Visiting Our Ancestral Home in Conghua, China

Wednesday - Meeting distant relatives at the ancestral village

Our roots discovery journey in China!

We were all very excited!!! We talked about finding our roots and visiting our parents' and grandparents' villages for a long long time.

We were excited at approaching our ancestral village area

This was finally happening!! I could not believe it!
 Here we are in China!

A gate leading into one of the villages in the area

We were going to see what life was like and where our parents and ancestors lived when they were young.

After breakfast at our hotel, we strolled around in the area and had a quick tour of the new homes in the area. 

We could see that there were a lot of construction of homes going on in the area located just outside of the nearby big city. Many Chinese use these homes as their second or vacation homes giving them a break from the big city.

Apparently, my husband's home village is located in one of the most scenic towns in the area with natural hot springs, therefore, the government has decided to protect this beautiful region forbidding any future industrial development and keeping the area from future pollution.

We found the village!

The hotel called for a taxi to take us to find my husband's ancestral village.

Since my husband left his father's village at the age of two years old, he could not remember much of the place. 

We got some instructions from a relative back in Toronto and with the help of the taxi driver who was bold in approaching people for help, we finally found the village!

S.'s  father passed away years ago so few people in the village remembered him. However, some villagers knew of S.'s second cousin and we were brought to meet with this distant relative at the village.  

Some villagers doing their agricultural chores

We met the mother and her two young kids at their house. A little later, the grandmother came to meet us too! She remembered S.'s brother who visited the village a few years ago who was on the same roots discovery journey!

We were served some local grown fruit - delicious indeed!

We chatted with the family for a little while and were served some local fruits grown in the family field. The fruits were bright red inside, something we had never eaten before. 

It was delicious!

(Later on, we found that it is a very healthy fruit as it helps to cleanse your body!) 

Additions are made to village homes as economy improves locally 

We were eager to learn about how these people were doing. Due to the economic boom China has been experiencing for the past decade, many young people have migrated to the cities seeking employment opportunities to better their lives.

My husband's second cousin has been working in the city for a number of years and commuting back to his home village a couple of times a month to see his family. 

With better employment and a family income, the family could afford to enroll the two children in kindergarten school.  
( Kindergarten education starts at three years old and is not free in China; free education starts at Grade 1 only.)  

The family proudly displayed the children's school pictures on the wall. 


J. was tickled pick at meeting his distant young relatives and commented at how much the young boy looked like him when he was that age. 

This root finding trip was amazing! However, we kicked ourselves for not bringing some gifts/ toys for the children. We must remember to do that next time! ( I did give a little laisei to the mother and the grandma.)

After the visit,  the taxi driver took us to have a late lunch at a local restaurant and we had

a private room to ourselves overlooking a garden.

The Bishuiwan Hot Spring in Conghua, China

We wanted to see where the famous springs were. But the taxi driver took us to the  springs where some expensive resort buildings have been built around them, enclosing the springs in an area that has become private and accessible to the public only if you are hotel guests or paying an admission to the hot springs.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to go in and enjoy the springs. We need to plan on staying a night or two in the hotel or in the area to experience the natural springs this famous region has to offer.

We explored the beautiful area where my husband's ancestors used to live

We were all impressed by the beautiful scenery of  the area!  

It was a memorable trip, particularly for J. 

 Our son told us that he felt a special connection to the scenery and was proud that his family came from such a spectacular region in southern China!

Our taxi driver took us to the Conghua terminal to catch the coach back. He charged us only 300 Yuan even though he had his meter running and it says 400 something. What a discount he gave us!

The fare for taking the Conghua bus back to Guangzhou City was only 25 Yuan per person, very affordable public transportation for the average Chinese.

We got back to J’s place by 7pm. While he went out for an errand, we gave him a hand on organizing his place.  


We had pizza for dinner, bought from a restaurant close by. This was the first time we had pizza on our China trip. The pizza was very good! I just wish we had bought more as we all wanted more and there was not enough!

R.T.

Conghua, Guangzhou

Day 9 of our China trip

Riding in a Didi to Conghua, Guangzhou, China

Since watching the TV mini series of Roots about African Americans  in the late 1970’s, I have always wondered about my own roots back in Asia.

Ordering a Didi is easy in China!

This time on our trip to China, we wanted to trace our own roots in our ancestors' villages. Before leaving for our Asian trip, we did a lot of preparations, talked to our relatives, did the research getting ready for our very own roots journey.

We met  J. at his place at in late afternoon after his finished work. Like North America,  the Uber taxi services has gained popularity in China as well. In China, it has a different name, it is called Didi. It is quite sophisticated and we have no idea how to do it. But here in Guangzhou, we see many Chinese people using this taxi service with much ease and efficiency.

Using the app on his cell phone, J. called for an out of town Didi; it specified the cost of the trip and arrived at the door to pick us up in about ten minutes. It stated that it would take us to our out of town hotel in the  Conghua region for 300 RMB.

We enjoyed the nice scenery on the ride. It took almost two hours due to the traffic congestion near Conghua.

