A Special Historical Guided Tour of
​The Village Fortress / Mansion of Kaiping in Guangdong, China

Date: Fall/Winter 2019
​Location: Jiangmen, Kaiping & Taishan, Guangdong, China

In 2017, 13 participants travelled to Guangdong, China with Dr. Henry Yu (UBC) and two additional UBC team members, to join Dr. Selia Tan (Wuyi University) on a special collaborate programme organised by us (CCHSBC), St. John's College (UBC) and the Guangdong Qiaoxing Research Centre of Wuyi University.

​Participants explored and experienced, in accessible and fun ways, the latest research perspectives on the history, cultures, and geographies of Cantonese migration from the 'Szeyup' or 'Four Counties' area of Canton (Guangdong) Province, the home region of the majority of the overseas Chinese who went to Canada in the 19th and 20th century. For participants who pre-identified their home village in the Siyi (Szeyup) or Zhongshan region, they had the opportunity to visit their home village(s).

Unlike commercial tours or those organised by travel agencies, this special programme has been organised by the top scholarly research centre on Cantonese overseas migration in the world, and grows out of joint research collaborations between Wuyi University and UBC researchers such as Dr. Yu and his Chinese Canadian Stories research team.

​Following the success of the 2017 tour, we are planning to run this special programme again in 2019. We welcome heritage professionals and enthusiasts, architects and amateur family historians, planners and policy makers, as well as retirees and alumni to join us!

​If you would like to get the latest information on our 2019 tour, please sign up for our mailing list.

Testimonials

The team went above and beyond in terms of home village research and village visits. They found relatives that I didn't know existed and I got to meet them. The team was professional addressing all questions and issues that arose. Overall great trip! ~Nancy W.

I loved the student researchers, guides and translators. They were very responsible and considerate and added youthful energy to the trip. The cultural offerings were interesting and fun, and it was great that the trip was flexible in that we changed the plan to go to Sha Hu first, which wasn't even part of the original itinerary. Without this tour, I would not have spoken or reviewed my home language and may never have visited these ancestral lands because of logistically difficulties. ~Pat P.

I was able to attend this tour because of a grant. The trip was a step into the unknown, but it was great because the tour offered me the opportunity to visit my ancestral village, which was what I was most interested in. Thank you! ~Steven W.

Introducing the philosophical background by Selia early on made everything in the trip make sense as things unfolded. Participating, even as observers, in the visits gave very valuable insights and interactions with locals that cannot be duplicated. The research and follow-through were amazingly thorough for such difficul subjects, and the researchers and interpreters were very personable and helpful. ~Laurence L.

I really appreciated the wonderful sites and experiences I had on this trip (including the food). Selia put together a wonderful and caring student team that really looked after a diverse group of trip participants. Overall, this tour was highly enjoyable - a common sentiment I've heard from others too. ~Rob H.