Day 5 - Half a Day in Lianghua (梁化) Part 4

I will now tell the most interesting experience on this trip……

After the store was safely locked up, Amy was emotionally spent and wanted to get out of Lianghua right away. For months she was uncertain whether we would able to get the key to the building from Dong Bark. There are for many reasons which are beyond the scope of this journal. But I told her I still needed to find the location of the demolished farm house outside of town and she had to find it for me.

With great reluctance but strong encouragement from On Punk, Amy agreed and assured me she can find it. We all got into the KIA and On Punk once again guided Ming to head out of town. We crossed a wooden bridge at the north gate at the edge of town and Amy reminded me her kids used to swim at the stream. I looked down at the water but it was so polluted (a clear evidence of population growth in town).

Ming kept driving on the only paved road heading north on this flat plateau filled with rice field, vegetable, peanuts and pepper plantation. He had to slow down and dodged an occasional car and school kids. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and school was just finished for the day. Water buffalos were everywhere as they are still being used for plowing. I was told it only takes 20 minutes on foot to walk from the Farm House to town. So I figure the distant is about a little over a mile. After a few minutes, Amy and On Punk had a fast exchanged of conversation in Hakka dialect. Then they told Ming to stop the car and confessed we were lost. Well, so much for the assurance from Amy that she can find the house she was born. The farm house was demolished during the “Great Leap Forward” era back in 1958, and people looted and took down the building and use the material for other use.

On Punk got out the car and ran up to this young farm girl by the road side and asked if she heard of an old demolished farm house around there. I could almost tell him the effort was useless. She simply was too young to remember. And sure enough, I can see from the car the farm girl kept shaking her head. So we all got out and I began to take pictures of the area to get, at the very least, a sense of farming life of my ancestors.

On Punk didn’t want to give up the quest and he looked around and saw this man with a straw hat on a motor scooter coming at us in the opposite direction. He flagged the man down and started talking to him. Soon after, Amy joined in. Before you know it, from a distant, I saw the straw hat man pointing to the direction where he just came from. I walked closer to investigate what was going on. The conversation soon took on a new life and Amy and this man soon chattering away about things that had nothing to do in finding the farm house. After awhile, Amy finally introduced me to the straw hat man as Mr. Woo. Mr. Woo and Amy knew each other from way back when she was selling used clothes in 1983 and Mr. Woo was a watch repair man and their two businesses were very close to each other. Mr. Woo recognized Amy right away and said he remembered the farm house but the road we were on would not lead us there. We have to go back to town and take any road heading west. Amy asked if he would be kind enough to take us there and Mr. Woo said he could and he would. What a wonderful, willing man!

We all got very excited and quickly piled back in the car and told Ming to followed Mr. Woo who already took off heading to town. We were all laughing and got a big kick when we saw Mr. Woo raising he legs up every time before he ran over a puddle of water to avoid getting splashed. After a few twists and turns, Mr. Woo stopped at a dirt road amidst some pepper field with farm houses scattered around in a far distant. He led us along this small trail and got us deeper into this rural Chinese farm which had hardly changed into hundreds of years. There were no modern farming machineries to be found. No tractors, combines, silos, irrigation pumps, insecticides broadcasters nor modern plows. All I can see were a few water buffaloes lazily lounging around taken shades under some trees in the hot sun.

Amy, Mr. Woo, On Punk and Chi Keung kept charging ahead at a fast pace. Tao Sun, in his shinny leather black shoes, and I, with my brown Clarks casual, were gingerly trying to keep up as both of us were not wearing the proper footwear to negotiate the dirt path. From a far distant, we can see the scouting party stop at some temple like structures and Mr. Woo was talking to this old farmer smoking a water tobacco pipe. Tao Sun and I finally caught up with them but they all started walking ahead again with the old farmer and two small children in barefoot taking the lead. Exhausted Amy cracked a small smile on her face as she followed. Every one tried to keep cool under this hot sun & high humidity. Not a word was said.