Swimming pool at the Hawana Resort Hotel

After we checked into the Hawana Hotel, we called another  Didi to the downtown area for dinner, about a half hour ride.

 ( Wished we booked a downtown hotel instead of this one, which was a little too far from all the actions.)

It was around 8:30pm by the time we got downtown. We walked around the business area a little. It was much cooler and we enjoyed the breeze and cooler air.  The town is much smaller and way less busy and crowded than Guangzhou. We loved it!

After getting directions to a restaurant from an elderly gentleman relaxing on a nearby park bench,  we went in to a dim sum restaurant and had the best meal and conversation so far on this trip at this eatery!

The dim sum dishes were well presented and delicious!

The food was nicely presented, very delicious.  Best of all, there was no disagreement with J. as  he was in a good mood. He told us that for the past couple of days he was under a lot of stress for work related problems. He was talking about how he should deal with difficult clients and tried to learn about the cultures of Chinese.

I am glad that we decided to have dinner in the downtown Conghua area rather than being cooped up in the hotel area where there was not much to see. 

We stayed at the  Hawana Hotel for the night

R.T.

Conghua, Guangzhou

China

Week of July 18, 2016

Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China

Day 6 - Canton Tower

A public park near the IKEA Store

In the morning at church, I was glad to receive a text from Jo who wrote to tell us that he cleared his schedule for this evening so that he could spend more time with us.

It was a busy day for us!  We went to a church service, had lunch and made another trip to IKEA.

Canton Tower. Guangzhou

We took the shelving unit and set it up for Jo. at his place which looked much more organized and gave him more space in his room.  Jo. was happy to see how much nicer and organized his room was.

We felt good that we did something and we also met Ed, Jo’s friend.  We were told that Ed has done a lot and has been  a great  help to him.

Taking the metro, Jo and Ed introduced us to the Haizhu Square in the Haizhu District.

Beautiful modern buildings in Haizhu Square, the spectacular Public Library Building in background, Guangzhou

Wow! It is a huge and beautiful place! I never thought that we would see so many nice modern buildings with such interesting architectural designs in China.





But then we are in Guangzhou,  the fourth largest city in China with a population of more than eleven million people and with thousands more visiting each day from the surrounding villages and rural areas.


This evening we were wowed by the Canton Tower, the world's tallest TV tower ( at 600 m), beating our Toronto's CN Tower
( at 533M). The Canton Tower, also known as the Guangzhou Tower has been designed with the female form and characteristics in mind by the IBA architect and has earned the nick name as " the girl with a small waist".









Canton Tower is a spectacular building located in the same location as the public library and other fabulous buildings which makes Haizhu Square a worthwhile place to visit.

If you are interested in architectural designs, you will enjoy this place!

Thank u, Mom Restaurant - a popular Korean chicken place in China

 Many visitors were in the plaza taking pictures and enjoying the square.

We went to dinner in a nearby restaurant.  Jo suggested the Thank u Mom chicken place, a Korean restaurant that served chicken dinners.

There was a line up at the restaurant. We got a number and went to a café for some cold drinks, and waited for about thirty minutes.

It was worth the wait at the Thank U Mom restaurant!  The food was very good! We were served very delicious crispy chicken that tasted liked deep fried chicken with moist meat inside but were actually roasted  in the oven! Very healthy indeed. 

 No wonder this restaurant is so popular in Korea and China too!

After dinner, we went to a park and took a night stroll.

I love seeing palm trees and many other beautiful trees being lit up at night.

We enjoyed the cooler night breezes in the park. 

No wonder many Chinese love their parks and are often out enjoying their neighbourhood parks at night.

It was a gorgeous night for strolling around!

We are pleasantly  surprised to find so many parks in this city!

R.T.

Haizhu Square

Guangzhou, China

Enjoying Halal Food In Guangzhou, China

We found a number of  Halal restaurants in China 

After the Sunday Service, we looked for a place for lunch.  It seems strange that we have eaten more often in a Muslim restaurant in China than we have ever been in Canada.

We did! We were introduced  to J's most favorite eating place in China  which is a  Halal  restaurant close to his home.

Beef soup noodle - very delicious! 

His favorite dish there is the beef soup noodle. He took us there a few times and we liked it too.
Somehow, even eating out on our own, we were still drawn to the same type of restaurant preferred by our son.

We ate at this restaurant serving Halal food in Guangzhou

We passed by one this afternoon and we could not resist it. We went in and had our Sunday lunch there.

The place was neatly decorated with tables covered with purple table clothes.

Artwork in restaurant depicting the history of the special noodles

There were a couple of large beautiful paintings on the wall depicting the history of the special noodles served in the restaurant.

It also had signs stating clearly that this restaurant was a Muslim place, therefore an alcohol and tobacco free place, and no alcoholic beverages would be served.

The servers wore white little caps on their heads while the women working there had their hair covered.

We enjoy good food and it does not matter what kind of people with what kind religion background operating or serving the food to us. As long as the dishes are wholesome, healthy good delicious food, we will try them.

