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From China to Borneo To Beyond. 海外华人的中国魂 Synopsis

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这是陈氏和江氏两个家族的记录,追溯到1907年从中国广州第一次迁移到婆罗洲的森林里。这里边录了六代的记录和第二次的大迁移,到英国、加拿大、日本、新加坡、澳洲、美国和新西兰。记录始于作者的曾祖父陈观国,并以作者的父亲陈鹞飞为中心,一直到他于2006逝世为止。

中国的鸦片战争导致了南渡中国海的漫长艰苦旅途。早期的移民在原始热带森林中种植树胶和胡椒为生。

1940年至1945年间,两个家族饱受日军世界大战的折磨。一位广东人陈鹞飞和客家女江华娇为了彼此方便结了婚。鹞飞是为了要免服日军兵役,华娇则是要避免被拉去当慰安妇。这场匆促的婚姻引起两家长期不和。

鹞飞和华娇后来移民到澳洲开始新生。1988年,华娇遇严重车祸逝世。鹞飞带着一颗破碎的心返回砂拉越,度过了18年,于2006年去世,部分应验了华人讲的生死与共,“不求同月同日生,但愿同月同日死”。


 



This is a hundred years old journal of two families, the Chans and the Kongs.

It traces the first movement in 1907 from Kwang Zhou, China to the jungles of Borneo. It is a six generational record with the second wave of movement to England, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA and New Zealand.

The journal begins from the author’s great Grandfather Chan Kwong Kouk and centres on the life of the author’s father John Chan Hiu Fei until his demise in 2006.

The Opium war, virgin tropical jungle, Japanese World War, colonial days, a revolution, colonial days, a revolution, a fight with the communists; These were harshness and the difficulties the families had to go through.










ABC Wednesday letter N for never

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This is the story of my Nana,
Nana told us of her Never, Never eat wild mushrooms.

Today, My Old Blogging friend and Facebook friend talked about mushrooms.
Then my even older friend from school days, blogging friend and Facebook friend Chang Yi talked about mushrooms.

So I will post my mushroom story.
My Nana's story.


For nostalic reasons,
We always tell  my Nana's family story.
It is an old story.

100 years ago, 
It was the Paternalist Confucian society.
The daughter in law must do everything her Mother in law tell them to do. 

It was a small village.
They found a whole lot of mushroom.
My Nana (the DIL) with 2 other DILs were made to cook the mushroom.

The whole village came to eat. 
Nana and the other women were allowed to eat. 
Those who ate fell in a stupor, and fainting and vomiting for 3 days.

Nana thought they had died.
Nana wished her evil MIL and the people had died. 

 Since then, Nana would not eat mushrooms.
Nana told us NEVER, NEVER each wild mushrooms.
 And we don't eat too. 

This is a real story.
I am not lying,
Nana told us NEVER, NEVER lie.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

CK 发型美髮沙龍. CK Hair salon

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 My hairstylist, Jacky Zhang and his sister Wendy.

 They are a sister brother pair,
and I am glad that they are business people
 with a heart. They support the leprosy mission.
 They have a charity box.  
I have been to Jacky for many years, and is very happy with his work. Even though I have moved far away, I go back to him. 

CK 发型美髮沙龍

   
615 Dominion Road, Balmoral, Auckland, New Zealand
Ph; 09  630 6118.
Mob: 021888906. 
Letter V reminds me of Very Very Hard work. 
When I finished my first  degree in Canada,
I went home for my Vacation.
I was planning to continue my studies in New Zealand.
My aunty who had a salon persuaded me to learn to be a shampoo girl.
She said, it wasn't for a vocation,
just a job during my vacation.
Boy! was it very very hard work.
Some people voiced their displeasure.
Some came they haven't shampooed,
 for a very very long time,
Their hair was very very smelly. 
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.co.nz/


search/label/Alphabe-Thursday


 


 
 
 

New Zealand Chinese Book Shop

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My bookseller, New Zealand Chinese Bookshop, Mr. Fang Wah,

email: bookshop@readers.co.nz

www.readers.co.nz

672 Dominion Road, Balmoral, Auckland.


Bamboo Resource Centre, my book seller

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My book seller.
 I like the Bamboo Plant, it is a plant my ancestors planted. My grandfather  said it is the strongest plant.


