April 6, 2002

• March 7, 2002

  
  

  Man, I really need a digital camera.  I've been in SH for about 8 months now and been to many places, met many people and have done many things.  I've always wanted to leave you with some physical evidence, but sometimes it's quite difficult.

  
  

  This weekend I went to NingBo, a 4.5 hour train ride south of SH.  It is where my grandfather is from, and in a village about 30 mins from the city centre, is a village called Tong Cun.  The Chinese pin yin (or romanization) of my last name is spelt Tong and so I found out that Tong Cun (which means Tong Village) is where my roots are.  In Tong Cun, almost everyone's last name was Tong!  Kinda like the millions of Chan's and Lee's out there...

  
  

  Every April 5th, the Chinese honour their ancestors.  This is done by visiting the graves of the dead ancestors, sweeping and cleaning the area, burning fake money and other fake items to be used by the dead in their afterlife and praying to the ancestors for a prosperous year ahead.  Before he passed away, my grandfather (who lived in SH) went back to NingBo to buy burial land for himself.  As he grew older, he would visit it more frequently, sometimes visiting it twice a day.  This was no small feat as my grandfather chose a site that took about 45 minutes to hike up to from the gates of Tong Cun.

  
  

  Following my relatives on this ritualistic pilgramage led me up a mountain, then across to a second one that met the first mountain through a forest of bamboo trees.  Let me tell you, the bamboo trees were breathtaking!  I couldn't stop taking pictures.  The locals with us must have thought I was strange.   But I suppose to them it is as common as pine trees are to us.  But I must admit, the swaying bamboo trees and its rustling leaves were very calming. 

  
  

  Near the top of the second mountain was a stone platform where my grandfather's tombstone and body lay.  I was given a paintbrush and repainted his name into the carved stone, which had been faded from a year's weathering, to give the etched carvings their original colours again.  It was really freaky because my aunt kept saying that grandfather would be happy to see us, and although I've never met him, somehow I knew inside that he would have wanted to meet me.  I'm a believer of God, so ghosts and shit kinda scares me.  Well, as soon as I placed the paintbrush onto the tombstone a huge gust of wind picked up, and my aunt said, "Looks like your grandfather has arrived."

  
  

  It kinda spooked me, but I shrugged it off.  Coincidence.

  
  

  When it was time to burn incense and bow before the grave (things I don't normally do due to my Catholic background but did so just to respect my Chinese tradition) things started to get wonky again.  A couple people went before me, and I was last.  When it was my turn to kowtow, as I approached the grave, the wind picked up again.  All the fake money we were burning swept up into the air around me and above my head and then away into the forest.  As soon as I put down my incense and walked away, the wind stopped.  Coincidence again?  I hope so.

  
  

  So I leave for Cali tomorrow.  It is 4am, and I don't think I'm going to go to sleep tonight because I might miss my flight.  See you in the States!

  
  

   Happy Birthday Alastair, Colman

  • 2:57 pm
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