Ni Hao From China - Part 2 - 2009

Originally I was not looking forward to going back to my parent's village not because of seeing the village itself but I was hesitant to stay at my parent's 'modern' house. Minimal AC, minimal hot water and possible mosquitoes.. hum.. not my kind of vacation accommodations. (If you know me well.. camping ... is staying at a 3-star hotel.) But I did not want to be rude to my parents who were very proud of the home they built and furnished. So we stayed for two nights and it was acceptable. More importantly, I was able to see what my parents have been describing to me for years.

Written on November 7, 2009

Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou were wonderful but this place, Zhongshan (a part of Canton, China), was the most memorable and rewarding of all.. at least for me personally. This was the place where I got to see, touch and imagine how life was for my parents. We went to the actual houses where they were born! WOW.. I was blown away from all the sights, sounds and memories my parents were sharing with me. I was very humbled and so thankful that they came to America to raise their family.

So here we go.. walk with me through time .. Long Mai, Zhongshan

This is my parents current house that they go to and stay about one month out of the year. It's luxurious in China standards yet  to me.. it was 'livable' and 'functional' if you know what I mean. Nothing like their home in the States but very nice over there. It has 6 bedrooms and 2-1/2 baths... hot water only available in the shower in two bathrooms.

One of the bedrooms.. the one Matthew and I stayed in.. note the mosquito net..
yes Matthew got 14 bites. I got 2.. the girls got 0.

Family room upstairs.. the tall rectangular machine in the corner was the blessed AC unit which I made my dad
keep on at full power 24/7 at least while I was staying there

We visited the the house my dad grew up in: House #1. My Aunt D. was born in there along with the other older siblings.

House #1 - inside- there was a front part of the house and then a tiny back room.. that's it..
of course.. no plumbing and electricity..

My dad used to come in this house everyday to make rice flour with this contraption.. here he is showing how you use it.. Funny thing.. when we visited the HK History Museum we saw a replica of this very contraption there..

House #2 (just a few yards away from House #1) was bigger and this was the house my dad was born in..
and where the family lived. House #1 became the kitchen and raising of livestock.

It has two levels and I can't believe that it's still standing and sturdy. The stairs were so narrow...I found some pictures (in a small box on top of that black stand near the door) of my auntie that died (from childbirth) when she had her 2nd son . She was in her 20's. Her two sons (now in their 60's) are the ones that take care of my parent's current house and these old homes. I never knew that they existed until I got to China. Their mom (my auntie) was my grandmother's first child and first daughter. My dad told me that he and my grandma were with my auntie when she delivered her son and soon afterwards died. My grandmother was hysterical and was overwhelmed with grief seeing her oldest child die. My dad was only a few years old but he vividly remembers this event.

Here we are looking through letters from my grandpa, my dad's math and writing homework books etc..
What a find!! And yes I took some of it all home with me! :)

Here I am visiting for the first time, my 2-grandma, my grandfather's second wife.. she is in a nursing home.
Isn't she cute?

We are in Long Mei now.. the home of where my mom was born in..
The house was tightly locked with a rope and a bamboo bar..

Same set up.. front room (now filled with moss and mold) and a tiny back room.

This house was part of a larger complex.. the Chan families (my grandfather and his brothers/cousins) all owned this whole building. The taller building is owned by my cousin H's parents. My mom told me she would run and play in front of this building all the time. Imagining my mom running is funny!

This building (above) is where my grandmother (mom's mom) was raised.. it too like the others are abandoned and empty. This is just a couple of blocks away from my mom's original house.

In Zhongshan, we visited a Preschool (which includes Kindergarten). This is a Kindergarten class (ages 5-6).
One class.. 2 teachers. They sang some songs for us since they knew we were coming.

Above is the biggest class: ages 2-3. Yes it's one big class. They don't have a max teacher to child ratio like it is at CCS.

The 'Farmer's Market' in Zhongshan which was right in front of the preschool.

Very fresh.. and alive!

You can't get any more organic than this!