La Salle Study Centre Changjiao

_________________________________________________________________________________________

^{The festivities of the Spring Festival,
as Chinese New Year is known as in China today, are
behind us now. In general, Hakka villagers do not begin
work until the 21st day of the Lunar month. There is a
saying here, "yu sit mo sit, liao dao nee sip" which
means "whether there is everything to eat or nothing to
eat, we relax till the 20th". The 20th day of the Lunar
month was on Friday 9th March. The villagers were
promptly back in the fields and farms and I resumed
weekend lessons on Saturday 10th March.

I guess this report will not be complete
without giving an account of the activities of the
Spring Festival. I returned to the village on 15th
January, just in time to begin the Winter English
Programme. The students are mainly those living in
Changjiao or those who are in boarding schools and
universities. They are my regular students. I taught
three classes each morning. I based my lessons on the
difficulties they encountered at school. Some students
came over in the afternoon to play Scrabble, Boggle,
UpWord or Sudoku, while others horn their computer
skills. LSSC did not open at night. I wanted the
students to spend time with their parents during the
holidays. It also meant that I was free to go visiting
my students and friends. Our last lesson was on the 24th
day of the Lunar Month, Sunday 11th February.

From 12th February on, families begin
their washing and cleaning their houses and immediate
surroundings. Some families also clean the graves of
their parents or ancestors and perform the customary
ceremonies associated with "grave sweeping". As my niece
was away in Shenzhen to celebrate CNY with her mother
and family members, I was alone in Baijiang. Thankfully
or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the
villagers of Changjiao took turns to host me for lunch
and dinners. I insisted on eating my own breakfast. As I
accepted invitations, I wrote them down on my wall
calendar. For the record, it ran continuously for 20
days without break. It was only after 20 days that I was
able to accept other invitations from friends in
Dabu-Huliao. I am afraid I am taking on a bit of the
characteristic of the Golden Pig – I have to work hard
in the months to come to get rid of my expanding belly!

LSSC was the centre for three cultural
activities activities of the Spring Festival. On CNY’s
eve, villagers of Baijiang gathered around to say
goodbye to the Wooden Dog and usher in Golden Pig at 10
p.m. LSSC hosted them with snack and drinks. Young men
of Baijiang who returned from the cities to celebrate
CNY at home, came over to meet one another and join in
the fun. We had three sessions of drum and gongs, each
preceded with a blast of firecrackers. We timed the
final session of drums and gongs at 11.30 so that
promptly at 11.45 we started firing crackers and
fireworks. Villagers started moving back to their own
house so that they can also be at their own front yard
to fire their own crackers and fireworks at the stroke
of mid-night. The children were all give a small supply
of sparkers and small hand-held fireworks to play. I
must record my thanks to my secondary students who took
charge of the storeroom, for organizing the party,
looking after the needs of guests and cleaning up
immediately after. The firing of crackers and blasts of
fireworks could be heard around the village till about 1
a.m.

On the 3rd night of CNY we hosted another
party. This time, members of the village administration
came to join us. It was hosted to enable young men of
the whole village of Changjiao who were either away
working in the cities or studying in universities to
meet again or get to know one another. Again there was
drum and gongs sessions accompanied with fire crackers.
The front yard of LSSC was littered with pieces of red
paper "man tong hong" in Hakka. To the Chinese, it is
auspicious as red is the colour of well being and
prosperity.

On the 10th night of CNY, LSSC hosted a
new event, "Return to School LaiXi Day". School reopened
the day before. A generous Lasallian from Singapore
offered to pay for "ang-pows" for CNY. I suggested
however that it be given as financial aid for students
as school reopens. All in all, 5 university students, 28
primary and secondary and primary students as well as 7
toddlers were give "laixi" (Good Luck) to kick off the
second semester.

On the 13th day of the Lunar calendar,
for the local Festival of Welcoming the Light (praying
for a son to be born into the family to continue the
family line), the villagers first gathered in the main
village to hold a ceremony at the graves of the Founding
Couple (Bai Yi Lang Gong) of the village. I am one of
their 24th generation descendants. We started promptly
at 9 p.m. with drums and gongs and at 10 p.m. a massive
fireworks display blasted off. LSSC hosted guests at 11
p.m. Again we had three sessions of drums and gongs. In
between, the children play sparkers and handheld
fireworks. This time round even some adults joined in
the fun playing fireworks. As it was the final event of
the season and a Friday night, I agreed to an extended
time. We finally dispersed at about 2 a.m.

