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Post by douglaslam on Dec 14, 2013 6:59:13 GMT -5
Helen, it is annoying having to make an uninformed choice. I'll ask my work mates for a backyard repairer to have a look at the PC and course of action to take. DJ, it was a pleasure to return to LTW because the father and son duo made us so welcome the first time last year. So before calling on Lolly's village, we stopped by LTW and called on the old friends. We were hoping the son 周林燦( LC) or the father 周東玖 (TK) could refer us to a knowledgeable elder in the neighbouring village to get a leg up in tracing Lolly's ancestry. Instead, we learned more of the family and the village a little better. LC was away in the morning This time we were led to the family business, We stayed only briefly, not before we met TK the father, his infirmed older wife and another son. The family runs a catering company. Here is the shop front and food preparation area. The new electric bicycle on the right has the brand name Obama. Barack is a popular man in China, Well, popular until the US embroiled in the Sino-Japan border dispute over a minuscule small group of unoccupied islands in the Sth. China Sea. This is the other son and wife. They too were most welcoming. Now, this is what I call a wok. All you aspiring chefs, you'd better do a bit of weight training before attempting to lift and toss. I also saw large metal steaming trays, work benches, and colanders and containers of all shapes and sizes. This would be a madhouse of noises, cooking fume, and shouts when there is a large party to cater for. This is what village food, simple, unpretentious food is about. Opposite the workshop / kitchen are these piles of neatly stacked firewood for fuel. At the time, the shop floor is quiet. I love to hear and see a flaming wood stove. It is like a steam locomotive, it is alive. This is very traditional. We didn't stay long in LTW. We went on to Jeung Kok the next village. We were aware well before then the Pangs were a very small minority in the village. Here at the Yuen Ancestral Hall, an elder told us there were just two Pang households in the village. Ming recognized someone he has not seen for about thirty years. We were given the name of that very helpful village official at Sing Sze admin.office. The official received us without an appointment. He was most reassuring, and the rest as it is often said, is history. By the time we left the office, it was past mid-day. We have had nothing to eat because we were hoping to find LC first then eat together. Now we were back in contact with LC. He arrived in a small car and took us to a restaurant my party went to last year. Seen here, I am fulfilling DJ's wishes to entertain LC. My companion Ma Gor is not holding a can of soft drink. It is a bottle of hard liquor housed in a can. We had a long conversation before we set off to see more of LTW village.
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 16, 2013 7:46:30 GMT -5
We went to LC's home after lunch. There are actually three homes next to each other. The other son has the first one, the parents next, and then LC. There is a saying about adjoining homes for the family, 千金難買相連屋 a thousand gold pieces can't buy adjoining homes. This family is doing well. This is typical of traditional homes in South China. The living room is open to the street or courtyard. This is the Joe's ancestral hall. It too survived Mao's onslaught, but only just. The couplet is a replacement for the one destroyed by Mao. LC very proudly told us he donated the money to have the new one made. It would have cost thousands even in US dollars. LC shall be remembered and honoured for this act. Nothing much changed from last year when I was here. The place is spartan, what was destroyed or taken away by Mao can never be replacement. Photos of Joe Shoong and his wife Rose, both are honoured here. I took liberty in calling her Rose because that's what her Chinese name suggests. Fay Chee would know she was born a Szeto in the USA. Joe Shoong will always be remembered by the villagers. The next couple is not known to me. But the man has the same first character in his name as our DJ in Ca. His name is 守愚. Both might be in the same generation. ------------------------------------------------ On to DJ's ancestral home. LC had to attract someone's attention in order to enter the closed off common courtyard. DJ, there are two small houses with a common wall between them. The first one is in danger of collapsing as you can see from the supporting truss. I entered the first one, which was accessible to the second one. It was very untidy, and dried dog poo was on the floor. I don't think there is anyone to take care of both houses. DJ perhaps you would like to fit a gate to stop the dogs, and hire someone to clean out the mess but leave the contents for you to see. This is Joe Shoong's house. The high wall stops me taking pictures. LC has the standing in the village to ask the key holder to open the front gate, but no one was about. This is LC's function centre and storage space. It says Bun Kee Catering. You can come to him or he goes to you for your party catering needs. He has two other storage sites for his stoves, tables, chairs, pots, woks, crockery etc,. etc., He might have power generators for lighting needs. It is very comprehensive. This is the whole building. He has other storage sites but we were not , and did not ask to be shown When he gets an order, he then hires his casual helpers and trucks for the job. He said he would consider as low as 50 RMB / head and plan a menu accordingly. The number of people and distance are also a cost factor. The function centre is not booked on this day. This is a well with a pump. It saves a lot in water charges by drawing on well water. On the first floor are these properly folded gold longevity offerings to be burnt. It must have taken hours and much patience to prepare it. I think it is for his father's big birthday celebrations. I would love to attend because an invitation was extended to me. The school named after Joe Shoong. On my visit last year, the school was renovating. It looks very fresh now. This bamboo scaffold is going to be a big marquee when it is finished. It costs several thousand dollars to erect. It is for a big village banquet for the senior citizens, anyone fifty-five years or older. I don't think that includes migrant worker family members. LC probably gets the catering job. Funding comes from well-off villagers at home and abroad. What great community and tribal spirit.
