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Post by Henry on Feb 11, 2009 16:35:21 GMT -5
Laohuaqiao, The link you provided does not work. I believe you inadvertently reversed the name - should it not be? www.travelchinaguide.com/Henry
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Post by raymond on Feb 11, 2009 17:07:27 GMT -5
Helen,
You may want to get your China visa the same time you pay for your air ticket since you need both in order to travel to China. I use a travel agency that specializes in travels to China, and the agency will actually get my China visa for me at the same time as I purchase my air ticket from the agency. That saves me the effort of getting the visa on my own which can be quite a burden. By having the agency coordinate my travels, I am minimizing the chance of having an air ticket and not having a China visa. If my destination is China, I don't like the uneasy feeling of landing in Hong Kong and then applying for a China visa there not knowing 100% for sure I'll be getting the visa.
Raymond
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Post by laohuaqiao on Feb 11, 2009 18:39:30 GMT -5
Henry, Yes, you are right. I corrected it in my post.
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Post by helen on Feb 26, 2009 3:16:46 GMT -5
Tried to get my Visa today - a 3 month one. But was told that the 3 months start from the date you apply. I have booked a hostel in Shanghai, near the railway station. My plans are falling into place. Just have the Beijing part to sort out. Getting excited now.
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Post by helen on Feb 28, 2009 18:55:23 GMT -5
Now have found a cheaper 6 day Beijing group tour. About $1,000 NZD, so that sounds good. I'm working out the villages and order to which I will be going. We will be going to my paternal village of Sa Chuen first. My cousin made a visit 2 years ago, and by sheer luck, using a 60 year old address managed to find my grandfather's grand niece, still living in the village. I emailed the son of this grand nieice, to let him know I'm coming to Xintang and staying a few days. As he hadn't replied ro my previous emails, I asked my husband to write a letter of introduction, in Chinese, so I could send it snail mail - but decided to scan and email it first, in case he would repond. Within an hour he did respond - the whole family has moved to Guangzhou - so there is no one to show me inside Grandfather's house, and the portraits in it. As well as the mew ting and chi tong . I'm praying they will drive me to the village with the key.. The lesson is to visit the village sooner than later
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Post by helen on May 26, 2009 3:50:34 GMT -5
The time is almost near. I'll be leaving New Zealand on the 28 May - off to Beijing first. In Xintang on the 10, 11, 12 and 13 June. Lots of villages to choose from. See you when I get back.
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Post by Henry on May 26, 2009 7:37:32 GMT -5
Hi Helen,
Travel safe and have a wonderful time !
Henry
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Post by chansomvia on May 26, 2009 7:38:03 GMT -5
Helen Have a good trip to China, take lots of pictures!
Reading an interesting book from the Ministry of Education, Wellington, ISBN 0 478 05523 4 entitled Amongst Ghosts Memories and Thoughts of a New Zealand-Chinese Family not usually found in the bookstores. It gives a very good insight of the Ng Yee Tun (Tong Fan) family tree from leaving China in 1878, hard work as vegetable gardeners, laundry, poultry farm to the present generation of the Ng family in New Zealand which now comprises of doctors, pharmacists, accountants, psychiatrist, dentist, fish and chip owner, dumpling shop owner, fashion designer, etc .
The book includes a chapter of their trip back to their ancestral village in Barn Mee Inn, 18 kilometres north of the city of Shiqi. Good typical village photos and description from the eyes of a Kiwi-Chinese.
All the best
Joe
ps: Belated birthday greetings to Henry!
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Post by harc3 on May 26, 2009 7:54:54 GMT -5
Have a great, safe and enjoyable time Helen. Can't wait to hear all about it
Have fun!!
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Post by raymond on May 26, 2009 14:52:45 GMT -5
Helen,
Have a fun and safe genealogy-search trip. I will be in China for a month starting June 8th, but probably will not be crossing paths with you because I will be spending nearly all my time in Xinhui County (a county in Siyi). But.......just in case you're passing through, I'll be staying at the Overseas Chinese Hotel (Hwa Qiao Hotel) in Xinhui City (0750) 6628888. Email me if you're crossing my way.......ray@seid.org
Bon voyage, Ray
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Post by Henry on May 26, 2009 19:11:19 GMT -5
Hi Chansomvia ( Joe ) and Ray,
Thank you for the birthday greetings !
My wife took me to dim sum before I left and spent most of my brithday aboard planes enroute from Baltimore International Airport to Molde, Norway to attend an international professional conference - where I am now.
Helen,
Initially, "laohuaqiao" had difficulty in checking the SiYi Forum for news and messages - but, I suggested that he try to do it indirectly through a link on my website "Tom Genealogy". The SiYi Genealogy website may be blocked.
He will be staying at the Taishan Plaza Hotel in Taishan and visiting Guangzhou and Zhujixiang and he will return to the US on June 12th.
Henry
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Post by helen on May 31, 2009 2:50:21 GMT -5
Hi All
I'm here in Beijing - had 3 days already. Done 3 days of touring with a tour group. Seen all the sights - including the Pandas today. I have managed to get on to the site via Henry's email. Went to the Hutong today and had lunch with the locals. Rickshaw ride and all. A bit disappointed as the local guide did not know about the Memorial Halls.. Being young they only know Modern China. I guess we need to find a local older person who lived here in the early 1920 plus. There didn't seem to be too many I saw. Mostly 65s and below. And having no Mandarin is certainly a handicap. The food is so cheap. 20 Rmb buys 2 large dishes - that neither my sister nor I could finish. We have another day here tomorrow, June the 1st. Nothing planned as yet. Hope to see some of the local people and shops.
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Post by gingee on Jun 1, 2009 11:36:28 GMT -5
Greetings Helen,
I hope you're having fun on your much anticipated trip in China with your sister. I was fortunate to have going with my sister also. We don't speak Mandarin and I can truly understand that being a handicap; we would've shopped so much more. Once we got to our family's village and recognized our familiar dialect, we were more comfortable.
Good luck in your quest in searching your roots and be safe.
Regards,
Ginger
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Post by helen on Jun 20, 2009 5:44:10 GMT -5
The trip fell into place as planned. The only hiccup was that my tapes for the tape recorder did not work. Could the tapes have been affected by all the xrays machines we had to go through? Yes, I should have been checking the tapes as 1 was recording. 4 x 90 minutes of conversation lost... I just have to hope the videos came out - but they weren't of interviews...
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Post by harc3 on Jun 20, 2009 8:28:51 GMT -5
Oh what a shame..... those kinds of times are irreplaceable...I believe that yes the xrays may have contributed to the cause. There are some places that specialize in recovering things like that.. I do hope the video turns out
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