Dearest (Wong) Family
Greetings from Guangzhou! I’m nearing the end of a nearly 5 week trip where I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the south and west of China. There’s been plenty of stories, but I felt that one of my most recent experiences deserved a family-wide update: Visiting Yeye’s village in Taishan.
Disclaimer: I’ve learned a lot in the past few days, and I’m still digesting the experience .. so apologies if anything still sounds a bit muddled! And yes, this is going to be a long one….
I’ve always known that Yeye came from Taishan - and recited as much in a matter-of-fact tone if anyone ever questioned my ancestry - but I had no idea what I was getting into when I embarked on this leg of my trip. A few weeks back, I asked my Dad to chase down the name of Yeye’s village name through old contacts from the Wong’s Association. He scribbled it onto paper, snapped a photo and sent it to me via Whatsapp. I hired a translator for a couple days and hopped onto a bus, with my fingers crossed. This is what I learned:
Yeye comes from coastal province in the south of China, Guangdong. The nearest major city is Guangzhou, a sprawling and sweaty metropolis of nearly ten million people. Taishan, the area which Yeye hails from, is a much smaller 'township' boasting roughly one million inhabitants. Fun fact: It’s apparently also the world's "number one hometown of overseas Chinese". It is said that at least half of American-Chinese come from Taishan.
Apparently people have been leaving Taishan for years. Its number one export = people. And you can see the positive benefits of money being sent back to family members left behind: There’s a long “pedestrian street” with plenty of clothing boutiques and restaurants, roads are relatively clean (by China standards) and there seems to be a lot of thriving local businesses. Local attractions include a nearby hot springs, a beach, and their local dish - an “eel clay pot rice” which I tried. (Verdict: Not as good as Japanese-style teriyaki eel rice. But goes down well with beer.)
Side note: Growing up, my Dad always teased my Mom for the supposed harsh tones of the 'Panyue accent’ (a different district my Mom’s side is from)… But I'm sorry Dad, Taishan-see is practically unintellgible. This is partially due to the fact that Taishan is rather isolated by mountains and rivers. When I was greeted by the local clansmen of the Wong Association in Taishan City Centre, I could not understand a single word.
Smiles and nods would have to do as they gave me the grand tour of their office. I saw Yeye's name on a donation plaque for one of their various projects, and a glimpse into the wider network that Yeye so faithfully gave his time and energy to.
When we set out for the village that afternoon, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Dad mentioned that it was “probably still quite rural”, which almost made it sound romantic (at least in a backpacker’s mindset). The truth is that the village is quite rundown. We “off roaded” for a while through a field to get to his village, as access is not particularly visible from the main road.
The village (“Gao Long”) is nearly 150 years old. Though most of the communal buildings were rebuilt in the last 20 years. But you can hardly tell the age after the pollution and the climate sets in. Buildings 700 years old look nearly in the same condition as buildings that were built in the last 10.
At its peak, the village had as many as 300 people, who all descended from the same ancestral family (a man with two sons). Many people married off with folk from other towns. Mama and Yeye had an arranged marriage. And like many young people in their early twenties, they left the village (for Hong Kong) during the late 1940s due to civil unrest and political tensions.
It was a sweltering Sunday afternoon. Any villagers I came across, I gave a scoop of candy to (which I was instructed to buy before our visit). It felt a bit funny distributing candy to (mostly) elders who had little to no teeth left, but I figured it was more of a symbolic gesture than anything else. Everyone seemed really sweet and appreciative that I popped by. I think I met about 15 people that afternoon.
In every Chinese village, there is an Ancestral Hall that is built to host the tablets which symbolize the community’s founding family. However, many of these were destroyed during China’s Cultural Revolution. Unfortunately, Yeye’s village did not escape this fate. The hall was eventually rebuilt, but was damaged by a typhoon. It is now a storage.
The village homes were all generally quite dilapidated. Yeye’s mother was our oldest surviving relative in the village. She lived in a house along with another family (not related to us by blood) who still inhabit it today. They can’t remember when she passed away.
I also saw various properties that Yeye’s father had purchased in the village (three, at one point, I was told). But most are just plots of land that are overgrown with shrubbery.
I was told many stories by the village elder, who was one of the last people to know Yeye personally. Even though they were nearly 8 years apart, he had memories of Yeye taking him fishing at the nearby pond when they were much younger. When I asked how he remembered Yeye, he described him as “a very honest and pure man”, who was very different from his older brother.
Yeye had 3 other brothers. Two died young, and were married off in “ghost weddings” to other’s daughters who also died young, as per Chinese tradition/superstition.
He showed me the village “Jook Po”, which is basically a book that documents every village’s descendants and family trees. I belong to the 33rd generation. The names have not been updated since Yeye’s generation. I texted my Dad to send me the names of his siblings to be included ** (See note at bottom of page)
I came back the following morning to pay my respects to the village ancestors, as well as Yeye’s mother.
All three plots I visited required a bit of hiking through some exceptionally thorny underbrush. I felt family in spirit as I crossed the hillside to our final destination, where Yeye's mother was laid to rest. The last time he was here (apparently in the early 90s?) he spent a lot of time at her site.
It truly was one of the highlights of my trip and really ‘hit home’ in all the right ways. I can only say I wish you were all there with me.
I’ll be back in Vancouver for Edwin’s wedding, and hoping to catch up with as many of you as possible then. Sending a hug from Guangzhou for now..
Devon
** I have the address of the village elder and plan on sending photos and any updated names for the Jook Po. If you’re interested, please write your Chinese name and snap a photo/email me in the next couple weeks to be included.