About a week later, I started to read the book at night. After reading one of the articles "Finding Teochew", I wept.

My mom used to tell us about her hometown in China. I was familiar with the names of Teochew, Jiangdong, Youyuan, Zhuangcuo, Fucheng and the West Lake. I did not know those places, but I remembered the names well.

In year 2004, I visited Teochew for the first time. After landed in Xiamen Airport, I took a long distance bus to Teochew. The bus started the journey from Xiamen. A young man was sitting at the side of me. He was talking to me all the way. When he told me that the bus entering Teochew, I was very excited.

Teacher Hui was my guide during that trip. He brought me for sightseeing. Other than the city of Teochew, we visited my ancestors' hometown Youyuan. When visiting Teacher Hui's grandpa, I felt very close to him. He ever came and stayed in Singapore for a few years when he was young. He was staying near where I was stay during my childhood. I heard he spoke Malay with the Teochew accent. It seemed we knew each other long ago.

Writing article was my hobby since young.
After returning to Singapore, I sent a few articles to the Teochew Daily. I thought I would like the friends in Teochew had an idea about the overseas Teochew people. Besides, I would like them to understand how an overseas born Teochew looking at his ancestors' hometown.

The first time when my article was published in the Daily, the editor sent me a copy of the newspaper. He also sent me a letter asking me about my relative in Teochew in order to give me the remuneration. My first cousin came to Singapore when he was young. My second cousin moved to Guangzhou and no relative in Teochew any more. Hence, I asked the editor to keep in touch with Teacher Hui.

In fact, I was not interested in the remuneration, I just tried to fulfil my hobby.

I visited Teochew consecutively for two years. I felt the love and concern of grandpa Hui. Sometimes after the second visit, grandpa Hui passed away. I was deeply sad.
It more of less affected my connection with Teochew. When we visit a place, the people, the love and the concern are always deeply affect our soul.
After the parting of grandpa Hui, I lost my feelings of Teochew.

Eleven years later, Teacher Hui invited me to visit Teochew last summer. That was my third visit to Teochew.
When I saw the building of Teochew Daily, I was excited without any good reason.
As my relatives are in Guangzhou, I did not contribute any article to Teochew Daily for many years.
I recalled I ever visited the Orchid Exhibition held in Sabah, Malaysia with our Orchid Society in 1989. A sister who had the same surname with me knew that I loved orchid. She worked with the press. Whenever there was any article on orchid in the press, she would send me a copy of the newspaper. She sent the paper to Singapore for me for many years.

After reading the article of Huang Jian Feng "Finding Teochew", I had a deep feeling. Human being changed years after years. Our tendency to be more concerned with the material changed too.

Returning to Teochew, but was unable to retrieve the love and concern. I wept.