Come - Toisan

The main reason for our trip to China was to journey back to mom’s hometown of Toisan, China. It’s been 8 years since my family last visited, 17 years since my big aunt’s family visited, and 20 years since my younger aunt’s family visited. Obviously this trip has been long overdue.

We rented a bus to take us from Guangzhou to Toisan and the trip started amazingly because I was able to witness the longest solar eclipse in our lifetime. People were standing on the streets with filter strips to view the eclipse and it was really cool because the sun left little crescents on your retinas. This was the first time I’ve ever seen a solar eclipse because we seem to be only able to observe lunar eclipses from our part of the globe. This trip seems to be a lot of “firsts” for me so I am just in absolute awe of the opportunities I have had in the past 2 weeks.

The bus ride to Toisan took around 2 hours so once we arrived, we headed off to a black sand beach. I came to this beach during my last trip to China and I have fond memories of playing in the water and feasting on “lai nui has” (urinating shrimps). This beach has changed drastically because admissions have increased, tons of tourists fill the water, and a lot more development has been undertaken from what I remember. However, the beach was still a lot of fun but the shrimp wasn’t as delicious as I recall. Before we left though, we bought some fireworks and launched it at night from the beach. One of the most memorable moments of my last trip was hearing fireworks from our hotel and mom realizing that my sister had cousin had run off in the night to play with firecrackers. It was so exciting and just an awesome way to finish off the night before we headed back to Toisan.

Finally, the day that I have been anticipating since I stepped foot in China had arrived. We all boarded the bus to my grandparent’s house where my mom had been raised and where all those tales about my family had taken place. The road to the house slowly transitioned from paved asphalt to rugged dirt and there were so much lush trees that lined the beaten path. I was able to admire some hardy oxen , which remind me of statues because they look so stoic in the fields. My grandma’s family has maintained the house well for the past 30 years, so everything seems to have remained exactly like how my family had left it when they came to Canada. There were letters in the drawers, photos in the cabinet, and bowls stacked in rooms that have been preserved as a reminder of my family’s old life in China.

A lot of my relatives from Toisan had come along with us to the house and there were many villagers who ventured out to visit my family, who they have not seen for years. Amazingly, my mom was able to recognize so many people and we had to “bai sun” to celebrate our journey from the West. We set off red firecrackers to ward off any evil spirits, which also reflect our tremendous excitement to be back at the house that my family built. I will always consider Calgary to be my home, but this place just has a sense of belonging that I get from nowhere else. There’s a connection to this house that I feel immediately when I step through the doors and I can’t help but imagine all the stories that I grew up listening to from my grandparents.

Once we got back to the city, the celebration continued and we had dinner with all our relatives in Toisan. It was just a night full of food and reminiscing about the past. We also joined our younger relatives for karaoke, but I’m completely illiterate in Chinese so I only listened to them sing and joined in for a rendition of “As Long As You Love Me” by the Backstreet Boys. It’s amazing to see the little kids that ran around intrigued by our old house grow into teenagers who are driving and about to graduate high school. I feel so ancient.

Just like that, I’m now heading back to Guangzhou and set to be in Hong Kong by July 27. I’m truly going to miss this city and all my relatives, who I’m only now beginning to get to know. These people’s hospitality has been amazing and I really love hearing stories about my mom as a child and the character of my grandparents. I wish I can stay longer but this trip has been so full that we only get a sample of each city and we’re off to our next location. It’s especially difficult because Guanzhou and Toisan are where my relatives live, so it’s hard to say goodbye so soon. Thankfully, if I ever come back to China again, I won’t need to visit the North so I can spend more time with my family in Toisan, Gaungzhou, and Hong Kong. Next time I also won’t wait another 8 years to return.