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Post by tyuti1668 on Dec 15, 2011 22:07:03 GMT -5
... seen quite a few photos of schools and pailous on the Mainland that use Traditional on its signage...? Although BANNED in official usuage, Trad. chinese are prefer in EVERY important activity Éú ¡¢»é ¡¢ËÀ in Guangdong / Fujian. The "bitten by dog" font Have seen address plate from ýˆÈð & ÏÂÉ village proper, Shaxi, Zhongshan still in FULL font ;D Native from southern still reconize the "old" font (Brainwashed by "outside" TV) but writing is another . Young kids can INPUT it in computer easily BUT mid-age guy w/o proper education can't ...
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 16, 2011 4:25:47 GMT -5
I am not sure what the official policy is on the use of traditional characters. I was forbidden to use the traditional form in the recipient's name when I tried to send money to China. The Shoong á character is always the same, with the 'mountain" bit on top of "pine". Rhyming is so important to a Chinese name, Joe Shoong has that ring to the name, it is an unusal name, it is loud, it reveberates like crystal glass, befitting a great inspirational figure. I remember reading a very detailed story on Joe Shoong on line from a university web site. Another great individual with a matching great name I admire is that of the nuclear physicist Qian Sanqiang 錢三強. In Cantonese it is Chin Sam Keung. It is simple and it has a very powerful ring to it. Sam Keung ( Three Strength) to my thinking represents the aspirations of physical strength, moral strength, and intellectual strength. The owner of that name had achieved all three. Naming is such an art form. The couplet on the 1932 photo of the school suggests a call to arms. Japan had embarked on its murderous plundering of China then. The three of us are not getting much help from the man at the ancestral hall, he cannot even tell us if there was a generational poem with Doug's name feature in it. I ask the question because one of the figures on the wall also shares the same first character with Doug. So we spend a little time do a walking tour of the village instead. YAHOO, MOUNTAIN DEW !! The steps lead to a park on higher ground. There are people collecting water for drinking purposes, seeping from the hillside. Up top there is open space, a pavillion and dozens and dozens of lychee trees. The trees are probably leased out to a tenant orchardist and there are warning signs against stealing.
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Post by laohuaqiao on Dec 16, 2011 7:21:15 GMT -5
Douglas, do you know the Chinese characters Joe Shoong used in his portrait posted on the wall of the Ancestral Hall? I would assume the characters were either his Zi (字) or Hao (號) name. Do you know of Joe Shoong's other Chinese names? Then I can renew my search in my own jiapu. Feel free to email me privately or in this thread. 周崧 Joe Shoong's actual name 名 華崧, 字 毓秀. Father's name 周簡廉
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Post by Doug 周 on Dec 16, 2011 10:40:15 GMT -5
Thank You Douglas and laohuaqiao!
Laohuaqiao, where did you find the name characters and Joe Shoong's father's name? With your Chinese literacy, was it on a Chinese language web site?
This world wide forum with its eclectic mix of capabilities, all with but one common interest of Chinese heritage, never ceases to amaze me!
The information flowing from the forum continuously assists me and removes barricades in my genealogy studies. This is why I myself spend the time writing on this Chinese Genealogy Board. I also want to help others when their questions fall into my realm of severely circumscribed expertise. This is the least I can do to give back.
Sincerely, Doug
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 17, 2011 6:37:37 GMT -5
Old and grand houses always interest me. They were mostly built by people who had ventured out from the villages, over time as family members were allowed to emigrate, these once grand village homes fell into disuse and became decrepit. I can see example after example in any village I visit. LTW has its fair share of families moved away from their rural roots, and the family homes allowed to decay. A GENTLEMAN'S RESIDENCE This one may be an exception, it has mod-con in the form of a split system air conditioner. This is a clear sign that it is occupied. Unlike home owners in Western countries, very few home handymen in China set themselves the task of keeping their dwellings up to scratch. This is also one of the grander looking village homes. I cannot make out if it is occupied. A RARE GEM This one has a cross bar barrier to keep intruders out yet maintain good air flow and natural light. Once the cross bar barriers are damaged, they are replaced by metal gates. Timber replacement is more costly than steel fabrication. Many older village homes are falling into neglect because the owners no longer live there, yet they don't want to let them out to migrant workers. They do not need the money and there are stories abound of tenants trashing the house and removing valuable items. Since my mother's passing, I allowed a distant relative and his family to move in my home free of charge. I don't exactly know what relationship the tenants are to me. I think the man is related to my grandfather's generation. It is more preferred to allow the house to rot in silence.
