An Interesting Trip to a Yue Tribe Village
Hakka Women at Work in the Yue Village Our trip really got going after we saw the typical tourist sites in Hong Kong. Dianna took us to her family's (historical Yue Tribe) village in the New Territories only a few miles outside Kowloon where we were treated to tea in her mother and niece's house (note the three-door refrigerator). On the way, we were lucky to see some Hakka Tribe women (see left) working in the street in their normal, everyday dress.

When we got to the village, we found that government services (e.g., apartments, streets, lighting, water, sewage, street cleaning) were sorely lacking. Many of the houses in the village (see left) were occupied by her greater family. They had stayed in the area for a long time and worked hard to get and keep their properties.

This very old concrete home was quite a contrast. It was very basic when first built (maybe not even as a home) but had been modernized with a window being put in, door dressing, and TV antenna over the years. The owner still has a long ways to go by our standards but is probably happy as a clam.

In China, if there's not enough housing in areas where the government chooses to improve, they just put up new, massive apartment complexes with wide, concrete streets. This is happening big-time all over the Pearl River Delta Area.
Hard Earned Real Estate in the Yue Village
After observing the people a while on this trip, it was obvious that a very integral part of most Chinese peoples' lives is their truly heartfelt belief in superstitions which are demonstrated by a wide variety of personal acts and good luck charms (see right). These are very old practices passed down through the millennia. For example, this shrine (see right) in the Yue Village holds great significance for the inhabitants. One must be in good favor with the spirits to be allowed to make offerings here. The dragon's head is commonly found around temples and holy sites as a means to scare off bad spirits and bring good luck.

They also believe that a lot of things are lucky - like the number 8, the color gold, kumquat fruit, astrological signs, newborns getting a hair cut before the new year, kids wearing new clothes and shoes, flowers blooming in the house, being offered candy from a dish, wearing certain colored clothes, etc.

Also, their strong practice of Confucianism which holds that family members are to be revered and supported is everywhere to be seen. This holds no matter how bad the family member is. However, in China, the son's family bonds with the son's parents after marriage not the daughter's parents. Thus, parents who only have daughters may come into tough times when they get older.

Dianna and her family spend much time and money to the care and feeding of her mother and father and other family members.
Table of Good Luck Charms
Shrine in the Yue Village