Different voices, a shared theme.
8 selected excerptsThese are excerpts from edited written oral histories. Time expressions follow the accounts; memories are not automatically verified historical facts.
001Personal recollectionChildhood
Childhood in the garden
My younger brothers and I used to chase one another across the lush lawn, sometimes playing football with abandon, sometimes swinging our badminton rackets. Back then, the garden was not enclosed by high, solid walls. Low bamboo fences separated it from its surroundings, open and simple.
Editorial contextFrom “My Home”. The location is generalised to Youai Road and the homes-and-gardens group; no house number is shown.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
往昔，我与弟弟们常于如茵草地上追逐嬉戏，有时酣畅淋漓地踢足球，有时身姿矫健地挥动羽毛球拍。那时，花园四周尚未筑起高大密实的围墙，仅以低矮的竹篱笆作为间隔，竹篱疏朗，尽显质朴之态。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Li Xiangliang · p. 49 (PDF page 61)
006Personal recollectionChildhood
Fruit trees on the way to school
Huaqiao Xincun was full of fruit trees and beautiful houses. On my way to school I often saw those trees, and sometimes could not resist picking fruit to taste. Many amusing things happened along the way.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
华侨新村里遍布着各类果树与漂亮的别墅。在去学校的途中，我时常会看到这些果树，有时还会忍不住摘些果子品尝，期间也发生过不少有趣的事。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Li Minjie · p. 44 (PDF page 56)
007Personal recollection1958
Arriving on Aiguo Road
In 1958, my mother, another elder sister and my nephew, then only eight and a half, travelled back with us by ship. After roughly ten days we entered through the Luohu crossing in Shenzhen and reached Guangzhou, where we rented a home on Aiguo Road.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
1958年，母亲、另一位姐姐和年仅八岁半的小外甥随我们一起坐船归国，历经大约十日，自深圳罗湖口岸入境广州，暂时在爱国路租赁房屋居住。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Lai Yunyun · p. 111 (PDF page 123)
012Personal recollectionSummer holidays during school years
Gardens and food shared together
During the summer holidays, the school organised study groups in selected classmates’ homes. In the spirit of Lei Feng, pupils often helped neighbours weed their gardens, expressing friendship and a willingness to work. Returned overseas Chinese families also frequently exchanged food and culture, sharing snacks from the countries where they had lived, including Southeast Asia and North America.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
暑假期间，学校组织学生至指定同学家中成立学习小组。同学们常践行雷锋精神，协助邻里清理花园杂草，展现团结友爱、热爱劳动之风尚。此外，归侨家庭间文化交流频繁，时常会分享各自侨居国的小吃，如东南亚或北美的特色美食。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Chen Congyuan · p. 125 (PDF page 137)
013Personal recollectionChildhood and the rebuilding around 1997
The place where my grandmother lived
Huaqiao Xincun holds almost all my memories of my grandmother. I lived here from childhood until I went abroad with my parents. The present house was rebuilt in 1997; the back courtyard of the old house was where I used to live.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
华侨新村几乎承载了我所有关于奶奶的回忆。我自幼便居住于此，直至与父母出国。如今的房子是1997年推倒重建的，曾经的旧屋后院便是我过去居住的地方。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Ma Jun · p. 71 (PDF page 83)
014Personal recollectionAdulthood; exact year unspecified
A voice practising at night
One night at three in the morning, I suddenly heard my grandmother practising her voice in her room and wondered why. The next day I asked her. She told me that reading the script had filled her mind with thoughts, making it hard to sleep, so she sang to relax.
Editorial contextThe narrator is Ma Jun. “My grandmother” refers to Hung Sin-nui; this is not her own direct testimony.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
有一天深夜三点，我突然听到奶奶在房间里练音，觉得很疑惑。第二天，我询问原因，她告诉我，看着剧本，思绪万千，难以入眠，便通过唱歌来放松。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Ma Jun · p. 74 (PDF page 86)
016Personal recollectionAfter moving in in 1956
Gardening beyond the studio
When we moved in in 1956, the surroundings were peaceful and particularly suitable for artistic work, so we stayed for decades. My father liked growing flowers and plants, and often tended them in the courtyard when he was not working.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
1956年我们入住时环境清幽，特别适合艺术创作，因此在此居住了数十年。父亲平时喜欢种花养草，工作之余，常在院子里打理花草。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Yu Jinsen · p. 81 (PDF page 93)
018Personal recollectionContrast between the past and the time of the account
From bamboo fences to high walls
Today, the lively fences have been replaced by brick walls two metres high, making it harder for neighbours to chat across them. It is a striking contrast with the past: residents once leaned against bamboo fences to talk, whereas high walls now quietly reduce everyday interaction.
Editorial contextThis is the narrator’s understanding of spatial change, not an independently verified causal conclusion.
Read the Chinese original English translation: draft
如今这些富有生机的篱笆墙已被两米高的砖墙替代，邻里间再难隔墙闲谈。这与往昔景象形成鲜明对照——过去居民常倚着竹篱交流，如今高墙却无形中减少了人际互动。
English translation is a draft awaiting human review.
New Village Memories: Oral Histories of Guangzhou’s Huaqiao Xincun · Yu Jinsen · p. 83 (PDF page 95)