Festivities aside, Baijiang was the
centre of attention when a reporter sent directly from
Beijing’s Kwang Ming Po arrived to investigate at the
personal request of the paper’s Deputy Chief Editor, Mr.
Ho Tung Pin. I have always resisted publicity. I had
turned away reporters from local newspapers. Mr. Ho Tung
Pin was an honoured guest at the 100 Anniversary
Celebrations of Pui Yin Primary School in neighbouring
Jicun last year. He heard about LSSC and came over to
see me. He asked for interview and I refused him. Two
weeks later I received a telephone call from him. He
called from Beijing to say that he had visited my
website at <lasallechina.com> and so he had access to
sufficient material to write an article but he still
would like to hold an interview. I told him that I would
consider after consulting the villagers.

On 1st Feb I received a telephone call
from Mr. Ho calling from Beijing. He requested that I
welcome a reporter he personally entrusted to interview
me. I agreed as the village elders felt that national
publicity is good for the village. The newspaper’s
Bureau Chief in Guangzhou, Ms. Wu Chun Yah arrived early
on Saturday 3rd Feb lead in by Changjiao’s Political
Secretary Mr. Liao Chow Kooi and accompanied by an
entourage of Dabu-Huliao’s Government information
officers and local reporters and photographers. Word
spread round like wide fire and soon a large crowd
gathered around. As to be expected, many moved as near
as possible in order to be photographed while others
manoeuvred to be interviewed. At noon, at the invitation
of Ms. Wu, Chow Kooi and I joined her to have lunch with
officers of Dabu-Huliao’s Information Department. At
lunch Ms. Wu suggested that she return to Baijiang with
me, alone this time, so that we could have a quiet
private interview. That we did and later I took her to
the three families who opened their doors to me to give
tuition in their home when I first returned to Changjiao
in 2002 so that she can hear their version of what
happen in the early days.

The local Dabu TV station also wanted to
get into the act. They sent a TV crew in on Monday 12
Feb and contacted our political secretary. They turned
up at LSSC and found that I was alone. They then asked
me to call some students to come over to LSSC so that
they could take some shots of me teaching. I gently told
them that we do not "put on a show" for anyone. Even
when we have lessons, they will be allowed to film only
on condition they do not upset our classes.

We had a tragedy in the village on Monday
5th March. Two elderly villagers quarrelled over a very
small piece of vegetable plot not much bigger than 1.5
sq. meters at noon. One of them, the grandpa of one of
my students, just dropped dead in the heat of the verbal
exchange. The other party was so shocked that she also
fainted. We had to work through the night and much of
the day following to ensure that the younger men on both
sides keep their cool - and the many old ladies around
keep their mouths shut! The police and coroner came to
investigate and concluded that the death was caused by a
massive heart attacked. I made clear to all around that
the idea of compensation, which is very common here,
must not be brought up because it is double-edged. If
the deceased family members ask for a small amount,
other will say that they did not value the life of their
father. If the sum demand was too big, the other party
would not be able to not pay. Furthermore I added if the
sum demanded was too large the other party, an elderly
lady, dies of fright, I asked "Who is going to pay
then?" Thank God by Tuesday night, we were assured by
the eldest son of the deceased that no demands for
compensation would be made against the other family. I
offered to take care of the two grandsons at LSSC till
the end of this academic year if no relative is
available to take care of the two students (Secondary 2
and Primary 5).

The village tragedy story took a strange
fortunate twist the next day. First, we are all
delighted that the son of the deceased agreed not to
make any claim against the other party. In fact the
deceased brother in law personally went over to console
the old lady and advised her to eat and sleep well and
assured her that no demands of compensation would be
asked. The interesting twist was that the collection of
"white gold" for funeral expenses more that adequately
covered all funeral expenses. Apparently, the deceased
was born in the Year of the Rabbit. Number players in
the village gambled on the number on Tuesday night and
many struck the jack pot. So, they all say that "Pak
Gong" is looking after them and so are more than willing
to contribute more. Thank God, the maternal grandmother
of the children living Jiangxi had been contacted and is
willing to come over to look after the children. So, all
is well. Thanks be to God.

