China - The Middle Kingdom 

Yee Ancestral Village a.k.a Cow Shit Village @ Kaiping/Taishan, Guangzhou, China

Welcome to Cow Shit Village - My Uncle Douglas welcoming you to the Yee Ancestral Village. As you can see 1930's architecture with pristine southern Taishan county landscape complete with water buffalo.  The Yee clan settled here 36 generations ago.  I'm the 37th. The Yee Ancestral village was settled by four brothers from the Yee clan around the fall of the Song Dynasty in 1279. When Kublai Khan and his Mongol hordes conquered the Southern Song Dynasty from northern China, the result forced a lot of Chinese to flee to the south. The last census says there are over 300 Yee clan villages in the area, which is on the Taishan and Kaiping border.

Field view - You can see the Yee Ancestral Arch, which gives a friendly welcome to you as you return from a hard day's work toiling the fields. Money from overseas Chinese during the late 19th and early 20th century enabled many Chinese to build permanent housing.  My great grandfather, Jim Yee was one of them who went to Canada.  There are some recent re-developments of houses by many nouveau riche Yee villagers.  The village settlement is around 725 years old and some of the buildings look like the same age.

North View - You can see Kaiping and neighbouring villages to the north east.  This view is from Jim Yee's grave site.

The Hills Are Alive - Western view,  very green and lush.  Bok Choy, Peanuts, Cauliflower, Soya Beans, Sugar Cane, Taro, Tapioca, Mandarin Oranges and Rice are the common staple crops of subsistence farming. 

Eastern view - Each family has a small plot of land. 300 people live in my ancestral village. Very remote about 10 km from Kaiping.  Like a bad game of Civilization, they have electricity, 1 telephone line, cable TV and an elaborate irrigation system, now if they could only discover indoor plumbing and flush toilets.

Southern View Millipede Mountain - This is the view of the southern mountain range of the valley, where the village is located.

My Family's Plot -  Uncle Fai Nang and me standing on one of the terraces over.   Uncle Fai Nang said he farmed for 15 years before coming to Canada.

Terrace Graves - Great Grandma and Great Grandpa (Jim Yee).  Jim Yee came to Canada in the early 1900's to work in a Chinese laundry and farms with his father.  My Great-Great Grandfather paid the head tax for him.  Jim Yee later started a restaurant in Vulcan, Alberta.  After The Chinese Immigration Act (Exclusion Act) of 1923 was passed, Jim Yee was unable to bring his wife and children to Canada.  He decided to stay in Canada and did not return to China until the 1978.  My dad emigrated to Canada in 1964.  I had the chance to meet Jim Yee when I was 8 years old.  I remember he didn't like using chopsticks and preferred using a fork.

Every Water Buffalo is a Big Fertilizer Factory - I saw two water buffalo in the village, they sure gave my village its namesake. 

Organic Farming - Kids squatting with the free range chickens, rice and greens.  People pay a mint for organic crops.  If only I could export my village crops to North America.

Fertilizer Processing Factory - Cow dung produced by the water buffalo is brought here to be dried and processed for fertilizer.  As you can see the inventory is low, time to go find more cow dung. 

El Toro! - Water buffalo grazing on grass acts a multipurpose beast of burden, lawn mower, and fertilizer factory.

Rice Rocket - Modified tractor engine with buggy.  You see a lot of these on the country roads in southern China.  I wonder if it has a nitrous kit?

Kaiping Fried Ducklings - These ducks will eventually grow up to be fat juicy roasted barbequed duck, some of the lucky few will become succulent Peking duck. Finger licking good.

Peasant Life - Chinese version of UPS. I'm ready to go to market with the harvest.  

Fish, Plankton, Sea Greens - Uncle Fai Nang with a fishing net, the pond has lots of large carp.

Self-Reliance and Arduous Struggle - Uncle Douglas demonstrating the correct farming techniques and delivery method in the classic Chinese peanut man bag pose.

© 2002-2005 Stanley Yee