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Post by Doug 周 on Dec 17, 2013 14:18:35 GMT -5
...Not sure whether to repair the desktop( bought in 2007 I think,) or buy a new / used one.... DL, Windows XP operating system will expire in 6 months and with your participation on the Internet, make sure you get a modern operating system (not XP). That said, your best bet is Windows 7. Unfortunately Win7 is not sold in the USA, only Win 8. Your older programs will not work on Win 8 so you will have to purchase new programs. It depends on what programs you need. Therefore, consider the other operating system like the Mac. ...is the Joe's ancestral hall....same first character in his name as our DJ in Ca. His name is 守愚. Both might be in the same generation This gives me another task to try to search again for my generational poem. Thank you for the update and the photos of my ancestral village DJ
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 18, 2013 6:17:15 GMT -5
DJ, I am hoping my desktop could be repaired. It meets my needs well. I am taking it to work for a fellow worker to have a look at it. I was given a second 4 GB memory card as a back up to my 1 GB piece, which filled up very quickly. It turned out the bigger card was defective. The pictures I took did not show. Some photos such as hard-to-find pine bark homes of the boat people were lost. The boat people are integrating and disappearing at the rate of knots.I was hoping to upload for everyone to see. It is frustrating. DL
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Post by lachinatown on Dec 18, 2013 10:00:06 GMT -5
So sorry to hear Douglas. Very frustrating.
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Post by FayChee on Dec 18, 2013 13:34:47 GMT -5
Gee, I'm about to cry.............
So sorry Douglas.........
Fay Chee
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 20, 2013 5:57:06 GMT -5
One Saturday perhaps November 23, I can't remember which, my party went to Sanxiang Town or as we Cantonese would call it Sam Heung. The purpose was two fold. The first to find out more about member Brad Powe's great grandfather . We were eager to see if there were family links and if the family home was still standing. The second purpose was to return the hospitality extended to my party by the good folk from a Ma village in the same township. You will remember we were able to find our Peruvian member kaluosima aka Carlos' grandfather's China side of the family. Things did not go exactly according to plan. By leaving early, Ming thought we could have time enough to have breakfast in town, trying out its famous specialty lai fun rice noodle 三鄉濑粉, then go to Ou Shek Black Rock village to get answers for Brad, before we meet up with Maggie ( Carlos' cousin my contact, I call her Maggie,) and have lunch with the whole family. Ming was unsure of the bus stops, and ended up a long way off our intended places to go. There wasn't time to call on Brad's village. So, we went straight to the restaurant where we were to meet for lunch.. We are now in the restaurant well before 11 am and get stuck in the local rice noodle 三鄉濑粉 while we wait for my guests to arrive. They did arrive after mid-day because one guest had her lunch break from noon. I let my guests select from the menu and local dishes. The only item I picked was salmon sashimi. From experience, I found most females prefer raw fish. And I have five female guests. More food on the table. All together now. Our group photo; in the centre standing is Maggie, and her father is next to me. We met them both last year. The two young girls are Maggie's nieces, on weekend home visit from senior boarding school. Next to Maggie is her sister-in-law who is holding Maggie's daughter. The two older girls are her daughters. The taller girl on the left is Maggie's sister. She works on Saturdays, at a Taiwanese shoe factory. Maggie is with her husband in Macau, she comes home at my invitation. It is very considerate of her.Next time, I'll make sure it is on a Sunday so that the men too, can come. Most people still work a six day week, some jobs do not even have a day off. After a long and enjoyable lunch, Maggie took my party in her car to Ou Shek, Black Rock, Brad Powe's village. BR is one of three principal villages which made up Sam Heung (meaning Three