The old farmer took us off the foot path and with great balance started to walk on top of this narrow burrow that was part of the irrigation ditch. It was only about a foot and a half wide with green pepper plants on both sides. The two barefoot little kids followed just as they were walking on a wide paved road. Mud was in our shoes as we followed. We came in front of this bamboo grove and Amy came alive and screamed, “Here it is. I used to call out to Chi Keung from here when we were kids!” With great doubts, I said to myself how on earth would she remember. The heat and humidity must be getting to her and she started to hallucinate. Before I can voice my doubt, she said there should be a small brook behind the bamboo grove and a short wooden plank will lie across it. I picked up my pace and went behind the bamboo grove just in time to see the old farmer and his two small children walking across this 5 foot long narrow gangway made up by three wooden logs. There was a short levee on the other side. Amy walked to the top of the levee and proclaimed in an emotional but great confidence tone, “This is the Farm House”. I made extra effort to get to the top and scanned around the new vista. I immediately spotted the ruin walls (only about 2 feet in height left) that outline the perimeter of a farm house some fifty feet wide by 30 feet deep with a distinct opening in the middle that marked the front entrance facing southwest (good feng shui).

Whatever doubts I had about my sister’s memories were evaporated in this hot sun and I would had cried with big tears if I was not sweating so heavily and all my tears had gone into sweats this whole day since we arrived in Lianghua some 5 hours ago. We had indeed found the Farm House my grandfather built. It was an extreme surreal, fulfilling and tranquil experience. Everywhere I looked around were lush green vegetation of rice, pepper, peanut and others plants. The land was very fertile and water was plentiful with brooks and streams around. Don’t asked me why, but I got a much, much better positive vibes at the small remnant of the farm house than with a fully standing 3 story business building back in town.

There was further confirmation as we looked around. A lychee tree that was planted in the back of the house was still standing. Countless people in my family had told me about the tree. The foundation of the house had been dug up and green pepper plants were growing in the middle of the house where couple generations of Chan lived for over 80 years. I also found a couple pieces of broken pottery resemble of a plate or dish and took pictures of it. I should have taken it with me as a keepsake. I hurried up taking pictures and videos so we can all head back to the car to cool off. On our walked back, Amy and I turned and smiled at each other and I put my arm around her and just said,” Good job!” She was so relieved that we had accomplished all the major things we set out to do in Lianghua and all her worries were gone. Even though seeing the Lianghua Elementary School (where every one in my family attended and my dad was a teacher) was still on the list. I agreed to heading down to Guangzhou (Canton) which was 3 hours away and let Tao Sun and his family play host to us.

We thank the old farmer and Mr. Woo for their assistance under the hot sun. On Punk then guided us to an intersection which will lead to the toll highway and said he can hitch a ride back in town and bid us farewell. We were all so tired and exhausted and jubilant that I only caught a small glimpse of On Punk as he exited the car and turned back and gave Amy a hug. I saw tears with great emotional on his face briefly. That picture replayed over and over in my head the whole time while we were driving to Guangzhou. I felt so bad about not spending more time to get to know this fine helpful human being. All the things we got done in the last 5 hours would not have been possible without him. I began to contemplate of seeing him again soon to properly thank him.

The drive was fast and cool with occasional torrential downpour. We counted our blessing that it didn’t happen while we were looking for the farm house.

Three hours later we were passing the outskirt of Guangzhou, the biggest city in Guangdong province. Tao Sun and his Government VIP son actually lived in Qingyuan (a fast growing suburb an hour away from Guangzhou). Ming got us into our destination around 6 PM and pulled up to this 5 stars Hotel right next to the North River. I didn’t know how important my VIP nephew was until I saw the guard at the entrance at the hotel saluted the car. We had two rooms reserved for us (all expanses paid) with all the modern amenities and of course air-conditioning.

Tao Sun left us at the hotel to shower and said reservation had already made at the hotel restaurant by his daughter-in-law for a welcoming dinner.

We were still reeling in our head from all the sights and sounds and people and events in the last 5 days beginning at Xingning. We had gone from an ultra modern city of Hong Kong to rural farming villages in Xingning to even more backward township of Lianghua and back to modern civilization of Qingyuan.