Ching Ming

Last week was ching ming, It was a time when our family gather together to go to 'pai' our ancestors at the graveyard.

For a chinese christian, this could mean some tensions resulting from the rituals of 'pai'-ing. Anyway this blog entry isn't about that. It's about ching ming and what it meant for me last sunday. (Yes, we are practical folks! We went early to beat the jam).

Since I excepted the Lord, the burning of hell's note and paper mercedes has not much meaning to me. I understand them as a ritual us chinese perform. So I was thinking that my waking up at 630am in the morning travelling to a grave site better have a good reason!

It did.

While we were stuck in the jam (Sadly, there's still a jam a week before at such hour!), it struck me that ching ming has a lot of significance to me. It is a day of remembrance of what our forefathers did for us and a day to understnad our roots and who we are.

Many moons ago, my great-grandfather risked his life travalling to this part of the world. It was a high risk travel because during those days, he probably travelled here from southern china to 'nanyang' in a small boat. Many capsized on their way here others died of diseases...etc etc. So many died. He brought along my grandfather who was about 6 or 7 (as the story told by him) with him. Probably in the year 1918 +/- 2 years. Their motivation was simple. They wanted to make a better life for themselves and their family. They were willing to pay any price.

Their early days here were really tough. My granddad worked as a coolie, a tin-miner a farmer... to bring the family up. My granddad married my grandmother when he was 18 and she was 16 I think. Grandma was about to be 'cham-zhu-long' (put into a net and be drowned) because the parents didn't want a girl. Greatgrandpa had pity on her and took her as daughter-in-law. So they got married, and had lots of children. Then they went thru both the world wars.

Second world war was tough on them. Not long after my grandma passed away. Harships after hardships. Someone should make a movie on it!

Cutting the whole story short. All my cousins now are either professionals or business people alike. Hakkas are known to be resilient people and somehow when I see my family, I can say that we are indeed! Greatgrandpa came to see that we have a more comfortable life and I think he has succeeded.

You probably have heard this kind of stories before but do not be desensitised by it! For someone paid the price for us to have a better life.