After a comatose-like, 14 hour sleep, we head out in the car for a day of touristing. Our first stop is the Dali Museum in Clearwater where we learn Dali and Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock collaborated on projects together. We also experience a Dali virtual reality exhibit. The best part of course is finding out Dali and his wife Gala were happiest when they were on their boat!!
After that we make a visit to see Terry's "cousin" Gwok Min at his restaurant, Zom Hee in St Petersburg. Gwok Min grew up in our grandfather's house in the village of San Hew and makes regular trips back. During one of my trips to China we were able to meet and travel together and he took me to our grandfather's house where we performed a traditional honoring the elders ceremony.
Gwok is also a past National President of the Moy Clan Association which recently met in Washington DC. Our clan history has been documented more than 900 years back and the association is very active with lobbying for improved chinese-american relations. Taishan has an interesting history. Until the late 1950's, 90% of the chinese in the United States were from Taishan.* in World War II', America's first flying ace was Taishanese.*
* Bill Moyers-Becoming American: The Chinese Experience
My dad, Eugene ("Ginwah") is in the upper left.
Photos from San Hew our grandfather's (and Gwok Min's) village.
My Grandfather's and Gwok's house in San Hew - Taishan (Guandong province - Canton)
Honoring the elders with food and incense.
Life is simple in the village.
Gwok Min funded the construction of San Hew's community center in honor of his father (our grandfather).
