Family History Tour 2010
In November 2010 we did a family history tour to Hong Kong and China to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors
Photos
Recollections - Paul
Hong Kong
Our entire group of nine consisting of Maunie and I, Stephen, Christopher and wife Terrie, Kevin, Derek and wife Cathy and my younger brother Peder assembled in Hong Kong early on Saturday November 6 2010 at The Salisbury YMCA Hotel at Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Our first organised outing planned by Maunie was a trip across on The Star Ferry to Hong Kong side and then taxis to the lower Peak Tram station in Garden Road. We then proceeded up to the Peak via the cable tram however it was obvious to us even mid harbour that visibility would be zero due to low cloud cover.
We then proceeded to the Peak Lookout Restaurant (Old Peak Cafe) for a very hearty breakfast before taking the tram down to Garden Road, then a short walk to St. John's Cathedral where my parents were married in the afternoon on October 14 1937 following my mother's arrival that morning by ship from the United Kingdom. After an inspection of the Church, we walked down Battery Path, along Queen's Road and then took the mile-long escalator to the top to Conduit Road. We then walked (in steady rain) along Conduit Road and down the path to the CBD to Exchange Square. From there we boarded the #6 bus to Stanley pointing out the sights eg Repulse Bay, Deep Water Bay etc to the family on the way. Following some shopping and lunch, we boarded the #973 bus which conveyed us through the tunnel under the harbour to Kowloon. By then it was time to head down to the Kowloon waterfront to watch the nightly light show which commences at 8pm.
The next morning (Sunday), Maunie took Christopher and Terrie to St. Andrew's Church, which has some significance to our family, to attend the 9am service. Maunie was christened at this Church, we were married there some 50+ years ago and our two eldest sons, Stephen and Christopher were christened there. Following this, Maunie met up with the rest of the family (minus brother Peder and I) and they visited the Hong Kong History Museum which from feed back, they thoroughly enjoyed.
Peder and I instead took the #973 bus to The Chinese Christian Cemetery at Pokfulam with intention of finding our grandfather's grave site without any location details. We asked a few questions of the security personnel at the gate with only one clue, that his grave was not far from the office. We decided to split up with Peder taking the lower path and myself the upper path and without a word of a lie, I called out after taking about 20 steps that I had found it - quite frankly a miracle. The security guy was much more astute saying with a smile "Your grandfather probably came to visit you in your sleep last night and told you where he could be found".
On meeting back at the hotel, we all prepared to be picked up by cousin Eva's sons and taken in two cars to her home in Kowloon Tong where some cousins of my generation were assembled to meet us. This was a pleasant surprise for me particularly as some of them I had not seen since we were children and it was great exchanging stories and catching up on lost time.
Zhongshan
Our journey to Zhongshan began on Monday November 8 when our group of nine boarded the 1pm ferry from Kowloon, Hong Kong, for the 90 minute commute to Zhongshan (formerly Heungshan and later Chungshan). We were accompanied by my very dear cousin Evalyana Chi Nar Kwok Wong, better known to me and her family as Mui Dee, who had very kindly pre-arranged a very full and interesting program for our group to visit and inspect the family's ancestral village of Chuk Sau Yuen (now known as Zhu Xiu Yuan) in Quangdong province.
On arrival at Zhongshan pier and clearing immigration and customs, we were welcomed by Donald Wong, husband of Evalyana who had been in Shenzhen on business. Also meeting us, (surprise surprise!!) was the first of many Kwoks who we would encounter during our visit to this city. Moon Kwok is a Director of The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, South District Office of Zhongshan Municipal Government. Moon had arrived in a mini bus to convey our group of eleven to the Hiyet Oriental Hotel.
Zhongshan City occupies a central position on the western side of the Pearl River delta, the waterway which connects Guangzhou with Hong Kong and Macau. Currently there are 24 townships controlled by the Zhongshan Government which in turn is under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. Whilst Zhongshan has an active and prosperous environment, the city does maintain an orderly pace of development with modern highway construction and parks being ongoing projects.
After checking in at the hotel we all re-boarded the mini-bus to try out the local delicacy which I have heard so much about, namely Ginger Custard Dessert. It would appear from comments that most of our group enjoyed this treat.
