Hometown

Dad took me to our Law family's hometown a few days ago.

 It's a little village called 茶山村 located in the town of 淡水， about 1 hour drive (on highway) from Shenzhen Luohu. It was my first time ever going to the town.. and to the village.  As we got close to the village, I saw a lot of Technology manufactures (e.g. electronics, autos..) along the way.  I heard from Dad that many of the workers from the manufactures rent and live in the little units in the village.  and apparently the workers are working on Saturdays.. and there were many of them (in uniform) coming out on the roads when we passed by.. (maybe they were getting lunch..) I guess they are the ones who don't have opportunities in education.. and I guess they wish for a different life than in countryside.. coming out to work in the town/city is the way they strive for a better life. (though they are the cheap labor..)....

Inside the village 茶山村, there aren't many things.. a few stores.. and many "high rise" that are built to be rented to people who work nearby.  I heard from Dad that.. the people that belongs to the village sold the lands to outside people （constructors, builders..). The constructors then built all those "high rise" for rent. There are still quite a few buildings under construction. The roads are very muddy and there are piles and piles of garbage alongside.

The Law's family has an ancestral hall in the village. My Grandpa's name is posted inside.. so are my Dad's and Uncle's..  There are also names that belong to another Law's family..  I first wasn't sure who that person was with the name above my Dad's and Uncle's.  Then, my Dad told me, Grandpa changed his own name when he went out to work in the town/city.. (so did my Grandma...) The name that's posted in the Law's hall is my Grandpa's original name. The names of my Grandparents I have known of are the names they used after they started to work.. Knowing that, I feel like I have known more about my Grandparents.  I think I can kinda understand why they did the the name change.  Their original names were quite old (countryside) style. The names they gave themselves were more in spirit of their adventures and probably better match with the culture among the working class at that time...

Going back to hometown..I feel so much disconnected, yet, somehow connected.  

by the way. after visiting and talking to Grandma for couple of days.. I think Grandma is the smartest person in the family. haha