Gail - After the Trip - A. China condition and food B. Fuhua church

Emails and comments from 19-25 Sept 2014

from Bonnie (9/25/2014) 

with Gail's "China conditions and foods" (9/25/2014 2:36 AM)

Gail and Helen exchange (21-22 Sept 2014)

Gail's "Fuchan church" (21 Sept. 2014 9:19 AM)

Helen and vyg on the 19th Sept. 2014

Gail -

WoW! You must have really pigged out on all the exotic cuisine! But then, the Chinese were never noted for simple fare in my experience.

Bonnie

----- Original Message -----

From: Gail @gmail.com [class59]

To: Woodstock School

Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2014 2:36 AM

Subject: Re: [class59] China

 

Hi Lindsay,

I don't have any books to recommend to you, although I am sure there are many out there.  I can give you some more impressions.  First, the air quality is terrible, even in the south.  This adds to the depressing picture of empty buildings, unfinished construction, lots of rubble, a little like India, but not as dirty.  I had the impression of lots of dust, but was told it had rained recently.  The banyan trees and bougainvillea look pitiful, struggling to survive in an urban, dusty environment that seems determined to choke them to death.  There is a lot of trash on side streets, but the main roads are kept clean by street cleaners in conical hats sweeping with straw brooms.  The antiquity of this is in contrast to the fact that almost everyone seems to have a cell phone.  There are crowded duck farms with hundreds of ducks confined to small mud flats.  Almost all signs are in Chinese, a contrast to Malaysia where everything is written both in English and Malay.  The big hotels, of course, have signs in English, but the use of spoken English is more limited than in Malaysia.  I would have been lost without Judy to interpret for me.

The food is fantastic, even in small, ordinary restaurants.  At major feasts, such as we had during the church celebration, the dishes are exquisite and incomparable, although I didn't try everything.  Here's a partial list of dishes from the various meals we had.

Snails, lamb soup, mushroom and beef, green onion crepes with clams, glass noodles with crab, fish, pickled tripe, crunchy beans, prawn needle soup, crab soup, cuttlefish, marinated jellyfish, mixed veggies with shrimp, walnuts, almonds, veggies with papaya and sea cucumber,  scallop soup, tofu soup, sweet bean soup (for dessert), jellied ground water chestnut (dessert), steamed fish, beef tendon and radish, whole prawns. roasted birds (the heads of the birds were on the plate, beaks open and holding a sprig of parsley.  I passed on this one).  We had cucumber juice, carrot juice and guava juice to drink and meals always ended with fresh fruit - watermelon, cantaloupe, rambutan, dragonfruit, papaya and grapes.

I hope you enjoy your trip, Lindsay.  China is like another planet!

Gail

On Mon, Sep 22, 2014 at 3:07 PM, Lindsay @aol.com [class59] <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 

Gail and Helen - Although your experiences are so special in China, I am savoring every bit of what you say as we are going to Shanghai for two weeks at Thanksgiving to be with my son and his family who are there for  8 months.  Probably our experience will be like going to New York City and thinking that is what the US is like.  Do you have any books you would recommend I read?   Lindsay

  

-----Original Message-----
From: Helen @hotmail.com [class59] <class59@yahoogroups.com>
To: class59 <class59@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Sep 21, 2014 8:57 am
Subject: [class59] China

 

I can only imagine the emotion you must be feeling still, Gail. Glad you're safely home and processing your memories.

On another note, it could be that being Buddhist varies in the context. In Dharamsala there is a memorial to Tibetan Buddhists who immolated themselves......a pretty violent act. The Buddhists in Burma who protested the military junta were similarly violent, and so it goes. The Buddhists here are so peaceful and kind and never think of doing such things, or perhaps fasting at the most. I often think that being anything is a whole lot easier in western countries than in the rest of the world. But what do I know? 

I think that there is a fair amount of leeway in the provinces of China, despite the central governments dictates, especially the farther away one gets from Beijing.