We then proceeded to Sen Wen Xi Road, a tourist pedestrian street which in a unique way commemorates Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Culture is the main theme of this street which is decorated with lifelike murals and sculptures. It supposedly is a pedestrian walkway but as surprised as we were, Moon could not explain why motor cycles and bicycles were permitted to travel on this stretch of road on this day. We were shown a building that was the former Wing On Hotel.
A larger bus picked us up the following day, Tuesday November 9, and we were taken to my great grand father Gock Pui Heen's burial site. We were uncertain up to a few days prior if we would be able to visit this area as, due to heavy rains coupled with warm/humid weather, the access path was blocked by tall grass and weeds. Unbeknown to us, the custodian of the Kwok's mansion and most family property, Kwok Suet Fai and her husband Kwok Siu Fai, had tackled the problem and cut the grass so we could have access to the burial site.
After traversing this fairly long and winding path up hill, we reached the grave site and on turning around to the direction from which we came, one could see why this site was selected as it overlooked what was the village of Chuk Sau Yuen.
We were then taken to a pre-school and primary school which were built with funds provided by Kwok family ancestors. I was able to communicate with the school children especially those in the primary school who entertained us by singing some songs.
Across the road from the schools is a very impressive, well maintained, white residence known as the Kwok Mansion which although empty, houses large portraits of Kwok ancestors and group photographs of ancestors in Pui Heen Tong, memorabilia and family charts. During the occupation of this city by Japanese troops, the enemy took over this building because the tower enabled them to keep watch over the area.
We have advised the caretaker of the mansion that the dates stated beneath my grand father's portrait 1875-1915 are incorrect and should be 1878-1916. It has been confirmed to me that this adjustment has been made.
I wish to place on record my congratulations and admiration to the caretaker and staff of the Kwok Mansion which is something the whole Kwok Family should cherish and be proud of.
We then visited the former home of Ma Ying-piu, the founder of the Sincere Department Stores. At the entrance of the building there were several motor cycles parked and more inside what was a magnificent hall way. We were informed the building is used by the older residents of Chungshan who congregated here to play card games and marjong. In this respect we are glad the building is being used as a recreational centre.
From here we were taken to inspect some display apartments in the new Wing On Garden City complex. Nearby a new hotel and Plaza is under construction, a joint venture between Holiday Inn and Wing On, which is scheduled for opening in March 2011. There are also plans for a Wing On theme park to include a ferris wheel.
At this point our hosts thought we needed to end our first day on a lighter note and we were taken to a lovely public garden called Zhan's Garden.
The next day we toured around Chungshan and also visited a city which was likened to a large showroom of shops displaying light fittings. I believe these shops catered mainly to architects/builders and to buyers from overseas.
A must when in Zhongshan is a visit to The Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen which consists of his former residence, the Memorial Hall, the Cuiheng Folk House Exhibition and The Cuiheng Farming Exhibition. Dr. Sun, who lived from November 12 1866 through March 12 1925 is described as a Chinese revolutionary and a political leader and often referred to as the Father of Modern China. He was behind the eventual collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and was the first provisional President when the Republic of China was founded in 1912. He later co-founded the Kuomingtang and served as its first leader. Politics aside, he is revered in both Mainland China as well as Taiwan.
Following the visit to the very impressive memorial to Dr. Sun, we proceeded to a Golf Resort to drop off Donald and Evalyana Wong who were visiting friends Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Chen who kindly showed us around the Club which boasts not one but two 18 hole courses.
This concluded our second full and final day in Zhongshan and it was decided we would all have an early night......well, for some of us!
The next day we were picked up by a minibus from the hotel where we farewelled Evalyana and Donald and were conveyed to the Zhongshan pier for our ferry journey to Hong Kong airport where our group would split up in three directions - Maunie and I, Stephen, Christopher and Terrie and Kevin off to Shanghai, Derek and Cathy to Singapore and Peder to Melbourne.
