Na Tai District is about 100 miles southwest of Guangzhou, at the west edge of the rich Pearl River delta. It is very remote and small, but sits on a strategic ancient trail that connects the "inside mountain" world in the southwest to the "outside civilized" world in the northwest. Vast areas of rice paddies are included in the district and surround it. Between Horse Bridge and Golden Branch Mountain, there are rolling hills and mountain ranges but hardly any villages. From our house, we could see a constant silvery streak running down from Golden Branch Mountain. It was a waterfall. The climate is hot and humid in summer, and cold, chilly with no snow in winter. There is plenty of rainfall to irrigate the land, and plenty of sunshine to scorch the land, too.
Na Tai Market was the head of the district (1). There we had a school, a temple, a sheriff office, a postal station and about a dozen shops. My grandfather owned one, a carpenter shop. Some shops could brew rice wine and liquor. My father and brother graduated from the school located there. Father later taught there. I went through fifth grade there. On Market Day, the market was a bustling place. It was also a place for gatherings, gossip, volleyball games, stage shows, puppet shows, dragon dance, gambling and opium den.
Ox Hill was the focal point. It was a huge forest. On its northern slope were five villages. On its southwest slope was the burial ground. On its southeast slope was a large flat area used for playground. It was there that a volleyball hit me when I was five, causing a near-fatal nosebleed. I was in a coma, was wrapped in a flag and carried home for death.
Most villages were established between the Market and Ox Hill. Village #2 belongs to Liu (Lau). Villages #3 and 11 belong to Tsao (Tow). Village #6 belongs to Lin (Lam). Number 7 belongs to Chiu (Hugh), Lin and Xe (Hooi). Ox Buttock (at #14) was unknown and near extinct. The rest belongs to Chiu, the overwhelming majority. Na Looi Village (#4) is ours.
The main crop was rice. Minor crops were sweet potato, brown rice, peanuts, corn, sugar cane, and lotus. The river, ponds, swamps, rice paddies and brooks yielded some fish, clam, shrimp, snail, crab, and eel. The mountains yielded plenty of fern, firewood and some wild game. Horse Bridge produced fine sand, for construction and road paving. Vegetables and fruits were abundant. Linen was grown once.
Most people were peasants. A few were also shop keepers. Very few were high school graduates. Only one or two were college graduates. One man was on the national volleyball team at the Far East Olympics. One family was expert in making paper lanterns and kites for generations. Another family were butchers for three generations. One blind man was a fortune teller. Two men were stage actors, one acting as a lady. A one-eyed man owned a horse, the only horse in the whole district. Some of the old folks never set foot beyond the boundary and spent their whole lives within the district.
In school days, all students marched in unison from the Market to Ox Hill. They were in boy scout uniforms, and for a change, wearing tennis shoes. The colorful flags, rhythmic drum beats, and horns and whistles attracted crowds of bystanders. Excited moms and kids flocked to the village square to watch them passing through. Kids even followed them all the way to Ox Hill.
All the adult men seemed to know each other in the district.
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