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Post by laohuaqiao on Dec 17, 2011 10:53:10 GMT -5
Doug, Googling 中山周崧 (I'm sure one can do the same with baidu.com ) led to this page on famous people of Zhongshan, zsda.gov.cn/plus/view.php?aid=32434In Simplified Chinese, it gave a brief life history of Joe Shoong. His names 名华崧, 字毓秀 and father's name 简廉 appeared in the second paragraph. To me, the human genealogy is one giant, connected puzzle; until looking at the details one never knows before hand how the pieces are fitted together, how the seemingly unrelated are in fact related. A perfect example of this was the link tyuti1668 provided on oyster shell houses in Longrui village 龙瑞村. There was a photo of a Lau/Liu ancestral temple 刘氏宗祠 and the temple was mentioned as being the most well-known one in Longrui. I was curious and did a search of Longrui Lau/Liu's. Sure enough, they are descendants of 1 of 3 Lau/Liu brothers who migrated, along with 90+ other families, from Nanxiong Zhuji Lane to the Pearl River Delta region in the 1200's. I'm a descendant of one of the other two brothers who settled in Xinhui and our clan founder moved to Taishan a few generations later. In the future I would like to pay a visit to Longrui.
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Post by tyuti1668 on Dec 17, 2011 20:22:48 GMT -5
...In the future I would like to pay a visit to Longrui. The nearby 雲漢 also worth a walk. It's from the SAME 谿角鄉. Those 劉 village is quite easy to reach. The main bus station from other cities just nearby (Some area located exactly in their's b4 PRC land ).
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 18, 2011 7:25:49 GMT -5
We move on to Dutou after our visit to LTW. Dutou people have a long history in my state of New South Wales. I know a few of the prominent individuals from that village. My interest in the village was further heightened by this; siyigenealogy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=news&action=display&thread=1437 For the best known of the Louies from Dutou in Canada, you can't go past H Y Louie and his descendants Tong and Brandt Louie. There is a few things I want to find out for my own curiosity. WHAT'S IN A NAME The original sign, for members who aren't lucky enough to have basic written Chinese language skills, reading from right to left, stream-crossing pier, Du kay ma tou. Thus Dutou, the abbreviation of the four characters and the name of this well known home of many people overseas. The ferry no longer operates here, but a little downstream, the ferry still plies the two banks. (See my photo report from last year. ) If you think everything looks like new, you are quite right. It is almost a complete rebuilt of the original ancestral hall, after the ravages of the Mao years.
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 19, 2011 6:33:10 GMT -5
LOUIE-VILLE TRIP This is the gateway and short stretch of road that leads to the ancestral hall which is on the right past the new building, and a garden and memorial hall to the left. I am told land was bought and the road built by funds made available from H Y Louie's family in Vancouver. This clears the air for me in regard to the legacy of HY Louie. THE ENTRANCE This is the entrance to a memorial hall which houses some old farming implements and story boards of clan members who fought bravely against the English and then the Japanese. The pier sign is also housed here. IT AIN'T RED A big red fire engine it isn't. This is an old fire fighting appliance. I remember seeing one in action perhaps sixty years ago in my village. Water is passed along in buckets by a human chain, and tipped into a tank. Two small teams then push the levers up and down to pump water directed at the fire. Our guide tells us the provincial museum once asked for a loan of the appliance for display. It was refused because the elders knew once you loaned it out, it is hard to get it back. FROM DOWN UNDER This set of altar paraphernalia is presented by clan members in Australia. We are made very welcome at Dutou. A jupu is available for our perusal. I find the part on HY Louie. He had two wives and very extensive entries. Transliteration of anglicized names are hard to understand. Dutou is a small village with a big reputation in Australia. Harry Fay was a very well known figure amongst the older generations.Harry was Louie Mew Fay. Immigration officials had the names mixed up and thus Fay became the family name. His brother Mew Lun had Lun as family name and so on so forth. Harry had the biggest emporium Hong Yuen in country town Inverell and surrounding districts early last century. I visited Inverell on occasions well over twenty years ago, At that time it was already in decline. chinese-heritage.tripod.com/Life%20&%20Time.htmThe store now is something else entirely different www.hongyuen.com.au/history.htmI was once considering moving to Inverell myself. I was approached to buy a restaurant, just a few doors from Hong Yuen. I declined because I would be at the mercy of the cook. He could walk out any time and leave me high and dry. I also knew a Louie family closely related to Harry Fay's, in a nearby town called Moree. I, and my family enjoyed the hot mineral spa there. www.inverelltimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/shopping-centre-open-september/1558178.aspx
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Post by Henry on Dec 19, 2011 10:29:46 GMT -5
Hi Douglas,
As always - you take really interesting photos ! I love the one of the old fire fighting machine - it is an antique well worth preserving.