Villages.) Cheng is the most dominant family name. People from Sam Heung are found throughout the New World, with a good number in Hawaii, and of course Peru, where our friend Carlos is from. Sam Heung has a hot spring resort, and is also famous for its footwear industry. Throughout the year I have been in frequent e-mail and telephone contact with Maggie in regard of Carlos visit, and also as translator. It is a pity Carlos cannot make it this year. Before I set off for China, I also asked Maggie to make inquiries about the Cheng, Brad's great grandfather of BR. This is the genealogy record keeper of BR. Maggie has done the work beforehand, and he received us very warmly. Here, they are pouring over a record book. What makes our job difficult is that there are 18 volumes in all of genealogy records, covering the Chengs in many villages, and some with big families. Even though Brad has sent me a good deal of information, it misses the key element of a generation number. We have had to wait for an answer on a later day. Not one to miss out on a photo opportunity, I am here with the record keeper in his yard next to a star fruit tree. I picked a few fruit to take with me. That Saturday was a busy day for entertaining. Here I am with a group of my juniors having a buffet dinner in the evening at the Sheraton, no less. I am an uncle and grandfatherly figure to them. They all treat me with respect and courtesy due an elder, And I always try to give them a special treat. Last year I took them to a good hotel for a buffet dinner. I told them next year we are going to go one better, and have a buffet at the Sheraton. Well, it was a disappointment. The food and service was mediocre at best. Beverage service was poor. Whereas the old hotel has a view from the revolving restaurant, the Sheraton's is on ground level. That evening, the buffet had a Malaysian theme. The food was neither attractive nor appetising. For the higher charges, it was poor value for money. Never again. DJ, I took my desktop to work for a colleague (also from China)to look at. He thinks it's the power source. He can give me an old unit for free, but would want a fee for installing it. Let's hope it works. Fay Chee, the defective card proved more than annoying. I took a photo of my village cousin and his wife on my departure for Dongguan a few days before my flight home. Little did I know it was their last photo together. When I was about to board my flight at Canton in the evening of December 11, I called my cousin's wife to say thank you. Then a bolt came out of the blue, my cousin had a bad fall hitting the back of his head and died in the early hours of the morning. A sad end to my visit.
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Post by Doug 周 on Dec 20, 2013 9:59:36 GMT -5
...This is the genealogy record keeper of BR.... DL, Is the record keeper a government official? Is he reimbursed by the people of BR? How is he chosen? ...it misses the key element of a generation number. The generation number is the third coordinate of navigating the zupu/jiapu. The first is the village name and the second is the zi or genealogical name. Otherwise you need to search the whole zupu/jiapu by hand. The downside of the current analog clan booklets. This was why they are digitizing the largest genealogy/family tree in the world: Confucious'. DJ
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Post by FayChee on Dec 20, 2013 12:10:16 GMT -5
Douglas, there are no words, but the real time that you had with him are a treasure in itself.
Fay Chee
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 21, 2013 6:17:52 GMT -5
Fay Chee, it really was a big shock. He was about 80 years old. He slipped or tripped and hit the tiled floor hard. Cousin used to meet me each time when I came home, and see me off. He organised bicycle couriers to carry the mountain of stuff I was allowed to bring in as an overseas Chinese. Mother always insisted he be given the first pick of the spoils.
Cousin's father was my mother's older brother. He was sent out to a "reform through labour camp" 勞改 in the frigid and bleak northern province of Heilongjiang 黑龍江省密山縣 in the early 50s. I remember the place name well even sixty years or more later. He survived. I can still remember aid parcels were sent to him. This uncle suffered terribly under Mao.
