#roots2018

Nick’s Paternal Grandfather’s Village in Zhongshan

July 4, 2018

We started the day by visiting the Jiangmen Wuyi Museum of Overseas Chinese, which commemorates the experiences and contributions of ethnic Chinese around the globe. As we toured the exhibits, I was reminded of the deep rooted history that has shaped my own Chinese American identity. I thought about how when I was growing up, we never really learned about Chinese American history in school. We seemed to be left out of U.S. history textbooks, but I know Chinese people in America were pioneers, leaders and heroes too. I left the museum with a deeper understanding of my place in the context of this legacy.

As I reflected on the hardships and triumphs of those men and women before me, I thought about how my own family’s immigration from China to Hong Kong to the U.S. fits into the historical narrative of struggle, resistance, and growth. We’re all seeking the same things: peace, love, and prosperity. You see me wearing my quintessential Chinese colored red and gold San Francisco 49ers hat. You probably know that the Niners derive from the Gold Rush era, when many left China for opportunities in America, just like my family members did throughout the 20th Century. My paternal grandfather’s (Yeh Yeh’s) dad settled in Susanville, CA where he herded cows for a living. He returned to Zhongshan once he saved enough money to build a house, which is the same home I visited today.

I was surprised by how developed and massive the “village” was. Apparently there are over 5,000 people living in this area of Zhongshan now. I imagine it’s quite different than how my Yeh Yeh remembers it because there are lots of shops and cars driving by. Relatives still own the home but another family is currently renting it. I initially felt like I was intruding on their personal space, but I was reassured that the tenant was glad I returned to see where my Yeh Yeh grew up. They even kept my ancestral altar in place, so I was able to pay my respects there.

This was a bit more brief compared to my rooting in Hoiping, where I had alone time to give offerings to my ancestors. Honestly, I didn’t feel as strong a connection to this house in Zhongshan as I did to my Paw Paw’s old home in Hoiping, because her house seemed to be like a time capsule. Nobody lived there and it was filled with dusty old things, so I imagined it was more similar to what it must’ve looked like when she lived there. There were even some pictures of her brothers on an old dresser. Nevertheless, I appreciated the opportunity to revisit the place where my Yeh Yeh lived. I got to go up to the second level of the home where his room was. The ceilings of the house were very high compared to other ancestral homes we’ve visited, which I learned was characteristic of houses in this area.

On the other hand, three of my relatives greeted me in the village, which made me feel more at home. I think everyone was a little confused about proper titles, but family is family, and I felt the strong bond immediately. Some of them visited my Yeh Yeh in San Francisco within the past few years, so they had recent photos of me and my family. I was surprised because they even whipped out a couple baby pictures of mine. That was sweet. After touring the house, we walked over to the recently renovated 120-year-old ancestral hall.

This is where generations of family are honored. My branch of the family genealogy is inscribed and hung on the wall. As a 25th generation Lau, I was humbled by the thought of all that history behind my family. As I paid my respects to my ancestors, I thanked them for giving me power and watching over me every day. I thanked them for their sacrifices, bravery, and hard work, which have given me and future generations a foundation to live on. I was then gifted a copy of my family genealogy book, which I’ll bring back to my Yeh Yeh. He’ll probably laugh at me for not being able to read it, but it will give him an opportunity to explain more of our history to me. I know he’ll be happy that I have a better understanding of where we come from.

After paying my respects at the ancestral hall, we went to a nearby temple dedicated to a Taoist Water God, Bok Eye. Al mentioned it was constructed without any nails or mortar, but had been standing for over 400 years. I was excited because I happened to visit Marysville, CA during the annual Bok Kai parade (aka Bomb Day), where the locals pay tribute to the same deity to protect against flooding. It was pretty cool to come across this temple in my Ye Ye’s village because now I have more appreciation for traditions that have traversed the globe.

Kona’s 2nd Rooting Day 6 July 2nd 2018

Today I went to my mother’s Father’s Village a.k.a. my Gong Gong. This was a different experience compared to my last one for many reasons. I had no expectations for this rooting and because I had such a great time at my other one I knew that what ever happened at this rooting would not change my experience. I never met my Gong Gong, because he died before I was born. I wanted to go because my cousin April went back in 2005 with Roots and I felt that since she went, I should also go. When I got there, we first stopped at my caregiver’s Village which was literally across the road from my Gong Gong’s village. She explained that her father in-law was my Gong Gong’s Cousin. So she married into the family and that we are very distant relatives. When I saw the house I thought it looked pretty much like all the other houses that we saw. I asked her if she had known my Gong Gong but she said no. I showed her family photos of my Poa Poa and she said that she only met her once when she visited. She asked if she was still alive and I said no, she passed in 2013. I then asked if her husband was still around and she said that her Eldest Son passed away 2 weeks ago, and she has another son who works in Toishan and comes back home every night to help her because her husband is very ill. She explained that she’s having a hard time because it’s just her Son and her and that they have to look after her husband. When I heard this I couldn’t fathom what she must be going through. I wanted to say sorry for bothering her and leave right then and there. I didn’t know how to react and I felt like I was a burden for coming. We walked around the village and the village leader described details of the village. At this point trying to make conversation was painful for me. Not because I didn’t enjoy her company but because I felt that she would rather be doing anything else than talking to this American girl. I had all these questions that I wanted to ask her about her life and her family but I knew that it wasn’t appropriate. After the visit was over I asked the Village official how to say, “I’m sorry for your loss,” in Cantonese. He said that you don’t really say that and what you would do is bai san for him. So I asked if I could do that and she said sure. I went to her house and met her husband who was sitting with a cane next to him. He reminded me of my grandma in her later years, I told him who I was and asked if he had any stories to share but he didn’t. After I got back to the bus I thought a lot about how life is short and that you can’t live your life with regrets because there isn’t time. Attached is a letter of what I wish I could have said to her.