I began moving equipment to my grandpa’s
house on 15th March. It will take a few weeks before the
new LSSC is properly furnished and fully operational.

Take care and God bless. Please keep me
in your prayers.}

		La Salle Study Centre Changjiao *March 2007 Newsletter*

Home		_________________________________________________________________________________________ 15th March 2007 Greetings from Changjiao. Peace and Joy is within you. ^{The festivities of the Spring Festival, as Chinese New Year is known as in China today, are behind us now. In general, Hakka villagers do not begin work until the 21st day of the Lunar month. There is a saying here, "yu sit mo sit, liao dao nee sip" which means "whether there is everything to eat or nothing to eat, we relax till the 20th". The 20th day of the Lunar month was on Friday 9th March. The villagers were promptly back in the fields and farms and I resumed weekend lessons on Saturday 10th March. I guess this report will not be complete without giving an account of the activities of the Spring Festival. I returned to the village on 15th January, just in time to begin the Winter English Programme. The students are mainly those living in Changjiao or those who are in boarding schools and universities. They are my regular students. I taught three classes each morning. I based my lessons on the difficulties they encountered at school. Some students came over in the afternoon to play Scrabble, Boggle, UpWord or Sudoku, while others horn their computer skills. LSSC did not open at night. I wanted the students to spend time with their parents during the holidays. It also meant that I was free to go visiting my students and friends. Our last lesson was on the 24th day of the Lunar Month, Sunday 11th February. From 12th February on, families begin their washing and cleaning their houses and immediate surroundings. Some families also clean the graves of their parents or ancestors and perform the customary ceremonies associated with "grave sweeping". As my niece was away in Shenzhen to celebrate CNY with her mother and family members, I was alone in Baijiang. Thankfully or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the villagers of Changjiao took turns to host me for lunch and dinners. I insisted on eating my own breakfast. As I accepted invitations, I wrote them down on my wall calendar. For the record, it ran continuously for 20 days without break. It was only after 20 days that I was able to accept other invitations from friends in Dabu-Huliao. I am afraid I am taking on a bit of the characteristic of the Golden Pig – I have to work hard in the months to come to get rid of my expanding belly! LSSC was the centre for three cultural activities activities of the Spring Festival. On CNY’s eve, villagers of Baijiang gathered around to say goodbye to the Wooden Dog and usher in Golden Pig at 10 p.m. LSSC hosted them with snack and drinks. Young men of Baijiang who returned from the cities to celebrate CNY at home, came over to meet one another and join in the fun. We had three sessions of drum and gongs, each preceded with a blast of firecrackers. We timed the final session of drums and gongs at 11.30 so that promptly at 11.45 we started firing crackers and fireworks. Villagers started moving back to their own house so that they can also be at their own front yard to fire their own crackers and fireworks at the stroke of mid-night. The children were all give a small supply of sparkers and small hand-held fireworks to play. I must record my thanks to my secondary students who took charge of the storeroom, for organizing the party, looking after the needs of guests and cleaning up immediately after. The firing of crackers and blasts of fireworks could be heard around the village till about 1 a.m. On the 3rd night of CNY we hosted another party. This time, members of the village administration came to join us. It was hosted to enable young men of the whole village of Changjiao who were either away working in the cities or studying in universities to meet again or get to know one another. Again there was drum and gongs sessions accompanied with fire crackers. The front yard of LSSC was littered with pieces of red paper "man tong hong" in Hakka. To the Chinese, it is auspicious as red is the colour of well being and prosperity. On the 10th night of CNY, LSSC hosted a new event, "Return to School LaiXi Day". School reopened the day before. A generous Lasallian from Singapore offered to pay for "ang-pows" for CNY. I suggested however that it be given as financial aid for students as school reopens. All in all, 5 university students, 28 primary and secondary and primary students as well as 7 toddlers were give "laixi" (Good Luck) to kick off the second semester. On the 13th day of the Lunar calendar, for the local Festival of Welcoming the Light (praying for a son to be born into the family to continue the family line), the villagers first gathered in the main village to hold a ceremony at the graves of the Founding Couple (Bai Yi Lang Gong) of the village. I am one of their 24th generation descendants. We started promptly at 9 p.m. with drums and gongs and at 10 p.m. a massive fireworks display blasted off. LSSC hosted guests at 11 p.m. Again we had three sessions of drums and gongs. In between, the children play sparkers and handheld fireworks. This