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Ancestral Soul • Locust Tree Sentiment • Tears of Loved Ones
In the blink of an eye, the Chinese Zhou clan’s ancestral‑veneration ceremony had already come to a close, yet the solemn music of the rite still lingers in my ears, the devout reverence still seems to unfold before my eyes, and those tearful gazes continue to tug at my heart. I find myself asking: Why is this so? After all, it has nothing to do with me! As a ceremonial attendant, my role is simply to provide exemplary service—so why does it stir me so deeply? Why does my heart knot up again and again, shaken time and again? After much reflection, I finally understand: it all stems from our “root‑and‑ancestor bond.” Though we do not share the same surname, though we may be separated by thousands of miles, we nonetheless share a common…
Reflections on a Second Visit to the Great Locust Tree
My second visit to the Great Locust Tree was the year before last, in the early summer of 2010, just after I had returned home from Qufu. By then, the tree’s expansion had been underway for several years, and its old appearance had given way to a fresh new look. Within the Ancestral Worship Park, everything felt both strangely unfamiliar to me—this latecomer—and strikingly novel. Basking in the morning sunlight of summer, strolling through that vast courtyard was, in itself, quite delightful. The grand Root Gate, the uniquely designed shadow wall, the lotus pond, the monks’ temple, the farmhouse with its wheat field—so many new sights, one after another, left me overwhelmed and dazzled. Perhaps it was because it was my first time; after wandering through more than half the park, taking in only a quick glance at each spot, I found myself a bit dazed, unsure where exactly I was…
Roots in the Ancestral Locust Tree—Hometown Sentiment Bonds the Hearts of the Locust Descendants
“As dusk approaches, birds all circle the trees; when the year draws to a close, people inevitably long for home.” When the first wave of migrants had come to realize there was no hope of returning, faced with the bright moon over their homeland, they could neither compose a “Song of Following the Water” nor sing a “Nomadic Ballad.” Instead, what slipped from their lips was this: “Ask me, whence do my ancestors hail? From the great locust tree in Hongtong, Shanxi.” A mournful song can stand in for tears, and a distant gaze may serve as a return. Over the centuries, this simple folk ballad has soothed the wounds of countless descendants of the ancient locust tree, stirred the hearts of many, and kindled the hopes of countless others… Nostalgia is a sentiment shared by all humankind. Yet for those who have left their native land, the longing runs especially deep. “My yearning to return is like the Fen River—unceasingly flowing day and night.” Since the very first emigrants…
Ask where my ancestors once dwelled—there stands the great locust tree in Hongtong, Shanxi. What was their old home called? The stork’s nest beneath that venerable locust. In Hongtong County, Shanxi, the great locust tree is a household name, known to every man, woman, and child—on the mainland, in Taiwan, and among overseas Chinese alike. It is a symbol of our ancestral roots, a beacon of our shared heritage. Through six centuries of vicissitudes, journeying across vast distances and braving mountains and rivers, people gather before this sacred tree to pay homage and share stories of kinship. To the descendants of Yan and Huang, it is an evergreen tree of spirit and unity—a cherished home in the heart and a deep-rooted bond in the soul. My Zhang clan originally hailed from a village some thirteen li south of Hongtong County town in Shanxi Province. In the early years of the Ming dynasty, during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor, our founding ancestor, Master Lin, received imperial edict to relocate southward, settling forty li north of Feng County in Jiangsu, at a place known as…
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