14 Oct 2009 – China

Will be heading to China/Xiamen厦门 (Fujian), Chiangsha长沙 & Zhangjiajie张家界(Hunan) next week, 1 day for work and 8 days to tour. That is how I like my working trips!

China has blocked WordPress, thus no updates from 19 – 28 Oct. Have always been interested about China but will only travel there with small selected groups. The first time was in 2004 with cousin David WONG and the U of HI group and we toured the northern silk route. Glad to have tagged along to Ürümqi 烏魯木齊 (Xinjiang) when it was peaceful. Taken rolls of pictures then, but have not scan them for uploading yet, someday it will be done!

Researching the ancestral backgrounds, Jiangmen江门 (Guangdong) in May this year was my next trip. If John CHENG did not accompany me as my translator, would not have gone. Shanghai上海 in Jun, again if cousin LAM Cheng En was not in Shanghai, would have just transit at the airport on route to US. Being Chinese of race but unable to read chinese and not speaking or understanding the language properly makes me feel uncomfortable in China. Can relate to this poster at the Nanyang Technological University/NTU Heritage Museum, the tag line – Chinese: More or Less.

This time round, all the pictures will be digital and will be updated when I return. Let’s see if I still feel more or less 🙂

China is more prosperous than before. The people have better lives but they are not happy and confident because the scars are still there – Jung Chang