Looking forward to a 寻根之旅 with mum, two uncles, a cousin and an uncle's friend. Destination: Shenzhen and Dapu's surrounding areas. Maternal Grandfather's hometown.
Post-trip reflection: I had an excellent trip travelling from Shenzhen, through Huizhou, Meizhou, Songkou, Dapu to reach the highlight of my maternal granddad's hometown in Xihe, before travelling back to Shenzhen and returning to Singapore within a week or so. It was wonderful staying at the many different luxurious five stars hotels, with an especially memorable stay at a Tea Plantation at an elevated altitude with really fresh mountainous air. It was also significant to trace the footsteps of granddad at Songkou where he took off for Nanyang over a century ago.
The old mansion, 9 halls 18 wells (air wells), unfortunately is currently in a state of disrepair. We felt rather sorrowful that the once rather stately manor has not been maintained over the centuries. Upon our return from the trip, there was much interest in doing some repair and renovation works to the old ancestral mansion, but soon interest dissipated as time goes by. Too hefty a cost is involved, and much organisation work has to be done as well. No idea if anyone is willing to follow through with all the work and costs involved.
I have started to look into renovating my own 2 room flat, effectively a one bedroom apartment, in the far northern part of Singapore, Yishun St43. I hope my apartment will be livable by end of the year, or even before my birthday, Lord willing. Feeling really excited about it.
