Phoenixes

Phoenixes
Fenghuang (鳳凰 - Fungwong or "Chinese Phoenixes"). Tile mural on Phoenix Street, Shiqi District, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China.

22 June 2011

History of the Phoenix Street House as told by Gou Lam Ngaa

Lam Ngaa's grand daughter wrote down Lam Ngaa's telling of the history of the Phoenix Street House in the email that follows.  Some exerpts are provided below:  Yin Qin Ru is is Grandpa.  Yin Hun Xiong is Uncle Red.

After the World War II, many Chinese came back to China ... YIN QING RU (尹庆如) ... was one of them. I heard that he liked seafood. So he bought that house which is near the market because many seafoods could be bought in that market.

... [In] China [for that time], he was a rich man ... robbers came and he was ill because of being frightened. After a few days he passed away.

Then the house was administered by his nephew ... YIN ZHI LIN (尹植林). ... And he ... died in Macao [prior to the end of the War of Liberation in 1949] because of illness.

...After the Liberation in China, the government let the refugees live in that house  ...YIN HUN XIONG ... and his wife came back to China for tourism in 1978. They helped my grandmother's family very much in those days. He came to see that house and went back to US after a few days. We contacted by mail. He sent many instruments [e.g. legal documents] about that house many times to my grandmother, and my grandmother came to the govenment to ask them to have that house [deeded] back for Mr. YIN [Uncle Red]. The process was very difficult. It took 10 years long. Many times my grandmother was refused because of the limited material. Many times she was refused beacuse of YIN ZHI LIN.

In 1988, the govenment gave the house back, but there were about 8 families living in the house. My grandmother helped them to settle down in new places. Finally the house was empty.

Mr. YIN [Uncle Red] signed an instrument to entrust my grandmother to take care that house.

And 23 years pass...