Helen xo

On Sep 21, 2014, at 9:19 AM, "gail harris ..@gmail.com [class59]" <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Hi Helen,

I was told that tolerance of Christian churches depends on the mayor (not sure if this is the right term) of the province.  Judy told me that not long ago, a Buddhist mayor didn't like the Christians and several Christian churches were burned.  This is hearsay, of course, and I find it hard to believe that a genuine Buddhist would order or tolerate such violence, but perhaps corruption of the original religion is what happens when it is mixed with politics.

Futsing is a city of one million people and I was told 30% are Christian.  I don't know about the Catholic church or whether they were included in the 30% and didn't think to ask.

There was no mistaking the joy of the Fuhua church.  There were three different choirs and they processed in to the glorious music of Beethoven's Ode to Joy.  The entire 3 hour service was thrilling, which helped me to i gnore the pain of sitting on hard wooden pews.

The whole China experience made a deep impact on me, which I am still thinking about.

Say hello to Dave for me.

Love,
Gail

On Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 8:17 PM, Helen @hotmail.com [class59] <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote: 

I have tears in my eyes as I write. Dave and I are glad you are home. Greetings and love from us both.

In my superficial knowledge of China from when I attended a Christian (RC congregation) in Chungchun, the central government tolerates and even supports certain Protestant churches. The Catholic Churches are another question, as the authorities are concerned about loyalty to the Pope rather than the PRC (central government). Over time, it was noticed that the Christians took care of each other, relieving the government of that obligation. Hence, the tolerance for some churches. 

Your parents influence is indeed far reaching.

Helen xo

On Sep 19, 2014, at 11:52 AM, "Vance @gmail.com [class59]" <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

gail what a beautiful gift

your story telling is moving

thank you
vyg

Gail - Two More Pictures (final)

From Gail Email 9/21/2014 10:40 AM

I know I am probably overloading you with my travel details, but here are two more final pictures.

The first is a picture of the Lee and Pilley family scanned from my Mom's book.  The second is of me (Hua) and Ing at our reunion after 65 years.

Gail

Gail [1 Attachment] Choir

From Gail Email 9/21/2014 10:19 AM 

Hi Helen,

I was told that tolerance of Christian churches depends on the mayor (not sure if this is the right term) of the province.  Judy told me that not long ago, a Buddhist mayor didn't like the Christians and several Christian churches were burned.  This is hearsay, of course, and I find it hard to believe that a genuine Buddhist would order or tolerate such violence, but perhaps corruption of the original religion is what happens when it is mixed with politics.

Futsing is a city of one million people and I was told 30% are Christian.  I don't know about the Catholic church or whether they were included in the 30% and didn't think to ask.

There was no mistaking the joy of the Fuhua church.  There were three different choirs and they processed in to the glorious music of Beethoven's Ode to Joy.  The entire 3 hour service was thrilling, which helped me to ignore the pain of sitting on hard wooden pews.

The whole China experience made a deep impact on me, which I am still thinking about.

Say hello to Dave for me.

Love,
Gail

-----------------------------------------
On Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 8:17 PM, Helen A ...@hotmail.com [class59] <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 

I have tears in my eyes as I write. Dave and I are glad you are home. Greetings and love from us both.

In my superficial knowledge of China from when I attended a Christian (RC congregation) in Chungchun, the central government tolerates and even supports certain Protestant churches. The Catholic Churches are another question, as the authorities are concerned about loyalty to the Pope rather than the PRC (central government). Over time, it was noticed that the Christians took care of each other, relieving the government of that obligation. Hence, the tolerance for some churches. 

Your parents influence is indeed far reaching.

Helen xo

---------------------------------------
On Sep 19, 2014, at 11:52 AM, "Vance ...@gmail.com [class59]" <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

gail what a beautiful gift

your story telling is moving

thank you
vyg

Gail Photo Speech 13 Sept 2014

From Gail Email 9/20/2014 7:50 AM

I had to give a short speech at the celebration on the 13th.  I began by saying a few words in Foochow, which delighted the audience.  The rest of the speech was in English, interpreted for me by a gentleman from Houston, Texas!  We all had a good time.