Cousin's family stood by my mother in my absence. His oldest daughter shared the same bed with my mother, and did all those nasty jobs that were assigned to my mother right through the Mao years.
I am always welcomed as a family member each time I return.
DJ, the record keeper is an honorary job. It takes a special person to carry on. First of all, he must be literate, then knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and be of good standing in the village. It is not an official title, just that he cares about the village history and the job fell on him rather than he looked for it.
Brad Powe only gave us a couple of names, including his great grandfather. The record keeper had to pour through the books to see which branch and generation he belongs if the name could be found at all.It is going to take time. Douglas
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Post by FayChee on Dec 21, 2013 10:12:30 GMT -5
It must have been a difficult flight back, with heavy heart and thoughts of the past. It's clear how much he loved you Douglas.
Fay Chee
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 22, 2013 6:29:15 GMT -5
Last year I presented a photo report on my village, a good part of which was about the ancestral halls and the primary school. The school was built with the support of generous donors at home and overseas. I remarked the school's days were numbered because it was earmarked for demolition. The powers-that-be listed the school, which was built under modern construction methods, as an unsafe building. Go to page 38, and scroll down, you'll see the school just 12 mths. ago. Does it appear to be in danger of collapsing, endangering lives? siyigenealogy.proboards.com/thread/1181/excellent-adventures-china?page=38This is how the school looking from about the same spot. The weeds are appearing and some trees are gone. The students are moved to crammed accommodation within the high school. The grounds are open to all the undesirables and vandals to maximize destruction. No efforts are made to fence it off. It is free for all. As a result, it is rampant destruction by vandals and scavengers who come here to strip off anything of value. Metal doors were ripped from their hinges. I saw with my own eyes, non-villagers trying to undo the aluminium window frames for scrap metal, old woman picking copper wiring. Most villagers would stay away, they don't want to be a party to the school's death throes. The irony is not lost: seen here is a quote from the former much respected Premier Zhou Enlai: For the rise of China through studies. This must once have been the indoor playing field / assembly hall / auditorium. The slogans are still on the wall. These two photos really brought home the message. To me it is like a kick in the guts, I can feel the physical pain. Every building and every room bears the proud name of a donor who gave generously. The first one is in memory of a woman who married into my village. It could have been the name of a dear mother or wife. It says clearly English Activity Classroom. Such is the importance placed in acquiring this particular language skill. The second photo says the room is in the name of our village folks in Honolulu /Hawaii. It needs to be said my fellow villagers have a long tradition of going to Hawaii. In Chinese, Honolulu / Hawaii is called Sandalwood Mountain 檀香山. It is an earth, intimate and catchy name. I really like it. Notice, the metal door is gone To the back, the area was once playing fields. Late last year a marquee was erected for stall holders for the Chinese New Year trade. It is still standing. Corruption is at its naked worst on display. A perfectly good school built on what used to be choice farmland is now allowed to be rundown. Unscrupulous officials and developers eyed this prime piece of real estate as big money winners and came up with the idea of condemning it as unsafe. By evicting the school population, and letting the building be vandalised, and damaged beyond repair , the building might one day be just that, unsafe for occupation and demolition would be the way to go. Everyone can see through this diabolical scheme but is too afraid to speak out. I heard a man came back from America and wanted answers. The knock-on effect is to come. This is our main village hall, with its doors firmly closed and the proud couplet which survived the worst of Mao not yet restored to its rightful place. See my report from last year on pages 40 and 41 siyigenealogy.proboards.com/thread/1181/excellent-adventures-china?page=40siyigenealogy.proboards.com/thread/1181/excellent-adventures-china?page=41The reason; money ran out and the contractors walked off. Normally, villagers everywhere would rally to the call for donations. After seeing what has happened to the school, the became weary, and cynical about it all. They are ready to part with their money as ever, just that their confidence in the officials has evaporated. I,too, wanted to donate a very modest amount and have my name in the donors' roll for eternity. There is no one standing out to organise or co-ordinate fund raising. Both the school and the village hall are a disgrace to the village. It is shameful. No one is proud of it. Fay Chee, yes, my cousin always thought well of me. I heard there was much floral tribute poured in. I think he lived all his life in the village apart from a stint serving in the PLA.
