30th March, 2001
Wrexham Man Starts Web Of Asian Friends. Vietnamese "Boat People" Arrive in Welsh Town. English Taught At Methodist Church.
| "Fate Joins Two People As Friends Together"
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In Wrexham, North Wales, in 1979, I had a chance meeting with a Chinese young man named Hoang. Had I not had spare time on my hands, I would not have been a volunteer teacher with the Adult Literacy Scheme in Wrexham. Had China and Vietnam been on friendlier terms at the time, the ethnic Chinese would not have fled Vietnam as refugees to become known as, "The Boat People". Had Wrexham not provided housing and support for some of these families, then Hoang would not have come to the Methodist Church in Regent Street, where I was teaching, to learn English, and so a long line of friendships began.
| "Gathering Friends Along The Way"
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A few weeks after our first meeting, Hoang invited me to supper at his home in Queens Park to meet his wife and their newly born baby girl. For the first time, I sampled a Chinese meal which had been home cooked, and was delighted by my new experience. Hoang taught me to use chopsticks, and I was given Chinese "Gunpowder" Tea to drink. On that night I also met four of Hoang's friends who had called to see the new baby. Some weeks after, I was taken to meet Hoang's parents, brothers and sisters, living in Plas Madoc. Then in the following months I met their friends, and families of friends of friends and their families, from Newtown, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, France, Norway ...... and so it all began.
| "Special Days To Be Remembered" |
When the Chinese New Years came, I enjoyed delicious home cooked special dishes at family banquets and was introduced to the intoxicating Rice Wine, and the Fun Bao envelopes given to the children. I was taken to see the Dragon Dances in Manchester and London. During the years, there were Chinese Weddings to attend, and to learn a little about their special ceremonies. There were the sad days of Chinese funerals, and the Buddhist rituals that went with them. There were new Chinese babies to welcome into the world, and watch them grow up into young men and women.
| "The Line Reaches China And Vietnam" |
There were many things to learn about the lives of these Chinese friends, when they were living in Vietnam or China, and their hazardous journeys to reach the safety of Hong Kong. They told me about their school days, their work, their towns and villages, and the special rituals on "Ancestors' Day" and "Moon Festival", and other important days in the Chinese Calendar, which I knew nothing about, before the chance meeting with Hoang in Wrexham. Eight years after that chance meeting, another friend Trung said he would come with me to visit China. In 1996 he and I visited his hometown Langson in Vietnam. In both countries, more branches were added to my "Friendship Tree", and I have since visited China several times.
There is a long story to tell about my friendships and travels in China and Vietnam and what better way to tell them than on the internet, where others might discover that the ideals and ambitions of the ordinary Chinese and Vietnamese people, are no different to those of any of us.
If you are interested in learning about my travels in China and Vietnam then clicking the blue links below will take you there.
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