Gail

Gail Fwd (2 photos)

From Gail Email 9/19/2014 7:17 AM

Here are a couple of pictures - not sure why they're sideways, but you can always turn your computer on its side.

The second picture is of me, Judy and George standing
 outside the gate enclosing the old stone church where my parents were married in 1931.  There is an ancient gingko tree still standing outside the church, which was dropping its leaves on the wedding party so long ago.

Gail - Home from China

From Gail Email 9/19/2014 7:05 AM

Dear family and friends,

I am home.  I didn't have access to a computer in China and my Kindle wouldn't pick up any signals, so I thought I would give you a quick, abbreviated update.

 

The picture is of me standing in front of my grandparents old home on Kuliang, the mountain resort above Fuzhou where we used to go in the summer to get away from the heat.  My aunt Gail, aged 15 months, died in this house from dysentery.  I was named for her.  Kuliang is being developed into a major resort for the region.  I didn't recognize anything except the cool wind, the pines and the stone paths.

Last Saturday, the 13th, I attended the 151st anniversary celebration of the Fuhua Methodist Church in Fuqing (Futsing).  My grandfather had helped to raise money for the first building and I was an honored guest and speaker.  It's hard to describe my emotions as I sat in that church and heard the music and the overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude from the 4000 people who attended the service.  The church has 7000 members and three floors of seats.  The morning celebration was three hours long and followed by another 3 hour service that night.  I couldn't understand the Mandarin, but recognized the old hymns led by an energetic and musically trained young man whose enthusiasm and charisma was inspiring.   This church was closed down during the cultural revolution, but members continued to meet secretly in homes.  It was reopened in 1984, so this was also a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the restoration.  A 17 course dinner followed the morning celebration.  I sat at the large center table which seated 20 people. 

On Sunday, after another 3 hour service (on hard wood pews), Judy and I were driven to Fuzhou, about an hour away to meet my "twin".

 In 1941, my parents were teachers at the Anglo Chinese College (Ing Hua)  in Fuzhou (Foochow).  They were good friends with the Lee family, also teachers at ACC.  Japanese bombing forced the whole school, faculty, students and staff, to relocate to Yangkow, a small village up the mighty Min River, but ignored by Japanese planes.  Mrs. Lee and my mother were both pregnant and on November 16, 1941, Mrs. Lee gave birth to a baby girl.  A few hours later, I was born.  Because the date was also Founders Day for ACC, Mrs. Lee's baby was named Ing and I was named Hua; Ing meaning Anglo and Hua meaning Flowery Kingdom or China.  Through the magic of the internet and a wonderful internet friend, George, whom I met for the first time, I had an amazing reunion with Ing, whom I had not seen since 1949.  I was overcome with emotion.  Ing's family suffered during the cultural revolution when red guards invaded their home and burned all their pictures.  I was able to bring her a few pictures of her family that I had found in my mother's collection and a copy of my mother's book.  Ing didn't speak much English and my Foochow is limited, but talking wasn't necessary.  To touch and honor the past, our parents and our friendship needed no words.

Gail

Gail - Sarekei

From Gail Email 9/8/2014 10:46 PM (see one more added below)


Dear friends and family,

I continue to feast on fruit - lenangs, papaya, pineapple, jackfruit, melon, fresh coconut, along with the others I mentioned previously, plus some that I've forgotten. It is a paradise for fruit lovers like me.

