grand-uncle tells Justin the stories of the old house

Lisa(second from left) and her sister and brother are very excited when meeting  their grand-auntie

after a performance, the campers take a photo with the martial artists

william(left),guided by his grand-father, sactifice to his ancestors

Eleven Canadian Chinese youngsters successfully find their Chinese roots and enrich much their knowledge on family histories after their first China trip in the middle of March.

They are members of a root-seeking camp from Canada and are taken to their ancestral villages in South China's Guangdong Province to trace back their families' histories.

The three girls and eight guys, from 11 to 24, are all Canada born, and it is their first time to their villages in Shunde, Nanhai, Zhuhai, Taishan and Kaiping in southern Guangdong and Lianping in the North.

Jointly organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Guangdong Provincial Government and the Great Toronto Chinese Cultural Centre, the event, called Root-seeking Trip to China, has been run since 2001 and has helped 28 Chinese youngsters to their villages in Guangdong, where they visit the villages, meet relatives, look around the old houses, and sacrifice to ancestors. And, they have also toured some cultural and historical heritages and modern plants to earn more knowledge on the province.

All things seem strange but unforgettable to them.

"All happen these days are beyond imagining!" 24-year-old Lisa Lee, the eldest camper, from Quebec, tells reporter excitedly.

She goes with her sister Cecelia and brother Wilson. They successfully find their mother's village in Kaiping and father's in Taishan and met both sides' relatives.

"I'm shocked at the moment I enter the old house in which my grand-father was born and once lived and meet my grand-aunt never informed to me before. They remind me a lot of stories far away and long ago." Says Lisa, with tears lingering in her eyes. "Absolutely I will come again, alone or with my family members, since here is the origin of my life."

Root-seeking is a key matter for the campers' families since they think it is a significant way to hand down histories. Some of them even accompany their children to China.

"We help William register for this trip because we think he should know something about the past of our family." William's mother, from Nova Scotia, explains her reasons coming along with her son. "We regard the trip important to our family, and thinking that he is too young to understand what he encounters during the trip, we decided to take it  with him."

William is the youngest member. His parents companion him all the trip, while his grand-parents come before him to their village to make preparation.

"He will benefit from this trip, I think."William's mother says, with smiles. "It helps him understand his family's history and his life in Canada, though he is just 11 years old."

A camera group of Fairchild TV, the biggest Chinese program TV in Canada, joins in the camp and takes down stories of the trip that later on will be made into documental and played on TV. Audiences in main cities of Canada have the chance to watch it.

"Our co-operation with the Great Toronto Chinese Cultural Centre starts three years ago."Says Tse, program maker of Fairchild TV leading the group since 2001. "We have success. The documental has become one of the most popular programs of our TV."

Editor:  Bonfol                                                                    By:Bonfol  Source:OCAO