A Ballad Of Pak Tam Chung

By Patrick Ng

Hakka folk of Sheung Yiu
Hailed from Guandong’s Danshui, farther afield
In the days of yore
Wedlock united clans of different locales -
“Sense of place” came to the fore
In how the union was known by all.
Settling in Pak Tram Chung, the Hakka
Were amicable with the seafaring Tanka.
Radios were to the latter a boon
Only since the early sixties, in case of typhoons. (10)
Batteries were bought from Sai Kung bazaar
(Transmission really ranged that far)
As the then colonial government
Needed to make various announcements.
Pak Tam Chung was humid and hot.
And in summers past, grandma’s lot
At night was to fan children to sleep
After which her own slumber wasn’t deep
As smothered inside stuffy mosquito nets
With no plumbing or electricity just yet (20)
The weather was the be-all and end-all
Rustics were at nature’s beck and call.
Solace in religion was sought
And Roman Catholicism coexisted with folk faiths
As villages of different persuasions wrought
A rural chapel, also shrines of another spiritual way.
Sai Kung was the Catholic fathers’ earliest base
In Hong Kong, where, in Cantonese, they presented their case
So, Yin Tin Tsai island had its old chapel, bearing witness
To a history of worship and church largesse (30)
Flour and schooling for fisher folk-poor, but good Catholics nonetheless.
In village life, strife was rare -
Save bickering between mother and daughter-in-law;
And gambling troubles for me there.
Gossip filled the leisure hours-jaw-jaw
About weddings and funerals, the usual fare.
A corpse would be buried for years five or seven
After which the bones-“gold” in local jargon -
Would be exhumed and to an urn transferred:
An umbrella would be held over the grave when it occurred. (40)
“Pray, time to get up” would be intoned
Air and sun would dry the spread-out bones
Before consigning of “gold” to a new, portable home.
Dry-soil burial-plots were deemed premium,
To ensure an eventual clean-picked outcome.
Of course, “Feng Shui” plots were keenly sought -
Except by the Catholic clan of Sheung You, who had a Christian God.
“Ching Ming” in late Spring was not observed-
Though “Chung Yeung” was when dog and chicken meat were served
To filial progeny honouring their ancestors. (50)
Chickens roamed everywhere in the outdoor quarters,
Odour of avian feces was the order of the day,
Droppings for fertilizer would be scooped up and saved;
Ash at the stove would be mixed with human “produce”,
Pre-eminently eligible for a similar use.
Daily regimen entailed rising before the sun did,
Supper at five, and eight would mandate sleepy eyelids.
Babbling brooks in the vicinity,
Would be used to do laundry;
Men would take their baths there - (60)
But for reasons of modesty,
“Bath enclosures” womenfolk would require
Indoors, to where they would retire.
Soap bars were available at the bazaar,
Bathwater was heated at the stove in winter,
Firewood would be turned to cinders –
As collectables from the hillsides thither.
A single village school, “Pui Choi Primary”
Educated children in the vicinity;
But for education at secondary level, (70)
To Kowloon or downtown Sai Kung they had to travel.
Public health was overseen
By Springtime’s government vaccination teams;
Diseases were treated by folk experience -
The Chinese herbal deliverance.
Big-bus service commenced in the fifties,
Servicing the section from “Yau Lei Store”
To the pier in Kowloon City;
Public light bus was to follow, a decade later,
What is now “Wong Chun Chun Thai Restaurant” it did reach, (80)
To closer ties between Kowloon City and Sai Kung it did cater –
Goods were traded, such as animal feed,
Between the two townships, to meet a mutual need,
Many Hakka settled in Kowloon City,
Also Chiu Chow traders, prominent in rice commodity;
Commerce besides in poultry-farming and agricultural produce;
Also kerosene, and stoves for its use.
Cordial business relations between Chiu Chow and Hakka,
With Cantonese serving as their Lingua Franca –
Transport links had enabled the brisk barter. (90)
Further back in time, things were far grimmer –
Wartime tumult saw determined local guerillas
Struggle against Japanese occupiers
Who, once, Sheung Yiu village commandeered
For barracks, though control of Sai Kung wasn’t keenly sought –
With an implacable hostile populace, a war was better not fought
Over land of limited strategic import.
The will of the occupiers was lukewarm
In Sai Kung, where even the then colonial Governor
Had briefly hid, in the wake of the invasion storm - (100)
Sir Mark Young had the support of the “East River” Militia,
Whose spirit was, decades later, to be memorialized
In stone at a calmer, scenic Tai Ming Tsai.


