear.
I do not know for sure, but, those boards around the necks of those guys were probably some form of punishment - does not look very pleasant.
Henry
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Post by helen on Dec 1, 2012 18:29:55 GMT -5
Dear Fay Chee, Helen, and Douglas, I do not know for sure, but, those boards around the necks of those guys were probably some form of punishment - does not look very pleasant. Henry This is what I found: A cangue (English pronunciation: /kæŋ/) is a device that was used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in China and some other parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia, until the early years of the twentieth century. It was similar to the pillory used for punishment in the West, except that the board of the cangue was not fixed to a base, and had to be carried around by the prisoner. In contemporary Standard Chinese it is called a 木枷 "mù jīa",[1] or a 枷鎖 "jiā suǒ". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cangue |
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Post by FayChee on Dec 1, 2012 18:51:13 GMT -5
Helen,
Thanks for researching those boards. I was afraid to say anything and hoped that someone else would explain them. Sometimes I feel like the only one always in the dark.
Douglas,
I have often contemplated the 'what if' factor in my life.......the latest of which was yesterday when I visited my 90 year old 'Auntie' in New York City and told her about your visiting dad's Ancestral village. You could see the wonderment in her eyes (she loved my dad) as she tried to comprehend how this internet-thing could have opened up the world to me like this. 'What if there was no internet, what if I had never found this website?' I know I have been blessed.
Fay Chee
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