Despite a very exhaustive two and a half days in Zhongshan, on behalf of our entire family, I can honestly say that we all had a fantastic and memorable visit and were so appreciative of the hospitality we received. There are so many to thank for making our visit the success it was however special mention to Evalyana who planned and made all the arrangements supported by husband Donald, Kwok Moon Fun, Kwok Sui Chor, Kwok Suet Fai, Kwok Siu Fai, Kwok Kit Mo, and Kwok Mun Chak.
Shanghai
On arrival at Shanghai's Pudong Airport we were conveyed by mini bus to our hotel situated in the former French concession in Huashan Road. Unlike normal hotels, the place we had selected had only 12 rooms and is named The Old House Inn. We found this establishment very cosy and the manager/owner and staff extremely friendly.
The following morning we were picked up by a minibus and an English speaking guide which I had organised for the benefit of the family. The first stop was the Pearl Tower at Pudong which is directly across the Whangpoo River from The Bund. Growing up in Shanghai this area was mainly country side, but now there are monstrous tall buildings of all shape and sizes.
Initially we went by elevator to the observation level and normally one would expect to have a magnificent 360 degree view but unfortunately on this day the pollution was heavy and our sight was limited. Around the outer edge of the observation deck, the floor is made of clear glass on which people walk. It was interesting to note the difference with visiting school children, some of whom simply walked on the see-through floor and others reluctant to do so and being dragged over to it.
We then took the elevator down to the basement level and visited the excellent Shanghai History Museum. Hereunder are a number of pictures of old Shanghai on display in the Museum.
At the Museum we were shown one of two of the lions which formerly occupied pride and place outside The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank on The Bund. The other lion we were told is in storage and the two lions outside the Bank building now occupied by another institution, are copies (unfortunately a word all too often used in China). This we understand is not common knowledge and was done to ensure the originals would not be destroyed.
From the Museum we proceeded to my former family home at Xin Hwa Road not knowing whether we would be allowed to enter the premises. On arrival at the locked gates, our interpreter rang the bell and then proceeded to have a long dialogue with someone inside. It was after a few minutes that the gate was opened and an extremely polite couple invited us in. The interior of the house had been completely stripped of all furnishing and it was obvious work was in progress to refurbish the premises although there were no tradesmen present.
We were given total access to the home and on asking if we were permitted to take photographs, we received a favorable response. I walked our family through the house showing them my en suite bedroom, my sister and brother's room, the walk in dressing room of my parents and their en suite bedroom. I cannot express what a joy it was to see our former home and viewing it at our own pace without any restrictions. I suppose if the house was furnished and someone was living there we would have felt intrusive and would not have made the inspection in detail. Here are a number of photographs taken around the house.
The plaque attached to the house states it was designed by Ladislaus Hudec and built in 1925 however this is contrary to a newspaper article that appeared in The North China Daily News circa August 1947 that states the home was designed by architect Mr. E. S. J. Phillips and was built about 10 years prior to my parents purchasing it from Mr. and Mrs. T. O. Schmid in 1948.
On leaving Shanghai in late 1956, my parents sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou now lives in the United States. I understand she has authorised the refurbishing of the house and has asked the couple pictured with me above to supervise the work. We were informed that on completion of the renovations, it is the intention to put the house on the market.
On leaving my old family home, we proceed to Huashan Road to my former school, The Shanghai British School. It would appear that the property has been split between an up-market hotel/club and The Children's Art Theatre as depicted below.
We also took the opportunity of driving to the former home of Maunie's mother at Jianguo Zhong Road formerly Rue Chevalier. We visited the home in 2004 when all the houses in the lane were very run-down but on this visit we were pleasantly surprised to find all the homes have been refurbished however Maunie was not pleased that her mother's former home is now the Lane Office and had an ugly extension added at the front left (as shown below) totally out of character of the original house.
We then proceeded to Nanjing Road C (formerly Bubblingwell Road) to view from roadside the two mansions built by my grand uncles Gock Lock and Gockson that were sold to the Government some years ago. We understand the mansion on the left is now occupied by The Department of Foreign Affairs however we were unable to establish what the mansion on the right is being used for. Security was very intense at the gate however on explaining to the guards the reasons for our interest and the fact that I used to play in the gardens as a child, they were quite happy for us to photograph what we liked from the gate but asked us not to venture onto the property.
