Ancestral Village visit: Feelings of Sadness
Mar 9, 2006 17:46:43 GMT -5
Post by David Wong on Mar 9, 2006 17:46:43 GMT -5
Hi all ...
Twenty two years ago, I wrote an article for my University's newsmagazine, "the Ubyssey" ( a take on the letters of "UBC" - the University of British Columbia) called, "China through the eyes of a Banana". This was in 1984. In summary, my initial article contained observations of what I saw and experienced in China. I also expressed my frustration for not being able to visit my ancestral village as I had picked up some pretty awful parasites that cut my sojourn short. I had always wanted to visit my ancestral village and to complete my article...but this never happened until only recently.
In 2005, I finally made visits to my ancestral village… and two of them at that. I finally captured my thoughts and experience of my bitter sweet visit in an article that I finally finished in my old Alma Mater's newsmagazine... 22 years later. I also wrote about my feelings about the China of today... how different a place it is, and how in many ways, a growth that is potentially "spiralling out of control" - and more to the point, how so-called experts from the West are bringing in their warped visions - untempered and without respect to the historic / context of the place.
My feelings were bitter sweet because the village felt like a ghost town. A contrast to the colourful images my grandparents had painted for me as a youth. To read my articles (both 1984 and 2006) please visit my website here:
www.generasian.ca/roots3.html
or for part 2 only (2006), visit the UBC's website:
www.ubyssey.bc.ca/20060120/index.html#%3C!--1--%3EFeature
Twenty two years ago, I wrote an article for my University's newsmagazine, "the Ubyssey" ( a take on the letters of "UBC" - the University of British Columbia) called, "China through the eyes of a Banana". This was in 1984. In summary, my initial article contained observations of what I saw and experienced in China. I also expressed my frustration for not being able to visit my ancestral village as I had picked up some pretty awful parasites that cut my sojourn short. I had always wanted to visit my ancestral village and to complete my article...but this never happened until only recently.
In 2005, I finally made visits to my ancestral village… and two of them at that. I finally captured my thoughts and experience of my bitter sweet visit in an article that I finally finished in my old Alma Mater's newsmagazine... 22 years later. I also wrote about my feelings about the China of today... how different a place it is, and how in many ways, a growth that is potentially "spiralling out of control" - and more to the point, how so-called experts from the West are bringing in their warped visions - untempered and without respect to the historic / context of the place.
My feelings were bitter sweet because the village felt like a ghost town. A contrast to the colourful images my grandparents had painted for me as a youth. To read my articles (both 1984 and 2006) please visit my website here:
www.generasian.ca/roots3.html
or for part 2 only (2006), visit the UBC's website:
www.ubyssey.bc.ca/20060120/index.html#%3C!--1--%3EFeature