How to Say Good Bye in Xianyou (Putien)

Welcoming Speech by Chen Bai Chai - Chairman of the Chinese Surname Research Centre

The Centre is a very busy place with many clansmen coming together very often to do research. We came on a Sunday when they were having a meeting. Fortunately they were able to squeeze in one hour to meet up with us.

Ling Clan Building in Xian You (Fujian)


Every one stood up to prepare for the guests to leave the hall after the dialogue session. (Meng has found more than 70 pioneers' villages and more than half have not been traced....Where did some of the Heng Hua Pioneers of Sibu come from? Each surname group would help to find the villages of those Heng Hua Pioneers.we have not been able to trace..with instructions from Chen Bai Chai..)

Standing up in the main hall - shaking hands and saying good bye. (first farewell)

One of the clan leaders had a personal talk with Steve Ling..asking more about our research. Standing up and ready for group photo taking (This group already know where they should stand.....Committee members of the Ling Clan and the members of the Surname Cultural Committee ..and their guests) Group photo courtesy of Steve Ling...

FAREWELL NO2...The whole group after saying a farewell at the main door walked the Overseas friends to the gate....

Farewell No. 3 - at the main entrance.Xian You Historians .Waving and Wishing good wishes to the VVIP  Overseas Visitors..

Here I include a poem by Li Bai who wrote it in 754 - 5 characters on each line and 8 lines in all. (now traaslated into English) It is amazing how Li Bai can capture the spirit of a touching farewell in 40 words and have them "kept in perfect state for us to appreciate 1300 years later!!)

 Would be nice if Li Bai were with us to describe this scene....Good bye to Nanyang friends...on a gentle rainy morning....

The dark hills stretch beyond the northern rampart,
White waters wind around the eastern wall¹,
From this place where we do one deed of parting,
Tumbleweed has a thousand miles to sprawl.
A floating cloud: all that a wanderer thinks.
A setting sun: all an old friend can say.
It is goodbye, and as we wave our hands
Our parting horses cry and neigh, and neigh. 

青山橫北郭，　
白水繞東城，　
此地一為別，　
孤蓬萬里征. 　
浮雲遊子意，
落日故人情，　
揮手自茲去，　
蕭蕭班馬鳴。