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I was in Ningbo, China for 4 days of the past week for business discussions. At the end of my meetings I was able to visit
our grandfather's and grandmother's grave. I have been trying to do this for some time but never was able to work it out,
but this time, I had prepared. I had written to Uncle Bonnie to get the address, but he didn't know it. In fact he said he
had tried several years ago and was unsuccessful. I also asked Luolan to ask her father and he was able to tell us the right
location.
The gravesite is located in the town of Zhen Hai which is a suburb of Ningbo. It is about 10 miles from downtown Ningbo. Our
grandfather's name was Liu Changxiong and grandmother's name was Zhou Xiulin. Our grandparents' grave is in the cemetery
called Da Tong Gong Mu. The exact location of grandparents' grave is No. 4 Da Tong Gong Mu, Area 8, Row 1, No. 7. Grandfather
was buried in 1942, which helps to locate the section of the cemetery.
As you may know, Ningbo is now about 6 million people, our family actually grew up in a suburb of Ningbo, called Zhenhai.
I'm sure when Dad lived there it wasn't nearly as large. I re-read dad's biography and he moved from Ningbo to Shanghai when
he was 7 years old. My business associates tell me this is common. Shanghai is only about 50 miles from Ningbo and Shanghai
is the commercial center of China. People from Ningbo are well known for being shrewd business men.
The cemetery was about 10 miles out of town. My business contact was very kind and when I explained what I wanted to do, they
provided a car and driver to take me there. I also traveled with my UOP friend who takes me everywhere in China (we have even
visited Dad's old friend in Urumqi together) They were very interested that my family was originally from Ningbo. My Chinese
friend told me as we drove there that this was some of the nicest countryside in china. The ground is fertile and the climate
mild. It has a good history of never having any revolutions because the farmers here could always grow enough food. Even as
we drove up in the mountains to the cemetery there were many clear streams and trees, which is becoming increasingly rare
in industrialized china. Our driver told us that his grandfather is also buried there. The area is mostly farms for growing
rice and vegetables.
The cemetery is up on a hill and is called Da Tong Gong Mu. This is a common cemetery for 750,000 graves. I was very happy
that 6th uncle had provided the site details and that there was a cemetery tour guide who was able to locate the exact grave.
The plot looks our over the hillside and a lake. There is good sun and trees nearby. As the Chinese would say it has good
Fengshui, which is like good geography for good feelings.
The whole cemetery has many years of graves. Some are well maintained, some not. Our grandparents' grave has a relatively
new headstone from 1972, which was supplied by the children. He had died in 1942 and his wife is buried in the same grave.
Since he was a farmer, it is a small grave, but at least he was rich enough to have one. Many Chinese people are so poor,
they have no grave.
The headstone says the names of our grandfather and grandmother in the center. On the right it says that this headstone was
replaced in 1972. On the left it gives the names of all their children and whether they were alive when the headstone was
dedicated (indicated by the color of their name). I was able to confirm the whole family name by using the family geneology
which dad prepared in 1970's and I had brought with me the names and Chinese characters, which were exactly as on the headstone.
The cemetery guide offered a nice service, to clean and paint the headstone and also to burn some incense and some ritual
Chinese money. I paid to have this done to honor our grandparents. I was so happy to think about how my life was now and how
these poor farmers from Ningbo would never know that 60 years after they died, their grandson from America would come back
to honor them. I can't even speak Chinese, but I understand the hard work and sacrifice they must have made to give me the
life I have today.
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