Ancestors came across the ocean to Vietnam to fight hard, and it was very difficult for them to be unfamiliar with each other, so they had to hold a group. So they gradually formed five groups of Guangfu, Chaozhou, Hakka, Fujian and Hainan according to their dialects and hometowns, and established five groups of clubs: Sui Cheng (Guangfu), Yi ‘an (Chaozhou), Chongzheng (Hakka), Erfu (Minnan) and Qiongfu (Hainan) to unite the rural areas, help the weak and maintain social welfare education.
The five clubs have clubs and offices. The French have taught and managed the Chinese community department, donated funds to help the people, set up schools, hospitals and ancestral halls for the new immigrants.
For example, Fujian Bangchengzhi Middle School, Fujian Middle School Chaozhou Bangyi ‘an Middle School Guangfu Bangsuicheng Middle School and Guangzhao Middle School Hainan Bangsanmin Primary School; Another example is Chaozhou Bangliuyi Hospital, Fujian Fushan Hospital, Hakka Bangchongzheng Hospital, Guangzhao Hospital, Zhongzheng Hospital Hainan Banghainan Hospital and so on.
Erfu Temple, Tianhou Temple, Wenling Hall and other places of worship are even more prosperous, including many Vietnamese.
Everyone has his own circle outside the house, and it will be difficult to live in Saigon. Not only do Vietnamese people rarely marry, but also the gangs rarely marry.
The Wu family is an unusual partner of the Li family for nearly a hundred years. The two families have always wanted to break the concept of gangs and consolidate their marriage, but for various reasons, it was not realized until Li Min’s generation.
This marriage is a prominent overseas Chinese leader in Saigon. Almost everyone knows that it is not easy for either the Li family or the Wu family to want to break off their marriage, because these two families have a reputation for nearly a hundred years.
Li Min is used to free love and advocates marital autonomy. For him, this suspicion is a nuisance, which makes him even more ridiculous. The fiancee named Wu Lijun is only 17 years old this year, just like this cheap sister in front of her.
He sighed, holding the newspaper and muttered, "What sister-in-law hasn’t entered the door yet? Let’s talk about it in a few years."
My little girl didn’t think so. She grabbed the newspaper and said with great seriousness, "How can you be the only one who didn’t get married and have a baby earlier?" Besides, the Wu old lady agreed with my dad to let you get married after Li Jun’s tenth birthday. "
"Year?"
"Well," the little girl nodded her head heavily and confirmed seriously, "My parents are going to prepare a bride price. Uncle Wu is going to prepare a dowry. The managers of Luo Tian Restaurant, over the rainbow Hotel and Yadong Restaurant have been there several times to let the wedding go to them. Even the owners of Taiping Theater and Daguang Theater have been here and asked to prepare a few plays when the time comes."
Besides, there are more important things to do now.
Li Minheng took a hat from the shelf and picked up sunglasses. He turned and smiled, "Qingqing, don’t you learn to go out with your brother in the afternoon."
I can go out to play. My little girl is so happy that the cuttlefish is shaking and holding his arm and laughing happily. "Yes, yes, let’s go to Daguang Cinema to watch Ah Q Zheng."
Chapter III Overseas Chinese in Xidi
Memory is a memory after all, and most of the memories in Xidi in my mind are seven years ago.
The second world war made Li Guanyun realize that the nationalism caused by the powerful American World War II made him realize that the French colonial rule was in jeopardy, and the family’s future was in danger. The next year, he resolutely sent Li Min, who was only 16 years old at that time, to the United States and came back twice.
Being involved in the incident of local ruffians stealing Chinese students’ clothes and being arrested and abused by Pingchuan troops is the fourth day after returning from the United States to take over the family business, and I don’t know much about the current situation of Xidi.
Going out to see a movie with my sister is an excuse. The main purpose is to have a good look at this famous "Little Hong Kong" and the largest Chinese community in Southeast Asia.
Brother and sister strolled in the crowded streets, talking and laughing, and unconsciously traveled to Kong Avenue, Meng Street, Old Street, Guangdong Street and Sanduoli, the most prosperous fifth county … Many streets and alleys were named in Chinese.