On this trip to China, we have seen more diversity of people in the Chinese society than our last trip.


Always good to see progress in a country; it is a good sign!

R.T.
Tienhe District
Guangzhou
China

Our First Sunday Service, Guangzhou, China

Our First Sunday Service, Guangzhou, China

Wherever we travel, we always want to attend a Sunday Service at the local church on Sunday. A friend of mine gave me the name of a local church in Guangzhou. But for the life of me, I could not find it anywhere in our luggage.

The Sunday service was held in the Tianhe District

I went online to look for a church in Guangzhou but did not have much luck.

( Though we were having a great time on our trip in China, I was frustrated there as I could not access my gmail, my blog nor google anything. I wrote all these blogs but could not post them while we were in China. Only after we came back to Canada then I started posting them.)

The lobby of Hilton Hotel, Guangzhou

I searched a church closest to our hotel via Yahoo search and found the International  Fellowship, a church intended for expatriates.

Our first Sunday in Guangzhou, we took a taxi and went to the Sunday Service for English speakers. The International Fellowship Sunday Service was held at the Hilton Hotel in the Tianhe area, a popular place for tourists.

We attended a Sunday Service held at the Hilton Hotel 

The service started at 10a.m. with a reception desk set up outside of the meeting hall. Before we entered, we were asked where we came from as Chinese residents were not allowed to attend the expat's worship service. We brought our passports with us just in case we were asked to produce ID, but we didn't need to do so.

There was a lot of singing accompanied by guitars and drums

The Sunday worship was held in a huge meeting hall on the third floor of the Hilton Hotel. A gentleman was leading singing on the stage accompanied by a drummer and two people playing the guitar. 

Five or six huge screens were hung on the walls around the room so that people could see the words and images projected on them regardless of where they were sitting.

The hall started to fill up as the singing progressed

The hall started to fill up with Sunday worshipers as the singing progressed.

There were people from various parts of the world,  of all ages, families with small children, teenagers, but with the majority of them in their thirty’s and forty’s and a large proportion from the African countries.

The preacher gave a passionate sermon about sins and avoiding temptations from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.

I and a few others took notes. It was an excellent and practical sermon. Really enjoyed it!

Soft drinks were served to the congregation after the Sunday Service

After the Sunday Service, there were refreshments set up in the lobby. 

People stayed around to socialize after the Sunday service

Many people stayed behind trying to socialize and talk to others.

We met and chatted with other churchgoers

We poured ourselves a cup of coffee and chatted with a fellow from Congo who was in China on business. He told us that he had been living in China for three years and his greatest gain was his spiritual life and knowing more about God.

I truly hope and pray that it would be the same for Jo in his adventure in China!

R.T.

Sunday Service

International Fellowship

Guangzhou, China

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Getting a SIM Card for My Cell Phone in China

Day 5, Saturday – Getting a SIM Card for Our Cell Phone in China

The shopping plaza was a very busy place on Saturday!

Since we are going to be in Guangzhou for two weeks, we would need a cell phone to communicate with the people we were visiting.

We asked around and were told that we could get a SIM card for our cell phone at the Rock Plaza close by.

A company put on a big promotional event on travel in the mall

It was a Saturday and the shopping mall was busy! There were shoppers, families with kids everywhere.

In the middle of the mall, there was a big stage set up with people talking and followed by a clown performing and entertaining kids.  This was a show put on by a travel company to attract potential customers.

Many more Chinese are travelling these days

There were big posters everywhere advertising different travel destinations within and outside of China.

This travel promotion attracted a lot of people

There were lots of tables set up with staff personnel trying to assist and answer people’s questions.

Many stores put on play stations for children to try their toys

This particular station was very popular and busy as there were large crowds showing interest and hovering around.

Trying to promote their business, many companies in Guangzhou put up different play stations to attract children and their parents trying to entice them to buy their products. 

We went to the cell phone store at the mall. Though eager to help us,  the staff  told us that they could not serve customers with foreign passports. They redirected us to China Mobile where foreigners could buy SIM cards for their cell phones.

China Mobile is where we went to get our SIM card

The China Mobile store  was not too far away. We walked for about ten minutes and arrived at the store.

Though there were only a few customers waiting, we had to wait for quite a while as some staff members were on lunch break.

I remembered J. who has been living in China for a while now, told me that people could not get much done in China until after 2p.m. as  workers take lunch and siesta breaks between
12- 2pm each day. We got there shortly after 1pm and everything was pretty slow. Good thing they had a a comfortable place for people to sit and wait and there was a T.V. for watching a movie. Surely, as the clock stroke at 2pm, the store seemed to come alive with people and activities. 

When it was our turn, we presented our passports to the agent.  We received very good service and got our SIM card for two weeks in China for only 50 RMB ( about Can. $ 10.00!) Much cheaper than we had anticipated!

Tips - Yes, you must present your passport or a Government issued ID everywhere you go in China. Whether you want to buy long distance bus/ train tickets, conduct banking business or get a cell phone etc, you will need to present one of these documents.)

R.T.
Guangzhou
China