{"id":633,"date":"2016-09-15T21:50:05","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T21:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/follow-your-roots-my-china\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:21:45","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:21:45","slug":"follow-your-roots-my-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/follow-your-roots-my-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow Your Roots: My China"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was born in Malaysia in the 70s but my grandparents were actually originally from mainland China, migrating to Malaya during the gold rush era in the mid-19th century. Being the second generation to live outside of China, my knowledge about my own heritage was utterly limited. I envied my parents who used to go back to China regularly to visit a little village in Fujian province where our ancestors came from. They made connections with our long distance relatives who actually still live in that village. I remember them bringing back a stack of family history records from which we could trace our Chinese ancestry back to the Qing Dynasty in the 1600s.<\/p>\n

Just like most younger generations, tracing family history had never been an interest of mine. My childhood was highly westernised and I always dreamt about visiting western countries instead of tracing back to my own roots. I have only recently started showing an interest in learning more about our family history and heritage. Apart from tracing my roots and rediscovering my own identity, I also wanted to experience China before all its rich culture and history vanishes from us \u2013\u00a0economic growth brings the rapid change. So a trip to China was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

As soon as I landed in China, trudging the tarmac where my ancestors used to trudge soil, there was a sense of familiarity, but also an awareness of how disparate so many things were. We were all speaking Chinese yet I found myself tongue-tied in many of the local dialects (there are more than 200 individual Chinese dialects). I instantly felt at home wandering down the crooked streets and narrow laneways of Beijing<\/a>, and yet so insignificant squeezing through a sea of humans on the Great Wall of China.
\n
\nDuring my visit, I couldn\u2019t help but adapt to some of the local customs. The \u2018fear of missing out\u2019 (FOMO) is huge in China. With a population of 1.3 billion, it\u2019s every man for himself. Almost everyone seemed to have a feeling of anxiety or insecurity over the possibility of missing out. Even if it\u2019s just a seat on the bus. I had to fight for that seat on a bus, try to jump the queue at a ticket booth, and squeeze inside an already packed elevator. It was ruthless and definitely not something I\u2019m very proud of.<\/p>\n

When it came to the food, that\u2019s where I felt most at home. From rice to noodles, Chinese food has always been the staple of my childhood meals. But my trip to China introduced me to a whole new world of Chinese cuisine. I devoured countless scrumptious Peking Ducks, experienced exquisite local delicacies and even ate a scorpion! My gastronomic journey was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip.<\/p>\n

 
\n
\nI am very glad that I made the trip back to China and rediscovered my own culture and heritage. It was both mind-boggling and an eye opening experience. There is a popular Chinese saying, \u201cFalling leaves will return to the root of the tree that sired them\u201d \u00ad\u2013 this was my first return trip, but definitely wont be the last.<\/p>\n

Will Hamish Blake\u00a0track down his great-grandmother’s birthplace? Find out<\/a>, and see more of our Follow Your Roots stories\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Expedia compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site, such compensation may include travel and other costs<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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