Henry
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Post by Ah Gin on Dec 19, 2011 15:28:19 GMT -5
Douglas, As always, your travel tales and pictures are from top shelf. Thanks for sharing. More please. BTW: About Harry Fay, you point to the URL which gives a personal account of Laurie Burgess, an old friend of mine (81 this year), his recollection of his direct encounter with Harry. chinese-heritage.tripod.com/Life%20&%20Time.htm and also his memory of Chinese food. Laurie now lives in Port Albert, where back in the Aust Gold Rush days, the Chinese pioneers had a fish drying business -- see chinese-heritage.tripod.com/port_albert.htmRegards, Ah Gin
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 20, 2011 6:45:36 GMT -5
Thanks again to Ah Gin and Henry for the kind words. Ah Gin, it is quite remarkable Laurie Burgess is a mate of yours. I wonder if his account of meeting the Louies or fays from Inverell is part of the oral history of the district. Chinese had a bigger presence in regional and country Australia than most people realised. Janis Wilton's definitive book The Golden Threads gives a good account. At Longreach, in the state of Queensland, there is a Stockman's Hall of Fame. The best shearer inducted into the Hall is a person who learned his trade with a Chinese shearing gang. Like the railway builders in Nth. America, the Chinese didn't get a mention in the history books or folk tales. Just down the road , in Aussie parlance, on the New England Highway, is Glen Innes, a major township serving the rural community. Here too, stands the biggest store Kwong Sing. It is another success story of early Chinese foray into the main stream business world. hosting.collectionsaustralia.net/goldenthreads/stories/k&ks.html I met Harvey Young the owner over twenty years ago on a visit to the town. I specifically asked to be taken to the cemetery to pay my respect to the early Chinese pioneers. Member Geoff knows Harvey well, he can tell us more about Kwong Sing and the latest development. An old timer told me how the Chinese used to carry his merchandise on a shoulder pole and travel from town to town to peddle low value items like sewing needles and threads. Market gardeners kept the small settlements supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables.Life was hard even without the taunting and rock-throwing children. Part of the success of stores like Hong Yuen, Kwong Sing and others, the old timer told me, was the business ethic of the shopkeepers. The shopkeepers would answer the knock on the door just for a box of matches even in the middle of the night. The blackfellas, local Aborigines too, were not turned away. The turning point was during hard times like droughts. the Chinese shopkeepers would stand by the farmers, give them credit to help them survive the calamity when everyone else refused. When the good times returned, the farmers and graziers didn't forget the Chinese who stood by them. They took their business to the Chinese shops. This is the old world, of how Chinese resourcefulness and resilience, in a sometimes hostile foreign land, ensured their survival and prosperity. It is a lesson we can all learn, a subject of human interest I found absorbing.
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 20, 2011 7:35:01 GMT -5
With the conclusion of visiting LTW and Dutou, my sights now set on member Christine's search for her husband side of the family. AN DING by name and nature Nowadays, most villages big or small do erect a gateway to identify themselves. This is the name of the village within the township of Nam Long, which Christine gave us to start off our search. It is the home of the Chings, An Ding in putonghua or Mandarin means peace and stability. We shall see the name An Ding elsewhere again later in my travel. The village is also known as Kin Chi sometime in the past. VILLAGE PEOPLE AT VILLAGE SQUARE On entering the village, the village square comes into sight. Trees are central to any square, and the trees seen here are most unusual. It must have taken some very clever manipulation to create this canopy-like cover. It would provide excellent shade in those hot, steamy summer days. DOING WHAT COMES NATURALLY Some villagers are seen squatting on their haunches. I have no problems with that. Even little children do it. This sitting or resting posture comes into criticism by many people, saying it is befitting only those uncouth mainland Chinese, and uneducated masses and peasants. Squatting posture comes about probably out of necessity. Just imagine working in the fields, you can't sit on the dirt to have a rest. You must squat. I am quite happy in the squatters' company. I don't judge a person because he squats on his haunches.
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Post by Henry on Dec 20, 2011 10:30:27 GMT -5
Hi Douglas,
So glad you included this photo - my father always squatted - even in some chairs at home. It was quite natural for him and I can even squat - just like this.
Henry
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 21, 2011 3:14:43 GMT -5
Our visit to An Ding or On Ding did not produce the desired outcome, but we came away with a few images worth sharing. A village elder did refer us to a Lee village for further enquires. It so happened Ming knew that village intimately because his aunt's husband, a Chan, was from that village. He used to visit his aunt in his boyhood days. It is an unusual village because a narrow road bisects the village. On one side of the road are the Lees and the other, the Chans. Very unusual layout. As it was a Saturday afternoon, we did not get to see any official or check out the genealogy book if there was one. We were assured by some older men, the village was not what we were looking for. THE GRANDEST This is the most impressive of all the homes we have seen. In fact it is listed for protection. It dose not look like it is occupied, but there are signs of some minimal care is placed on it. Another gold mountain guest property perhaps? DIFFERENT HOUSES BUT SAME FATE The grand house and this row of small houses, what could only be labelled as humble dwellings are just a short walk from the village square. They too are vacant, weeds are clearly visible on the roof, and there is a common wall between each small house. We look into the vacant small living area of some of the houses and wonder where have the owners gone? Did they move to those high rise units which spring up everywhere, go to Hong Kong or overseas? In bygone years, this might have been a tightly-knitted neighbourhood, where everyone knew each other. It would be an eerie, uncomfortable scene in those cold, wet, dark, wintry nights.
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