To my Caregiver; 

Thank you for watching over my house. Thank you for being there when your distant relative drops in and wants to look at my Gong Gong’s house. Thank you for doing bai san every year for my great grandfather and for keeping the last possessions in China in great condition. I’m sorry that I can’t speak to you directly and I’m sorry that you lost your eldest son 2 weeks ago. I never knew him but I know he must have been an amazing person. I’m sorry that your husband is ill, and I’m sorry that my family doesn’t have more of a connection with you. I’m sorry that my cousins are losing their Chinese. I hope that I can bring them back and see you again. I’m sorry that you’re probably still in mourning and I’m intruding in on your life like this. I wish that I can give you something more than just money. I wish that we could go back in time and stay there for as long as you want. I hope that you can find meaning or value in my visit and I hope I didn’t bother you too much. I know that you will be happy again and enjoy the simple things in life. Thank you for reminding me what is reminded to everyone only during the darkest of times. That life is short, and you must enjoy it. You must focus and cherish the good memories because it is easy to forget. You’ve reminded me to keep my heart open and that you never know what someone else is going through. I will think of you, I will think of your husband, and I will think of your family. You are my family and so now when I see my family, I will see you too. Gong Gong I’m sorry that we never met. I hope you’ve been watching me with Mom and Poa Poa. I hope you’re all proud. I hope you guys have found her eldest son and I hope you can watch over us all. To my caregiver, I’m sorry I don’t know your name. Thank you for keeping the Yee memories alive because you’ve given me more than you could imagine.

(Backtracking) ~~ Day 1 (June 27): Hoiping: Candace’s maternal grandfather’s village: 坑美村 (keng mei cun) 

Every rooting is different. The first part of mine was the third rooting of Day 1. After meeting the village local and arriving there, I was led to where he thought the house was - but luckily could double check with photos that my father took back in 1991 when my mother first visited. After about 5 minutes of looking around, I turned around and heard that the village elder was found (who also know my grandparents) and knows exactly where the house is/was. She led me around another house to an overgrown area and showed me where the house should have been. The house no longer exists :( so I just took a picture and visited the pond by the main road. One of my expectations was to also visit a school that my maternal side has donated money to. I’ve seen pictures of a plaque with my great-grandmother, great uncles, uncles, and grandparents and wanted to locate this school and learn more about why their photos are on this plaque. We hopped in the van and found out that our village guide went to the same school for about a year. Once at the school, we met some administrators and even the principal. We flashed some photos that I had with the plaques and the principal knew exactly where it was. I found out that my great-grandmother, two great uncles, my maternal grandparents and two uncles had donated significant amounts of money to the school for supplies and whatever the school needed. 

Though there was no house for me to visit, and the plants had well overgrown where the house used to stand, I felt so at home visiting the general area of where my ancestors and family members grew up. The pond by the main road of the village was exceptionally calming, as was seeing all the wintermelon being grown nearby (i love wintermelon). Getting a glimpse of young children and their curiosity at the elementary school really helped me affirm not only my personal values to education and learning, but also my family’s dedication to the same values.

PHOTOGRAPHY & COMMENTARY: Isabella Xu

(This is only a snippet of my visual interpretation of our first day of rooting, if you’d like to see and read more, check out the full post on my website for all the juicy verbiage and photographic evidence ).

Wait, What's Going On?

Guangzhou: Wall on the perimeter of the Overseas Chinese Vocational School grounds.

Four days ago I began composing this post, and was sitting smack dab in Kaiping (Hoiping), China in Guangdong Province. Now, we're perusing Toisan, a 45 minute-ish drive away, which, fun fact, is where my family hails from. Overall I must say, Roots is a whirlwind; it's not chaos like I was lead to believe (well, maybe it was for past years, but my cohort thus far has been exceptionally efficient, cohesive and fan-freaking-tastic if I do say so myself). 

Guangzhou: Wall on the perimeter of the Overseas Chinese Vocational School grounds.

Guangzhou: a Stop. Kaiping: a Stop.

Alright, Day One of Roots 2018. Whoo. Well. Here we go, pals. After a grueling flight we stayed the night in HK, piled all eleven of us (and our luggage) into two puny-ass taxis who delivered us to the train station, boarded a train to Guangzhou, China, successfully passed Chinese customs, were collected by Sifu (our gracious and hilariously great bus driver) and drove to the school that helps sponsor our program in China.

Kaiping: Walkway leading towards the Diaolou and Villages World Heritage site.

We met the principal of the school, who was a very kind and friendly dude wearing a eggplant purple polo shirt (automatic respect to him), hopped back on the Roots Mobile and headed to our next destination. Next, we had our our first real meal in China: dim sum! Lunch took longer than we had anticipated, but all encompassing it was a marvelous meal. Three hours later (spoken in the SpongeBob narrator voice) we hopped back in the bus and began the three hour drive to our first site of the trip and last stop of the day before dinner and hotel; the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages World Heritage site, which was magnificent to say the least. I admittedly don’t have any photographs of the towers or view, but I did capture details of the site and the surrounding village. Overall though, a very fulfilling Day One.