Fude Middle School, Yi ‘an Middle School, Erfu Temple, Xingwang Open-air Phnom Penh Market, Capital Theater, Sanjiaoqiao, Liqiao, Bupi Street, Hardware Street, Antique Furniture Street, Taiping Theater, Grand Luo Tian Restaurant, Xintongqing Cantonese Opera House and Yadong Restaurant.
Along the way, there are almost Chinese shops, sidewalks, "food streets", cafes, and countless Chinese shop numbers. The plaques are very uniform and eye-catching. People’s daily life, customs and habits all make people feel very strong Chinese culture. It feels like the old street in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and people can’t help but think that the beach used to be "ten miles of foreign markets"
The other two main long streets on the embankment are Shuibing Street and Meishan Street.
These two most prosperous long streets are more than two kilometers long, and several small streets are connected to connect the whole commercial and residential blocks. On both sides of the streets, there are either five gangs of guilds to help produce or Chinese industries.
For example, the famous Fushan Hospital, Liuyi Hospital, Zhongzheng Hospital, Guangdong Hospital, Hainan Hospital, Xuangong Theater, Lido Theater, over the rainbow Hotel, Dalian Hotel, Hainan Guild Hall, Tianhou Palace (also known as "Apo Temple"), Sai Qionglin Hotel, Tangshan Roast Meat, Daguang Theater, Free Pacific Academy, Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Jingwu Guild Hall, Yuexiu Middle School, Chinese Restaurant and Chinese Medicine Shop are all connected here.
Governor Fang Street crosses these two streets. There are three cinemas nearby: Daguang, Shengli and Entertainment. In the old street, there are Minnan expatriates who built the Wenling Hall more than 100 years ago. Not far away, there are "white iron markets" mainly run by Chinese vendors. Guangya Middle School, Lingnan Middle School, William Lin Middle School, Qizhi Middle School, Nanqiao Middle School, Zhizhi Middle School, Yingde Middle School, Yaohan Middle School and Sino-French Middle School are also nearby.
It is not a "sparrow" Chinatown in the concept of western countries. Unlike those Chinatowns, there are several small streets.
It covers nearly half of the land in Saigon, including the fifth, sixth, seventh, tenth and eleventh counties, and there are eleven administrative counties in Saigon. Li Min couldn’t believe that the Chinese community in Saigon was so large unless he saw it with his own eyes.
Unlike later cinemas, the present cinema has a hall where people can’t enter until they have finished watching it.
I bought a movie ticket and walked into a dessert shop with my little girl and asked for a sago dew with ice. It was sweet but not greasy and cool. It was crystal sugar without saccharin. It was really delicious. No wonder business was so good.
Li Min drank a bowl and asked for another bowl. He sat in the corner with his back to the full store guests and asked, "How many Chinese are there in Qingqing Xidi?"
My little girl was puzzled and thought for a while before she answered, "Listen to Teacher Qian, there are 300,000 hipsters or the statistics of the guild hall a few years ago. If you count the births and births of Guangfu people, Hakka people, Minnan people and Hainan people in recent years, I don’t think it will be less than one million."
"So much?"
"It’s a lot of refugees."
My girl took a sip of sugar water and smiled casually. The proportion of hipsters in Xidi is not high. (A province in the Mekong Delta) The proportion of hipsters is high. Nine out of ten chaozhou people’s businesses, farming and fishing are now called’ small Chaozhou’. "
Looking at my brother thoughtfully, Qingqing added, "In addition to chaozhou people, Guangfu, Hakka, Minnan and Hainanese, there are also Nong people, Dai people, Hmong people, Dai people and Yao people. Teacher Qian said that they also moved from the land, but they came earlier. Most of them lived in the north and mountainous areas, and they were not as good at doing business as we like to live in communities."
Later generations, experts have investigated and demonstrated that the Nong nationality, Miao nationality and Yao nationality in Vietnam all migrated from China, Yunnan and Guangxi, but in fact they were branches of Zhuang nationality in Guangxi.