I was very impressed  with the woman working at  Bamboo Resource Centre at Balmoral, Auckland, New Zealand. I was in a hurry to get some sticky tape and this was the only bookshop. The lady said she didn't have any, but offered to tape it for me, but my parcels were not with me. She kindly gave me two lengths of 1 foot each, and stuck them on some bubble wrap.

I didn't get her name,
whakawhetai ki a koutou and Ka Pai. This is Thank you and well done in our New Zealand Maori language.  I like to commend her to her boss. This post goes round the world.

Sensing I was in a rush, she invited me to come back in future. I told her, I did come before and left them a copy of the first edition of my book, "Diary of a bereaved mother."

 http://www.bamboo.co.nz/

Bamboo Resource Centre
591 Dominion Road
Balmoral
Auckland

ABOUT BAMBOO
Bamboo also stocks many OMF publications related to cross-cultural mission in East Asia and around the world.
We're open Monday to Friday, 10:00am - 5:00pm and
Saturday 10am - 2pm. We'd love to see you!

A MINISTRY OF OMF NEW ZEALAND

Diary of a Bereaved Mother


 

 


Giant poppy to commemorate Anzac Day

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http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1504/S00239/launch-of-giant-poppy-build-launch-in-auckland-domain.htm




 My friend Susie Poon kindly let me use this photo.

Launch of Giant Poppy Build Launch in Auckland Domain

Launch of Giant Poppy Build Launch in Auckland Domain
THURSDAY APRIL 16 2015 ( TOMORROW) 10.30am
Artist Tony McNeight is creating a Giant Poppy Art project in the Auckland Domain (the world’s largest man made poppy)with the help of thousands of people and their messages - from April 16 until April 24. ( Further details below).
The launch will be attended by Hon Maggie Barry Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Willie Apiata VC, Auckland Mayor Len Brown and Joan Root who is a 100 years old and saw her first Zeppelin at five years old. There will also be a wide range of other guests and children.
The Powhiri will be led by young Ngati Whatua who will also perform the Maori Battalion Company A haka.
The Poppy is in the Auckland Domain on the sports field below the Museum.
Key Facts on Giant Poppy ArtProject
A modern take on the poppy- by the people for the people - completely interactive.
Worlds largest poppy (size of a football field) - 59,000 discs that represent the NZ men and women who were wounded or killed in WW1
Gives all Aucklanders an opportunity to come down to the Domain during the 9 days the poppy is being built - give a donation to the RSA -and place a red metal poppy petal with a message to honour those who protected our freedom and democracy.
Also everyone outside of Auckland (expats, ANZAC supporters worldwide ) can become involved by going online to the website and a poppy will be placed for them.
All children of school age do not need to donate just come down and place a disc with their parents or with their class or school
Brainchild and personal initiative of artist Tony McNeight who was a man with a vision to create an art piece that would let everyone pay their personal respects. Had the idea on ANZAC Day 2014 and pretty much put aside the rest of his life to make it happen.
Huge project, need to convince everyone he could do it and it would happen. He has surprising support from all sorts of people and places.
Gaining momentum from all over the world
Next step find a home for the poppy with what will be thousands of heartfelt messages.
ENDS
© Scoop Media


I went to the museum but went to the wrong field. My friend Susie did go.

New Zealand Chinese Asso: Book Talk

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 Thanks to Helen who organised my talk.



The New Zealand Chinese Association kindly hosted my book talk/presentation. I also showed the Youtube of the A Chinese boy in Sarawak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd0sylp3Zm4&feature=youtu.be 

I enjoyed myself and my audience had fun, listening to a talk peppered with my Quang Ning dialect which they could understand.



The Auckland War Memorial Museum.


ABC WED Letter O for overhead

Auckland Museum, we remember Gallipoli

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The friendly Dan, the visitor host.
I went to the Auckland memorial Museum with my friend Elaine. Dan was very friendly and helpful in telling us about the Museum.

Welcome to Sarawak.

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I left Sarawak in 1975, and in 2009, I returned to Sarawak, the country of my birth with my son. We went to the world famous Mulu caves, The Royal Mulu resort gave us a very warm welcome.

My friend from Singapore asked me where to visit in Sarawak. Mulu caves are one of the spots to go.

http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/sarawak-things-to-do

Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore

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Father became a boarder at the Malayan Seminary ran by the Seven Day Adventist Church. It was the Youngberg Memorial Hospital[1]

The boys in the boarding school found on the bottom of the desk, POWS from Australia and New Zealand had carved their names and addresses. They asked who ever found these addresses to please contact their family. 