time round even some adults joined in the fun playing fireworks. As it was the final event of the season and a Friday night, I agreed to an extended time. We finally dispersed at about 2 a.m. Festivities aside, Baijiang was the centre of attention when a reporter sent directly from Beijing’s Kwang Ming Po arrived to investigate at the personal request of the paper’s Deputy Chief Editor, Mr. Ho Tung Pin. I have always resisted publicity. I had turned away reporters from local newspapers. Mr. Ho Tung Pin was an honoured guest at the 100 Anniversary Celebrations of Pui Yin Primary School in neighbouring Jicun last year. He heard about LSSC and came over to see me. He asked for interview and I refused him. Two weeks later I received a telephone call from him. He called from Beijing to say that he had visited my website at <lasallechina.com> and so he had access to sufficient material to write an article but he still would like to hold an interview. I told him that I would consider after consulting the villagers. On 1st Feb I received a telephone call from Mr. Ho calling from Beijing. He requested that I welcome a reporter he personally entrusted to interview me. I agreed as the village elders felt that national publicity is good for the village. The newspaper’s Bureau Chief in Guangzhou, Ms. Wu Chun Yah arrived early on Saturday 3rd Feb lead in by Changjiao’s Political Secretary Mr. Liao Chow Kooi and accompanied by an entourage of Dabu-Huliao’s Government information officers and local reporters and photographers. Word spread round like wide fire and soon a large crowd gathered around. As to be expected, many moved as near as possible in order to be photographed while others manoeuvred to be interviewed. At noon, at the invitation of Ms. Wu, Chow Kooi and I joined her to have lunch with officers of Dabu-Huliao’s Information Department. At lunch Ms. Wu suggested that she return to Baijiang with me, alone this time, so that we could have a quiet private interview. That we did and later I took her to the three families who opened their doors to me to give tuition in their home when I first returned to Changjiao in 2002 so that she can hear their version of what happen in the early days. The local Dabu TV station also wanted to get into the act. They sent a TV crew in on Monday 12 Feb and contacted our political secretary. They turned up at LSSC and found that I was alone. They then asked me to call some students to come over to LSSC so that they could take some shots of me teaching. I gently told them that we do not "put on a show" for anyone. Even when we have lessons, they will be allowed to film only on condition they do not upset our classes. We had a tragedy in the village on Monday 5th March. Two elderly villagers quarrelled over a very small piece of vegetable plot not much bigger than 1.5 sq. meters at noon. One of them, the grandpa of one of my students, just dropped dead in the heat of the verbal exchange. The other party was so shocked that she also fainted. We had to work through the night and much of the day following to ensure that the younger men on both sides keep their cool - and the many old ladies around keep their mouths shut! The police and coroner came to investigate and concluded that the death was caused by a massive heart attacked. I made clear to all around that the idea of compensation, which is very common here, must not be brought up because it is double-edged. If the deceased family members ask for a small amount, other will say that they did not value the life of their father. If the sum demand was too big, the other party would not be able to not pay. Furthermore I added if the sum demanded was too large the other party, an elderly lady, dies of fright, I asked "Who is going to pay then?" Thank God by Tuesday night, we were assured by the eldest son of the deceased that no demands for compensation would be made against the other family. I offered to take care of the two grandsons at LSSC till the end of this academic year if no relative is available to take care of the two students (Secondary 2 and Primary 5). The village tragedy story took a strange fortunate twist the next day. First, we are all delighted that the son of the deceased agreed not to make any claim against the other party. In fact the deceased brother in law personally went over to console the old lady and advised her to eat and sleep well and assured her that no demands of compensation would be asked. The interesting twist was that the collection of "white gold" for funeral expenses more that adequately covered all funeral expenses. Apparently, the deceased was born in the Year of the Rabbit. Number players in the village gambled on the number on Tuesday night and many struck the jack pot. So, they all say that "Pak Gong" is looking after them and so are more than willing to contribute more. Thank God, the maternal grandmother of the children living Jiangxi had been contacted and is willing to come over to look after the children. So, all is well. Thanks be to God. I began moving equipment to my grandpa’s house on 15th March. It will take a few weeks before the new LSSC is properly furnished and fully operational. Take care and God bless. Please keep me in your prayers.} ^{As always with love in DLS,} BDLiaoFSC Changjiao 15th March 2007
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