(February 11, 2004)

Patrick Ng

When I first moved to the Pak Tam Chung area of Sai Kung in 2000, I used to walk more often in the Country Park. A regular stop during these walks was the small Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, where I would meet Patrick, the museum keeper. There were few visitors, so we had time to chat. Patrick had been an English major at the University of Hong Kong (I am not sure if he graduated) and told me that he once won first prize at a short story competition conducted by the South China Morning Post newspaper. Patrick would talk about the history of the area and once took me to nearby abandoned villages and grave sites. Naturally, we came to know some personal details about each other.

Patrick was single and lived with his elderly mother some distance from Sai Kung. He had never used a computer and I am not sure if he could type. He wasn't the typical civil servant, instead going out of his way to welcome visitors. With an assistant, he did his best to keep the museum clean. One day, he told me that a "control freak"supervisor was at his heels, complaining that he wasn't up to his job. He said that both his job and his pension were threatened. So, a friend and I wrote to the authorities praising Patrick for the fine job that he was doing. We pulled a little rank, stating that we were teachers at local universities.

Patrick wrote to me and I reproduce the letter below because he makes interesting references to my appearance! Along with the letter, he sent me a (handwritten) poem that he had composed titled "A Ballad of Pak Tam Chung" and I have typed it into the next entry. Patrick told me that the letters we wrote saved his job, and I am so glad I could do this small favour to a simple, unassuming man who asked for so little and was doing the best at his job.

I haven't seen Patrick during my recent visits and when I do, I'll get his photo.

Meanwhile, here's his letter:

11 Feb 2004

Dear Professor George,

On Monday (9th) my boss brought me the photocopies of both your recommendation letter and the one written by Dr. Miho Yorozu. They came as very warm and encouraging affirmations. I remember that morning as a very fine and sunny, bright day after one of the severest and longest cold spells in HK since records began. I am deeply indebted.

Enclosed overleaf please find my rendition of the lore of Pak Tam Chung, possible for your amusement, as well as that of anyone who might be interested.

Your surname, Braine, I often confuse with the name of the famous American magician David Blaine, because to my mind, making your acquaintance has looked like "stranger than fiction". You have a bulbous forehead, and this prominent brain looks like that of Arthur C. Clarke, another egghead, pundit and resident of Sri Lanka.

. . .



Sheung Yiu Folk Museum

The Yorozu Family

The Yorozus have been my hosts in Hokkaido & Nakashibetsu during my four visits over the past 12 years. I came to know them through Miho, who was my student in Alabama in the early 1990s.



Miho is pictured with her parents in the above photo. Mr. & Mrs. Yorozu owned a fashionable and obviously prosperous clothing store in Nakashibetsu and are now in retirement. The store is now run by their son Kazuo and his wife Emiko. More about them later.

Mr. Yorozu is 84 years now and in very good health. He was the President of the local Chamber of Commerce and is known and respected in Nakashibetsu. He has a healthy appetite, is an avid gardener and a mini-golf player and loves to drive; any excuse for an errand will get him out of the house.

As a young man, he had been drafted to the army during the last year of World War II and sent to the Korean front. He says the war was over when he got there and managed to return to Japan under severe hardship after the Japanese army surrendered.



The Yorozu home

According to Miho, Mrs. Yorozu was the mainstay of the family, managing the shop and running the family. Mrs. Yorozu would travel to Tokyo, Kobe, and Osaka in the old days to buy merchandise for the store. There were no flights to Nakashibetsu and the tunnel linking Hokkaido to the southern islands in Japan had not been built. Wearing the traditional kimono and hiding cash in her obi (the kimono sash), Mrs. Yorozu would travel changing from train to bus to ferry 12 times on each buying trip. Now she spends her time making simple ceramics and tending to her garden, although a bad back has slowed her down somewhat.