Their ancestral home in Guangxi has the same language and folk customs, and they advocate Zhao, the first surname of Yao nationality in Chinese culture. It was more than 22 years ago that the descendants of Zhao Tuo (Han), the king of South Vietnam, and Yao Ji were more than one year earlier than Zhao Kuangyin, Song Taizu.
At that time, Li Min learned a small language and had a certain understanding of Vietnamese history. It was not particularly strange to look at the window and say "vernacular" and Minnan dialect. One by one, my compatriots murmured "Yes, we are Chinese."
To his great surprise, the little girl corrected in a serious way, "No, we are overseas Chinese!" "
There is a difference between Chinese and overseas Chinese. Chinese are foreigners, overseas Chinese of China origin, China people and overseas Chinese.
Thinking of his "third country" passport issued by the French colonial government and those compatriots outside who don’t even have passports and can’t speak Vietnamese, Li Min suddenly realized that no matter how many China people are on the embankment, no matter how rich China people are, no matter how much Saigon has made great contributions to Vietnam, this place is always a "guest".
Touching his face, he suddenly thought that if the number of "guests" increased to a certain extent, if the guests had guns in their hands, why not "oppose the guest host"?
It’s only 1954, and there are still 20 years before Vietnam’s reunification. If we can make good use of these 20 years, we can do something great!
It’s not easy to do it again without making some noise. I’m really sorry for myself
Li Min thought more and more reasonable, more and more excited. He couldn’t remember when and how the film was pulled in by his sister. He planned and calculated until the film was almost over.
I really haven’t seen the adaptation of Ah Q Zheng in Hong Kong before. The weakening of criticism has increased Ah Q’s feelings for Oh Ma.
The plot is generally used to the root effect of Hollywood blockbusters in later generations, but the mandarin dialogue sounds very kind
It was the hero who made him laugh, but it was the mountain. If I remember correctly, he should be Lin’s father.
In this era, people have an incredible interest in poetry. Even more than a dozen Chinese newspapers in Saigon have poetry columns, and there are poetry special issues in the store. When I think of the famous great poet Bian Lin and Li Min, I suddenly find that the name of a beautiful woman may be her father’s literary hobby.
At the same time, this old movie reminds him of another movie starring Andy Lau and named by Jin Yong-"Going to the Angry Sea".
Shortly after Vietnam’s reunification, the comprador and capitalist engaged in socialist transformation were liquidated. As most of them were engaged in commerce or handicrafts, Chinese people undoubtedly became the object of liquidation.
Property was confiscated, and many people were detained and persecuted, forcing them to move to the "new economic zone". The so-called "new economic zone" is really a forest with nothing, and it is a problem to develop the economy. To put it bluntly, it is to drive the Chinese into the forest to fend for themselves.
If you want to leave, you have to pay some gold bars to the government and then find a way to leave by fishing boat.
Where can I collect gold bars when all my property has been confiscated? Many people can write letters to friends and relatives abroad for help, and they can only survive if they pay the government 15 dollars or the equivalent amount of gold and silver.
There are not only storms in the sea, but also pirates. Millions of Chinese have gone to the angry sea, and I don’t know how many people have died in the belly of fish.
The living are lucky enough to emigrate to Hong Kong or western countries and regions, such as Tsui Hark, the great director of Hong Kong, who is unlucky enough to be sent to refugee camps and eventually sent back to Vietnam.
History can’t repeat itself. We must try our best to clean up the ungrateful bastards over there!
Walking out of the cinema, Li Min was more determined to make some noise and never do heavy work in vain. He took out a few coins and bought a newspaper. While watching the report on the war situation in Dien Bien Fu, he said airily, "Brother Qingqing changed his mind and I want to go to the United States in a few days."
The little girl grabbed his arm and eagerly asked, "Will you come back from going to America?"
"Of course, two months at most."
"But your face is not healed."
Today is February 1, and if nothing happens, the French army will be wiped out in Dien Bien Phu in two or three months.
The French can’t last as long as the puppet is supported by the French. Now it’s time to cook a cold stove. Only by doing well with the future president of the Republic of Vietnam can we realize the one-step plan.