http://www.hiradio.net/images/action/124_hiradio.html [chinese blood, irish heart] - DEFUNCT: Chek Geng revisited...

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Chek Geng revisited...

It's been a while since I've written about our little inconspicous Hakka village, but there's been new impetus what with ideas to revitalise the place.

Notions are floating around with the possibility to invest and restore some of the houses and turn the place into a teeny tourist hub. It's also close to the popular Tai Long Wan beach.
This time around we visited the village with my dad, grandmother, relatives, friends and a fellow journalist. It's my third visit so far but this time was entirely different because as I walked past the mangroves, derelict houses and what not, I kept imaging what this place would be like if indeed it was revitalised. And how nice it would be to escape here from the drudgeries of urban life.

After a few meetings with a well-known interior designer, it's now up to my folks back home to coerce other relatives into the idea, since they also own some of the properties. Without their permission or support we can't really do much. My grandmother kept regaling us with tales about sitting outside facing the beach for dinner, farming and the kids playing. I think she does yearn to see this village alive again, so hopefully something significant can be achieved while she's still around.

Hmm, I wonder if I can reserve a spot to build an Irish pub? I'll give it a nice Chinese-Irish name... "O'Lee's" perhaps? Hehe.





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