Mr. Yorozu in the garden, planting Chinese cabbage


Tomato plants in the greenhouse


Corn

The kitchen garden, as in many Japanese homes, supplies vegetables to the household and also for distribution to friends and relatives. On this visit, I saw zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, corn and other vegetables growing healthily. These vegetables are grown organically.

Miho with her dad at Cape Kiriteppu

Kazuo is Miho's brother. (Her older sister Yuko lives in Sapporo.) A big man who loves his food and drink and the father of four children, Kazuo is a town councillor. The local election campaign was in full swing during my visit, and I photographed him at his "election headquarters" at the back of their shop. The labels on the wall behind him indicate the names of people who have donated sake to his campaign. (I am told that cash donations are illegal.) The sake is exchanged for beer at a friendly bar for the consumption of campaign workers. I have a feeling that this is more a party than an election campaign.



This is Kazuo's fifth election campaign. The posters in the photo are from his successive campaigns. His son Kazu had come from Tokyo to help with the campaign. During the Summer Festival, he was seen everywhere in town, making use of the opportunity. He has already won four times and we heard yesterday (August 26) that he had won again, coming ninth out of 22 candidates for the 18 seats available. He's a senior member of the Town Council. I am told he's paid well and already assured a nice pension, having served three terms. If he serves six terms (each term is four years), he's in for a more generous pension!



This is Kazuo's wife Emiko. The photo is taken in front of their shop after Emiko had taken part in the Summer Festival Parade. Emiko and Kazuo met at university and she moved to Nakashibetsu after her marriage. She runs the store, which, unfortunately, is not doing well because of the competition from larger department stores. She has brought up four lovely children: Shingo, now working in Tokyo; Kazu, attending university in Tokyo; Saiko, a nurse in Nakashibetsu; and Shoko, in medical school in Sapporo.


Miho, wth her mother and niece Saiko


The Yorozu shrine in Akkeshi

The Yorozu family shrine is in the home of a nephew in Akkeshi, and we visited it during my stay in Nakashibetsu.

Sightseeing - Akan National Park area

Mrs. Yorozu wanted to take me to a new restaurant she had heard about and I was happy to drive because it was in the Akan national Park area. I had been to this volcanic park on two previous visits and its winding roads, rushing streams, charming lakes, and mist shrouded hills had lingered on my mind. Akan National Park is about the size of Hong Kong.

We stopped by at an observation point on the way and the photo shows Mrs. Yorozu and her daughter Miho enjoying the breeze.

We drove through lovely farms, pastureland, and forest. The fields were of potato, corn, soy beans, and other crops. Some fields were ripening and ready for harvesting, while many were still green. The roads were not crowded and many dirt roads led off into the forest. If I had a 4 x 4 vehicle, I would have liked to have explored them, but these forests have bears (there have been more than 30 fatal bear attacks in Hokkaido over the years) so I didn't want to venture on foot.

Another feature along the drive were these attractive farm signs, all of which featured a scene of the lakes or of the hills .

We glimpsed the "So-Ra" restaurant through the trees. It turned out to be an elegant French restaurant, recently opened, where even the menu was in French and Japanese. We enjoyed a leisurely meal (I tasted a sliver of whale meat!) and later strolled in the lovely green that spread out from the restaurant. I hope the restaurant attracts many customers because the cuisine and service are of the highest standard.

We drove on and reached Lake Kussharo, a popular tourist spot. (The Akan National Park is said to receive 6 million tourists per year, although the roads were not crowded with traffic.) Kussharo is a caldera lake, surrounded by greenery and hills.

We lingered for quite a while, enjoying the lovely scenery, the breeze, and the silence.

We later drove to the shore of lake Kussharo. As dusk approached, a light mist hung over the water. This shore area appeared to be popular with hikers and bikers. Many of them were camping nearby.

Our last stop was the incredibly beautiful Lake Mashu, which is said to have the most transparent water in the world. This is also a caldera lake. There is no inflow or outflow of water, yet the water level remains constant.