Our minibus and interpreter then took us to The Bund and I discharged them for the rest of our visit. We walked along The Bund as far as Garden Bridge during which time I engaged in conversation with a wonderful gentleman and his wife who had traveled the world. He was fascinated by the fact I could speak traditional Shanghai dialect which is sadly disappearing and being replaced with "Pudung Hwa" ie common dialect ie Mandarin. He informed me he is a 83 year old Psychiatrist who still practices twice a week. He informed me he wants to visit Scandinavia within the next two years whilst he and his wife are able to get about. For ethical reasons, I chose not to ask his name.
From here we walked a couple of blocks towards the former Holy Trinity Cathedral. On our last visit in 2004, the Government had just decided to return the Cathedral to the Chinese Christian Churches and renovations had already began to restore the building to its original grandeur. As before, although all external work appeared to have been completed, it is still considered to be a building site, hence we were asked not to enter the building by security staff but were welcome to walk around the perimeter and take pictures after giving reasons for our interest. We were pleased to see the missing steeple has been replaced.
Maunie's parents were married here and myself and siblings were in the choir and sang each Sunday at service and also at the annual Christmas Carols night during December.
On enquiring when the completion of the renovations was expected, the security guard advised they were waiting for the stained glass windows from abroad.
By now, night fall had arrived as we proceeded along Nanjing Road E which then became a Mall the width of the street. We soon approached the family founded store The Wing On Department Store and Wing On Building. Following China becoming a Republic in 1911 our grandfather, Paul Gock Quay, was despatched to Shanghai where he concluded a long term lease for the land on which the building and store now stands. Sadly my grandfather passed away a year before the store opened in 1917.
The family departed Shanghai on a direct flight to Sydney on Saturday November 13 2010. Maunie and I had originally intended to stay a further two days, but this was extended by another day as Maunie came down with a bad dose of a stomach bug and was confined to her bed at the Inn.
I decided to do some exploring on my own as I felt the need to leave our room enabling Maunie to sleep. I took the underground downtown to the Nanjing Road Mall and commenced walking south back towards The Old House Inn. I cannot explain how this came about but as I was walking it suddenly came to me that I was soon approaching my first home from birth until the age of 10 years. As I approached the lane, it all started to come back to me and I could remember a road from the right ending at Nanjing Road as a T junction. I could not remember the name of this road but remembered a theatre a short distance along this road. When I reached the intersection, I looked to my right and there was the Majestic Theatre and I noted the road sign saying this was Jiangning Road. I saw the entrance to the lane and was surprised how narrow it was compared to what I had remembered. It was called and is still known in Chinese as:
重华新村 or Chung Wah Sun Chuen (Cantonese).
As I passed through the entry of the lane a security guard gave me "the look" so I decided to explain the reason why I was there to which his response was "you're welcome and I hope you find your former home". I remembered a restaurant just inside the entry to the lane and there it was to my right. The ground surface of the lane was being upgraded with the laying of large pavers and as I went further into the lane, the work there had been completed.
Eventually I reached house #107 and although it appeared to be occupied, there was no one there. I spoke with a couple of mid aged women and asked if they knew the owners and explained my reason for being there. They said they were not living there during the period 1938 through 1948, the earlier part of which was the period when Japan had occupied Shanghai as well as many other cities in China. These ladies told me to go to house #56 where a long time resident was residing. I came across this lady in the lane and although I felt she would remember our family since my mother would have been very prominent as the only blonde/blue eyed westerner there, she explained she was 93 and her memory was not good. She remembered the Japanese occupation and to my surprise remembered a Kwok family living at #103 who just happened to be my cousin Evalyana and her family.
We departed Shanghai 24 hours later than planned due to Maunie not being well. It was our intention the return to Hong Kong only to catch up with friends and former school mates of Maunie, which we achieved. I also took Maunie to the Chinese Christian Cemetery to visit my grandfather's burial site.
We left Hong Kong as scheduled on November 22 2010 both feeling somewhat exhausted after a very fulfilling trip with our four sons, two daughters-in-law and brother feeling content that we had accomplish our plan of "Retracing the footprints of our ancestors".
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