oragionality: 汕頭返鄉之旅 | Shantou Guangzhou, China

May 2023

It was my first visit to my hometown ever haha. I think this post not only excited for my journey but also all the overseas chinese who wonder where is their hometown in China especially for Teo Chew peeps. Let's start my incredible journey back to hometown! 首次返鄉之旅!

I was born in Teo Chew family, both my mom & dad are authentic Teo Chew-nese. But I haven't been there, well incase you confuse here is a bit background why overseas chinese don't know where is their hometown.

The story begin when China still in hard day and most of Chinese run away out of China. Where is their destination? South China peeps will goes to South East Asia and Northern China peeps will goes to Europe, America, etc ---- based on the direction & distance. I've ever heard my grandpa story from my parents they said that days when you get a boat to run away you should quickly enter the boat its the only chance to get out from China. Even you don't know yet in which country this boat will end.

Then, my grandpa arrive at Borneo. a little regency called Sambas. I have been there when I was kid, literally it's like a chinese ancient town, all the people communicate in chinese dialect like Teo Chew or Hakka. Most of them are the chinese who come from China at that time, even how they have daily habit like having a sip of coffee in the afternoon, how they house is from wood like old chinese style all are there. Even my grandpa store using old style sempoa to calculate the bill haha.

Usually the second generation of them will move outside the place they come at first like my dad, he move to Jakarta in the young age, he keep told me he already move out and work independently in young age so I should follow his steps (maybe one of the reason why he send me to boarding school in Taiwan at the young age hoam)

Well, little did I know, we normalize how the chinese dialect been in Indo, its like oh you talk hokkian you should from Medan, you talk Teo Chew you should from Jambi or Kalimantan, you talk Hakka should from Singkawang etc. For the young people nowadays less of them know where is their 祖籍 ancestral home in China especially if the first generation who come from China already pass several generation to them.

Maybe it because my family is a traditional chinese family and I also interest with it so I know not that much about where is my ancient in China and a bit of it story.

20ish years later, by coincidence, I came to my hometown for the first time in my life haha. Well maybe its not a coincidence but how God know I always said I want to visit and see how is my hometown.

One day I got notice from my boss I need to go to China again but he hasnt told me which place I need to go. Well, a project as usual, nothing special just a business trip. Then few days before I flight I just know we going to Shantou 汕頭 and he just said, you can see your hometown. Wow I start to like this kind of surprise haha.

To give you an idea, usually people called it 潮汕 which is Chao Zhou & Shan Tou because this 2 place are near enough border each other, it belong to 廣東Guang Dong Province.

How to get there? By plane, by high speed train, by car all able. I go by high speed train from Shenzhen it took around 3 hours.

The high speed train

Chaoshan iconic boat

The airport is very local

During this travel time, I feel homed to hear most of passenger talk in Teo Chew then I know where I come from and belong. Little things that may relate to answer your question in the past like for me : why my dad like to put pepper in his food and it inherited to me, why the people like to eat something raw food like the raw small crab, you will found its so funny and yet heart warming.

How they cooked the dishes is literally how my family cook it. So if you complaint why your parents or grandparents cooked the dishes like that it was because they origin cook it like that also haha.

There is no MRT yet in Shantou so the only way to go is by online taxi. I can say it's not a tourist attraction place but it is where you want to know your ancient place. I like it so far. Its worth to try the origin of the dishes you familiar with in your family & also to know the history of your ancient.

Shan tou city street view

One of the beach nearby 北山灣 Beishanwan

Morning with porridge & fermented tofu 豆腐乳 or usually we called it hu ju.

And the local product here also the fermented tofu cake haha 腐乳餅

Pork fat candy wahahahaha

If you are Pontianak-nese you will know what is 牛肉粿條湯 aka beef kwetiaw soup. Well I know now why Pontianak-nese like this kinda food, its from Teo Chew haha

My childhood dishes the real baby shark 小鯊魚 --- when I little my mom said, we eat baby shark but when shark bigger they eat human haha

Other than food worth for you to visit some museum there, one of my favorite is Shantou Museum 汕頭博物館 & Chao Shan Overseas Museum 潮汕華僑歷史博物館

Shantou Museum talk more about the history of Shantou also have some art exhibition. The boat of Zheng He 鄭和 is also one of the iconic to show the history how in the past days people going to South East Asia and one of the should be our grandparents.

If the overseas come to the Chao Shan Overseas Museum it will be more feeling because they told the story of where Teo Chew-nese goes now, how our ancient goes to our overseas country now, what is the culture that being bring to there, and the Teo Chew dialect itself. For me I love it, finally I got chance to know more about my ancient.