Sightseeing - Kaiyodai

Kaiyodai is only 10kms from Nakashibetsu and an observatory is located there. Because it's at a higher elevation, miles and miles of countryside could be seen all round. Kaiyodai is perfect for watching the sunset. It's popular with Japanese bikers and cyclists who tour Hokkaido in the summer, and they have a camping site nearby.

To one side is a farm run by the city council, which accepts Holstein calves from nearby farms and takes care of them for eventual return to the farm as milking cows. Holsteins are an European breed that has thrived in Japan. A lovely path winds down from the highest point into the farm. Although it has more than 1,000 steps, the walk is relaxing as it wanders over streams and wooden bridges.

The sunset from Kaiyodai is breathtaking.

Sightseeing around Nakashibetsu

I have inserted the map to show where Nakashibetsu is situated, on the eastern side of Hokkaido near the Kuril Islands. The drive and train ride from Sapporo takes a whole day; the flight only 40 minutes.

During my visits, I drive around Nakashibetsu to sight see as well as enjoy the wonderful seafood. The roads are not crowded with traffic and the drivers are polite and obey the rules. The only danger is that the beautiful scenery tempts my eyes away from the road!

This month, I did a 20-minute drive to the small seaside town of Shibetsu to see the salmon hatchery. Hokkaido is full of salmon rivers and salmon fishing is a major industry. The hatchery catches salmon returning to lay their eggs, fertilizes the eggs with sperm taken from male fish, and releases the fingerling to the nearby Shibetsu River. These fingerling, in due course, return to the hatchery.

View of the salmon hatchery

We later drove towards the town of Nemuro along the lovely seaside. The land is marshy here, is preserved, and full of wildflowers. The landscape seen at the background of the above photo is one of the Kuril Islands, which now belongs to Russia. And thereby hangs a tale.

The Kuril Islands (the Japanese call them the Northern Territories) were captured by the Soviet army during World War II from Japan and not returned. This is a sore point with the Japanese, especially those living on east Hokkaido. They erect large billboards along the road asking for the return of the "occupied islands". Strangely, these signs are in English and Japanese, not in Russian. But, Russian fisherman do visit these parts, and the large signboard I am standing next to has information in Japanese, English, and Russian.

We learned about a jazz concert by one of Japan's foremost saxophonists, Sadao Watanabe, and returned a few days later to Shibetsu to attend the performance. The concert would have been enjoyable without the loud, manic drumming of the Senegalese drummer in the Quintet!

The Lantern Festival

I am not sure what to call this event, because the lanterns come on only in the evening. It's not a carnival as such, because it doesn't have the rides and attractions typical of a carnival. I guess "Fair" would be a more suitable term but Lantern Festival sounds a lot more romantic!



An open ground in the center of town is taken up with a central stage for drummers, booths for vendors on the perimeter, and hanging lanterns. The townspeople and those from smaller hamlets and farms saunter around during the afternoon, checking out the various treats on offer. Children are dressed in traditional kimonos. (The younger women come out in kimonos in the evening). Everyone is in a festive mood. Despite the crowds, there is no litter. Everything is binned properly, plastic, paper, and glass being sorted carefully.




Enjoying treats with local kids

The lanterns are lit by evening. The ambiance is simply magical. Every lantern bears the name of its sponsors (payment Yen 2,000). There's a lantern with my name on it, bought in 1999 if I remember correctly.

This is the time for the fancy dress parade and dancing contests. In the first parade, children and parents participate together. I saw one family dressed as sushis. The parade for grownups attracts a myriad collection of contestants. One came as a chef, another as a door (yes, a door!), another as a pretty convincing looking Michael Jackson, but mostly they came as Hawaiian hula dancers and figures from Japanese history and theatre. One lady came in an elaborate costume as a peacock. I had noticed her on previous visits, too, each time in an elaborate costume which must take her months to design.

Tug-of-War

The tug-of-war is another attraction of the summer festival. I took part during my last visit but opted out this year so I could take photos.

A thick, lengthy rope about 200 meters long is laid out on a street, and two teams pull from each side. This year, I was told about 400 people took part, including elderly ladies and gentlemen and kids small enough to be their grandchildren. Strangely, all the commands such as "Lift up the rope" were given in English, although I was the only non-Japanese speaker in sight!