Yesterday, Judy's son, Bryan, drove us to Sarekei, a town downriver closer to the South China Sea and famous for its seafood.  Bryan wanted to go for a special dish prepared only in Sarekei, but I wanted to see my old house again.  From 1952 - 1957 we lived in a newly built Malay style house.  There was a center room, two rooms and a bathroom on each side of the center , a raised area for a dinning room and a kitchen in the back.  The house was on stilts and at the bottom of the stairs from the kitchen was a huge concrete cistern to catch rainwater.  A kerosene pump was used periodically to pump the water to a tank in the ceiling so that we had running water, cold, of course.  No need for a hot water heater in this climate.

There was no electricity in those days.  Every night we pumped up the Coleman lantern and watched as huge moths, cicadas and other insects were attracted to its light.

It was during the time I was living here that I first met Judy's family.  Her older brother, Lawrence,  was a member of our MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) and he taught me how to play ping pong.  He is still the champion senior  ping pong player in Houston, Texas!

One early morning in 1953, he came to our house and told my parents that his mother had just died in childbirth.  Since the family was very poor, his father was planning to sell Lawrence's three little sisters into slavery, an illegal practice under the British, but very common.  Lawrence begged my Mom to talk to his father.  So she did and persuaded the father to let the three little girls live with us until the dorms at the new school could be completed.  So, little Judy, Lilian and Natalie became part of our family.  After we went back to the States on furlough, the girls went to live at the Children's Home in Sibu until Lawrence was able to take them to his home.  Judy is now the principal and CEO of the Methodist Pilley Institute (MPI).  Lilian and Natalie are U.S. citizens and live in Texas.  In 2010, I went with the three of them and Natalie's daughter, Cyndy, to Sabah, the other Malaysian state on the island of Borneo.  There we visited Kinabalu National Park, saw a wildlife sanctuary and went snorkeling in the South China Sea.

Back to Sarekei, we made a quick stop for me to take picture of my old house, now very decrepit and sad.  Mom used to have bougainvillea climbing over the steps and other flowers in the yard, but now the Iban Conference has possession of it and they, having little financial resources, have let it succumb to the ravages of entropy.

We had lunch at Bryan's favorite coffee shop.  Starting and ending with a coconut pudding, we enjoyed his favorite dish, spicy prawns cooked with tamarind and other spices and served with noodles in a large coconut husk.  It was messy eating, but oh, so good.  The coconut pudding helped to cool my mouth after the fiery hot prawns.  The pudding was made out of fresh, immature coconut meat, cooked with coconut milk and cooled with gelatin.  It was smooth, cool and refreshing.  Our server was a young Indonesian girl who had on a t-shirt with the stars and stripes and the words, "I love the USA".  I took her picture and will send it when I figure out how to on this computer, or when I get back home.

It took us an hour to drive back to Sibu, a journey that used to take 4 hours by river launch.  A much quicker journey, but not nearly as exciting as chugging along up the wide Rajang River, the longest in Sarawak.  The Rajang, which used to be clear and supported crocodiles and other wildlife, is now muddy all the time, a reflection of the development and logging, both legal and illegal, that is occurring all the time in Borneo and devastating the rain forest and its inhabitants.

I've started to pack for China.  We leave early Thursday morning.

Cheers!

Gail

Gail Email 9/10/2014 1:49 AM

Hi Bonnie,

I saw Ida the other day.  She still lives next to Judy and is quite frail and doesn't get out much.  I gave your greetings to Judy and asked her to tell Ida that you said hello.  I doubt that I'll see her again.  Ida has an Indonesian helper that takes care of her and her hundreds (?) of flower pots.

Judy and I leave early tomorrow morning for China.  It's been a great trip so far!

Love,

Gail

On Tue, Sep 9, 2014 at 11:45 AM, 'BONNIE M' ... @frontier.com [class59] <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:   



Oh, Gail, such memories of Sibu and Sareikei! Fruit, "putt-putt" motor boats on the Rejang, green coconut meat straight out of the shell, and all the other fruit, and of course walking around your old house on trip together. Did you get to see Ida Mamora--do say hello to her for me if you see her and  do give my greetings and best regards to Judy and her family, too.

Have a great time in CHina!

Bonnie