空间与社区变化

There were no walls here; the grounds connected freely with the outside, and people were not cleared out. Everyone was considerate and did not interrupt PE lessons. Most came to play after four in the afternoon, except on holidays. With no floodlights, games usually ended at dusk without disturbing the neighbours.

Today, Huaqiao Primary School has been renovated and is more beautiful. The playground has a synthetic track and the walls have been renewed, but those happy childhood memories remain fixed in my heart.

At that time, farmland surrounded much of Huaqiao Xincun. The Youai Road area was open, trains sometimes passed by, and buildings such as the Garden Hotel and Baiyun Hotel had not yet been built. The main community road was paved with concrete; the other roads were simpler.

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.

My grandmother’s former home mainly presents scenes from her everyday life. It differs from the Hung Sin-nui Arts Center in Tianhe, which focuses on her achievements in Cantonese opera. People know about her contribution to the art, but much less about her life.

Today, the lively fences have been replaced by brick walls two metres high, making it harder for neighbours to chat across them.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.