Whenever he could, Father went to the Kranji Cemetery, perhaps to reflect on how life had been changed forever. Perhaps he went with a gratitude to those young men buried there.

Before 1939 the Kranji area was a military camp and at the time of the Japanese invasion of Malaya, it was the site of a large ammunition magazine. On 8 February 1942, the Japanese crossed the Johore Straits in strength, landing at the mouth of the Kranji River.

There are now 4,458 Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Kranji War Cemetery. More than 850 of the burials are unidentified. The Chinese Memorial in Plot 44 marks a collective grave for 69 Chinese servicemen, all members of the Commonwealth forces, who were killed by the Japanese during the occupation in February 1942. Within Kranji War Cemetery stands the Singapore Memorial, bearing the names of over 24,000 casualties of the Commonwealth land and air forces who have no known grave. The land forces commemorated by the memorial died during the campaigns in Malaya and Indonesia or in subsequent captivity, many of them during the construction of the Burma-Thailand railway, or at sea while being transported into imprisonment elsewhere. The memorial also commemorates airmen who died during operations over the whole of southern and eastern Asia and the surrounding seas and oceans. The Singapore (Unmaintainable Graves) Memorial, which stands at the western end of the Singapore Memorial, commemorates more than 250 casualties who died in campaigns in Singapore and Malaya. Many of the graves carry no name just an inscription to 'A Soldier'

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World War 2 and my Dad.

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My Dad, John Chan Hiu Fei.
Dad was barely seventeen when the Japanese soldiers invaded Borneo.

Dad was an unsung hero.
All the men and boys 15 and over were forced to do the Romushu, the Japanese forced labour.

First it was hard labour to build the road to the airport.
Then he was forced as a civilian worker as a field clerk for the Japanese.

After the war, he was thankful that while he accompanied the Japanese soldiers to the villages, there was no revolt by the people, or he could have been killed.

World War 2 and Mum and Dad

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陳鹞飛/陈鹞飞
My parents were married during the World War 2, (Japanese War), they didn't take a wedding photo.

When the Japanese soldiers came to Borneo, Mum was 12 years old. At fifteen, Mum gave up her dreams of studying in the big city. She became a candidate for a child bride match making session because it was rampant that the Japanese soldiers were catch girls to be their comfort women.
Her grandma, my  Ah Tai promised her that she would choose a young man of fine character, educated and from a good family. Ah Tai went out to reconnoiter with her cousin Lai Siong who was a match maker. She must have loved her granddaughter so much to travel during the perilous war time in a little canoe. Together they scoured fifty miles of both sides of Rejang River, and the whole of Sibu town.
Word came that five miles upriver was that fine young man who fitted the bill. He was unfortunately not a Hakka but a Kwong Ning boy and a Chan. Mum and dad were wedded after seeing each other just once.
They married in March, and had been married  6 months when the war ended.
 We were naughty and used to tease them,"Would you have married each other if it wasn't for the war?"
They teased us back, "What do you think?"
 We cheekily asked,"Why didn't you have a wedding photo? Did you elope?"


Ann's speaking engagements

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Ann's writing has led to speaking engagements. Here Ann spoke at The New Zealand Chinese Association.

Ann has spoken on many topics from Asian Culture, bereavement, to doctors, to libraries,  to university students and high school students.

The biggest Poppy.

Yellow: Chairs for anyone to sit.

So happy to hear from a reader

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 so happy to hear from a reader.



I have just started reading your book.  It is giving me some insight into my family history as when I was growing up it was never talked about nor did we sit down and have a talk or discussion about and I do not know why.  To complicate stuff we were brought up Catholics and went to Convent and Brother school thus do not know any cultural heritage at all.
Did you publish your book yourself?  It is great that you had family support and help in writing your family history down.
Thanks for your inspiration and wish you all the best?

I borrowed it from the Public Library.
A friend has read it and mention it to me.
I am living here in Auckland.


Cheers,
PS

ABC Letter P

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 Precious memories, of the time I was 15 and 16, I was in the school hockey team.
 Purple kale, the shop I was in won't allow for photography. So I bought a bunch home to photograph it.
 Temuka pottery was very famous.
 I inherited this European pot, must be worth a lot of pennies now.
A heart shaped pinkish purple potato.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

Alphabe-Thursday letter X

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