Back to the Roots - Guangdong

Guangdong provided a very comfortable reintroduction to mainland China, as due to the hospitality of Aimes' relatives we didn't spend one night in a hotel (despite some initial mix ups) and spent very little time having to find our own way around. The level of hospitality was such that we had to create diversions and decoys to allow us to actually pay for things, although it was still difficult to actually pay our share.
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The Sun Yat Sen Memorial (and Aimes looking like a dork)

Guangzhou was our first stop where we were accommodated, guided and chauffered by Aimes' Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. The accomodation was first rate, particularly the fact that you only had to take the lift down to level 2 from Aimes' uncle's apartment for morning Yum Cha!

Yum Cha Brekkie - take your pick!

It seems the place has definitely changed for the better, as Aimes remembers only being able to stay for a short time on her previous visit on account of the pollution, yet we now found it to be one of the cleanest and modern cities in China. This was particularly evident on our drive along the Pearl River waterfront where there are wide tree lined footpaths, iconic buildings (the piano shaped concert hall to compete with the Sydney Opera House) and beautiful lights. We also had the numerous bridges, flyovers and tunnels designed or being designed by Aimes' Aunt pointed out to us, much to Hobbes' interest (being a fellow engineer when he decides to work).

The only animals which weren't on the menu...

Aimes' relos had devised a packed itinery for us and we managed to see in one day what would have taken us 2 or 3 to see on our own. We stopped at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall (actually much of Guangzhou seems to be a tribute to Sun Yat Sen), past Aimes' mum's old boarding school, to the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, a Tomb and Guangzhou Park (so Hobbes could take a photo of the goat statue - the city's mascot).

Looking inside Aimes' Mum's old house

We had a big lunch at a place that was hard to describe, it was a safari park/country club/resort all in one, complete with live white tigers in an enclosure in the middle of the building! The banquet was a full on affair with the safari theme continued onto the menu, with a whole menagerie of different animals appearing. The dishes consumed included, but were far from limited to, snake, crocodile, veal, lamb, fish, eel and prawns. A birthday cake had even been arranged for Aimes to recognise her successful completion of 27 wonderful years!

Sleepy boys in a train station waiting hall

This gastronomic assault on the animal kingdom was continued at dinner where yet more meats were presented, including quails, chickens, (baby) geese, ducks, (baby) pigs, more fish, more prawns, more eel. Hobbes' meat count by the end of the day was somewhere around the twelve mark for different animals consumed - not a day for the vegetarians. This more than reaffirmed the culinary reputation of the Cantonese.

The highlight of the day was visiting the old house that Aimes' mother had grown up in. As we walked down the street all the neighbours spilled out into the lane to have a gawk at what was going on, when they realised it was Ping's daughter everyone was inviting us in for tea and wanting us to take photos. The house itself is now been left derelict and has been boarded up, one neighbour though, brought out his bamboo ladder to help us get up and take some photos through a window.

Aimes, relos ... and cannon

After Guangzhou we ventured down the road to Donguan to visit the other side of the family. After being escorted to the Guangzhou station by Aimes' uncle and with words of warning about pickpockets still ringing in our ears we arrived at Donguan and were met by more of Aimes' relatives who quickly separated our luggage from us (despite our protests) and headed off to load it into the car.

The old and the new

With a car-full of distant relos (4 of us on the back seat) we drove around the countryside seeing some of the local sights. After a day trip around to a gun deck where part of the Opium War was fought, and a visit to the Sea Battle Museum (with an interesting/disturbing 'Drug Education' exhibit) we spent the afternoon at Bao Mo Park which seems to have been heavily influenced by Beijing's Summer Palace. The park is more waterway than land and the waterways even continue under the footpaths allowing the thousands of carp to follow your every move. Feeding these over zealous fish was an amazing experience as the pools are turned into whitewater at the mearest hint of food with streams of fish coming from every direction.

Fish feeding frenzy

That evening our over eating (and meat consumption) continued with yet another feast with the extended family.

The next day we headed out to (what was once) the country and visited the village that Aimes' great, great grandfather hailed from before coming to Australia. However, what was once a small village (as recently as Aimes' visit 8 years ago) has now morphed into yet another part of the sprawling metropolis that is Guangdong, complete with buildings rising before your eyes and multi-lane expressways.

Chan

We walked through the lychee orchard that Aimes' great great grandfather had farmed and then visited his grave. Chinese industry is rapidly replacing farmland in most parts and that trend wasn't any different here. On a hill, all you could see on the horizon were factories encroaching on the town. The Chinese government is now reclaiming the land of the whole cemetery and all the folks are being 'evicted' and moved to a newly built family tomb in the new year. Feng shui masters had selected a new spot and a ceremony with monks and nuns will be conducted upon the move.

Boy in Sook Bin

The Chinese tradition of ancestral worship was practiced and we spoke to to Aimes' great great grandparents and asked them to bless us. One Aunty insisted that Hobbes speak to them, as they had lived in Australia and understood English. Hobbes was a little weirded-out by talking to dead people, but he did a great job all the same.

Mapping out the ol' 'Leanfore' House

Back in town we visited some very distant relos that hail from the same great great great grandfather (which was pretty amazing that we could even go back that far) and then went to the town temple and family gathering house (with Aimes' father's name engraved on a plaque). Originally all the inhabitants of the village were decended from the same ancestors (including Aimes' families) and despite the changes underway, it seems a lot of them still remain. Aimes' Aunt seemed to know quite a lot of them and would introduce us to what seemed random old people we passed on the street who seemed to understand who we were?

Family (five times removed)

The most exciting part was visiting the Leanfore house. Now, left uninhabited the house contains many dusty relics and antique furniture which is locked up and only opened when visitors come. The house appears to be pretty much unchanged from the time when Aimes' grandfather would have lived there.

Aimes' (nutty) Aunt...

It was good fun spending a couple of days touring around with Aimes' family, seeing so many meaningful things and having a lot of laughs along the way. In addition to the family sights Hobbes was taught how to kill someone with three and two finger kung fu moves by an old uncle and we witnessed Aimes' aunt take a butcher's apron in a market to pose for a photo brandishing a large knife...