Expressing Filial Piety

Filial piety is defined as expressing or showing love and respect towards one's parents and ancestors. It's not uncommon to hear about people from the older generation who has been and still are sending money (and other form of gifts) back to their family or relatives in China.

My grand aunt is one such person. She is also sort of like an intermediary who helps to coordinate the sending of gifts (contributed by others) back to my relatives in my ancestral homeland (Hainan Island). As far as I know, she has been the key person who has selflessly dedicated her life to helping those relatives all these years. During our recent trip to Hainan Island, she gave away two big bags of clothing on top of the monetary gifts all of us contributed.

Do you know what else she did? She paid for the furnishings of one of the rooms in my relatives' home. So that the room can be done up nicely for anyone who wishes to stay and sleep there. Here's what it looks like (through the window bars).This blog author believes that giving with no strings attached helps people to overcome covetousness.

Images copyright of Mei Teng.

Scenes From Tianya Haijiao

My travel on Hainan Island took me to a place known as edges of the heaven and corners of the sea (Tianya Haijiao). It is a scenic location which is considered the southern most tip of China.Some interesting facts about the place from Wikipedia:

In Chinese literature, the cape is mentioned in many famous poems, such as "I will follow you to Tian-Ya-Hai-Jiao", which means the couple will never be separated. Therefore many newlyweds spend part of their honeymoon visiting the place, just like young Indian couples visiting the Taj Mahal Palace in Agra.

What are the tourist attractions at Tianya Haijiao? Boulders. Lots of them. One with a famous poem and another resembling a couple and Tian Ya Cliff (with Cheng Zhe's writing). A place where boulders are a definite crowd puller. I didn't capture many boulder shots as there were just too many people jostling for photo space. And I am not desperate for boulderscapes. I decided to look for other points of interest. Other than boulders, I found interesting bits of Tianya Haijiao worth remembering.

In retrospect, the rocky landscape of Tianya Haijiao reminded me of Teluk Chempedak in Kuantan. Have you ever been to a tourist attraction that reminded you of a place back home?

Images copyright of Mei Teng.

Random Thoughts

Have you ever seen dogs eating grass? I saw one doing so in Bukit Tinggi. I visited a friend over the weekend and one of his dogs actually eats grass! I didn't know canines have gone health conscious these days.

Apparently, I give people the wrong impression. At least to my friend (residing in Bukit Tinggi). Judging from my photo albums (of various places I have visited as well as photographed), he said I gave him the impression of me being an adventurous backpacker traveller-type of person. I had a good laugh. I would never qualify as a backpacker lone traveller. I like to travel in comfort and with a bit of luxury thrown in.

I visited Bukit Tinggi this time minus the camera...for the first time. It feels good to take a break. Just to enjoy the company and the food. I enjoyed some delicious durians (combination of D24 and kampung variety) and mangosteens. And ended the day with a dinner of porridge with fish and mushrooms.

Visiting The Li People

I do not subscribe to the idea of having to pay people for taking their photos (unless it's an engagement where models are required to pose for a photo shoot). However, there was an exception when I visited the community cum tourist centre of the Li tribe (an indigenous people group of Hainan Island). We were advised to give a small token to a group of Li women who demonstrated the art of weaving for tourists.At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to photograph them. After engaging in a light conversation with them, I changed my mind. Decided to photograph them. I then gave them each a small sum of money. A little appreciation of their time and effort spent conversing as well as entertaining us with their weaving skills. The small sum goes into supporting their lifestyle at the centre.

I noticed one of the women has faded tattoo marks on her face. Young girls had tattooed bodies which were symbolic of their eligibility for marriage. Was told that gradually over time, this ancient practice has since stopped. It seemed like a horrible way to scar a woman for life!

Have you ever paid anyone (ordinary folks or strangers) for photographing them?

Images copyright of Mei Teng.

Monkey Island

What is it with monkeys and snatching of stuff(s)? Monkeys are off my list of favourite animals. I don't adore these unpredictable creatures. They may appear harmless one moment but can suddenly turn into fearless, fang-baring mammals. My trip to Nanwan Monkey Island was not without a monkey incident.
Prior to us arriving on the island, my aunt told us a true incident involving one of her friends. That poor lady lost one of her diamond earring to a monkey. Who came right up and pulled it off her ear. That scoundrel then came back and taunted her by flashing that bling bling in its mouth....right in front of her. I presume it would be an utter waste of effort to try and track that monkey for her precious jewellery. None of us wore any flashy jewellery but nevertheless, my aunt took precaution to remove hers. Just in case. You never know.We watched performances by well-trained monkeys. The rest of the monkey population roamed about pretty much freely. A boy even posed with a monkey sitting on top of his head. Still, others impressed tourists just by walking past or hanging from treetops. There were some which were quite adapt at diving and swimming in the pool.After we were done touring and while walking towards the cable car station, a sudden loud scream pierced through the air. Followed by loud crying from a little girl. We soon learned that a monkey came up and scampered off with her watch. Just like my aunt's friend. Now, I was a tad scared. I tightened my grip on my camera. After awhile, I decided to pack up since there was nothing else to photograph and besides, it wasn't safe to be having or holding anything remotely interesting to those pesky monkeys.Images copyright of Mei Teng.

Afternoon Siesta

One of the memorable things I did when I visited my ancestral village (Wenchang province in Hainan Island) was enjoy a moment of siesta on the hammock. Well not exactly a siesta for me. I didn't nap. Just sat in it for a short while. I have sort of wanted to try stretching out on a hammock but somehow never got around to doing it. This was a good opportunity. After lunch and with the rest of the day being free and easy, why not rest on a hammock in the cool shade...away from the hot tropical sun.

That was what I did. Quite a nice way to enjoy an afternoon siesta. Except for the fact that I am an open target for those pesky mosquitoes.

Have you ever stretched out on a hammock? Did you enjoy it?

Image copyright of Mei Teng.

Fact Or Myth

Fact or myth? That Hainanese men (from the Wenchang province) are lazy people. That was what the local China guide and my family told me. I was told these men will not lift a finger to farm the land. And neither will they look after the children or tend to household chores. All the hardwork is left to their wives. I cannot believe in this day and age there are still people living like that. And then, there are women who would still want those men!

What do the men do then? They sit in coffeeshops sipping drinks and chit chat or gamble their time away.

No one knows the reason(s) why Hainanese men from Wenchang are like that. Must be some culturally accepted generational thing passed down through the centuries? Perhaps.

As the MPV passed through the town area in Wenchang province, I saw men sitting in groups in coffeeshops. We hardly saw any women huddled in groups in coffeeshops. It's a norm for the men to be hanging out at coffeeshops all day. And only return home for dinner.

Sad fact? Indeed. My aunt remarked that such men should be dispelled from the marriage relationship. I couldn't agree more with her.

Wenchang is the centre of most Hainanese migration. I have met quite a few Malaysians whose ancestral roots can be traced back to this province. Just that we are all from different villages.

Thankfully, the overseas Hainanese who have since settled in differents parts of the world aren't like those of their kinsmen. At least the ones I know are not like that.