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Post by lolly on Dec 22, 2013 23:54:00 GMT -5
Douglas, so sorry to read about your cousin's tragic accident. After such a wonderfully rewarding visit it is so sad that your last impressions for coming home are just that .... very sad. The additional frustration of your "lost" pictures and the subsequent demise of your computer are a dampener on your trip that seem quite unjust. Your pictures and commentary are such a revelation about life in China. You have described so many important traditions that are unfamiliar to us, and your disappointment in the inevitability of change that is tearing down the fabric of many of those traditions, is palpable. I do hope that you can still retain a feeling of pride and joy in the achievements you and Ming have made on behalf of so many of us in this forum. The impact on my family alone has been, and still is, one of absolute euphoria. Keep up the wonderful work! It is much appreciated. Lolly
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Post by helen on Dec 23, 2013 1:58:59 GMT -5
Douglas - I'm sorry to hear of your Cousin's early demise. So unexpected - and such a pity the photo was lost. The destruction of the building is also a crying shame. I read a newspaper article yesterday, about people who have to hand in their passport - those who have been corrupt, and trying to leave to other parts of the world. I guess it's the people who are hoping to make a killing on land and property, before leaving with the money. Guangzhou orders village chiefs to hand over passports to prevent corrupt from fleeing Move in Guangzhou seen as a way to prevent corrupt officials from fleeing Guangzhou has ordered its 2,000 village chiefs to hand over their passports to their superiors, extending a policy aimed at preventing corrupt officials from fleeing overseas. The move, branded as a mainland first, was announced by the city's anti-graft agency, which said about a quarter of its cases involved village chiefs. "In more prosperous and urbanised villages, if we do not beef up our work [on graft prevention] … they will turn into disaster zones of corruption," agency spokesman Mei Heqing was yesterday quoted by the Legal Daily as saying. Most cases were tied to land grabs carried out amid the accelerating urbanisation programme. Guangzhou's new regulation would bring village officials in line with existing requirements for municipal officials and above. They will need to obtain their superiors' approval for personal and business trips outside the mainland. President Xi Jinping vowed in January to target graft among both common "flies" and higher-up "tigers". The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think tank, published a report in August saying graft at the lower level did more harm to the nation than corruption at the top. Mei said most of the village chiefs brought to his agency's attention were accused of embezzling funds allocated for land compensation or taking bribes to lease out seized properties at low prices. Mei cited as an example the graft investigation early this year at Xian village in Guangzhou. Officials from the body that manages collectively owned land allegedly transferred plots to developers at a fraction of the market rate, according to a report by Nanfang Daily. Investigators later found that the village party secretary, Lu Suigeng, had obtained Australian citizenship and fled China. Friday's announcement came a day after Guangzhou's deputy mayor was placed under investigation for graft. Cao Jianliao, 58, was being investigated by the provincial disciplinary commission for severe violation of party discipline. According to sources close to the Guangzhou government, Cao was suspected of reaping illegal profits from land projects. In Xian, where villagers have been battling what they say is an illegal demolition campaign since 2009, about 1,000 people lit firecrackers in celebration of the news about Cao. Resident Lu Youfeng, 38, said the firecrackers they lit on Thursday evening were not enough to express their joy. "[His] pockets are filled with dirty money he gained from tearing our village down. We all hate him to our core," Lu said. Mei did not specify when the new rule would come into effect, but said there would be a transition period. www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1387938/guangzhou-orders-village-chiefs-hand-over-passports-prevent-corrupt
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 23, 2013 4:19:52 GMT -5
Lolly, I still have a few more photo reports to make. They are not earth-shattering observations, just mundane everyday things that I find merit in them. I do feel the frustration of losing my irreplaceable shots. It is about time I invested in another memory card. High point of my trip is no doubt in making the foray into Sing Sze. Your distant cousin's wife Mrs. Pang, is very much looking forward to a surprise call from you.I have both the address and phone number to pass to you. Call her in Cantonese or Mandarin.
Helen, I think the corrupt village heavies are lying low. They knew they had dug themselves a hole they can't get out. Your story enforces the prevailing view in the village. No one is going to do anything about the school, certain not to demolish and develop the site. To resurrect the building now would take say RMB i mil.
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