Rambling around my ancestral Hainan
Pang Hee How (馮啟豪; Feng Qi Hao), B.A. (Hons., 1971), M.A. (University of Singapore, 1978), Ph.D. (Monash University, 1988), was Senior Tutor from 1981 and Lecturer from 1988 to 1994 in the Department of Philosophy, University of Singapore, before retiring to Sydney, Australia.
He had previously served his national service in the Singapore Armed Forces as 81mm Mortar Officer and as reservist Support Company Commander, and worked in the Port of Singapore Authority and the Housing and Development Board.
Budgeting
It is always advisable to plan and budget your spending money when on vacation.
Travel Agenda
It is always advisable to have a valid travel insurance.
Cover painting: Lydia Chan Lai Har
about ME
Copyright
Born in a remote Wenchang village on the northeastern coast of Hainan Island in 1949, the author accompanied his mother on a steamship to Singapore at the age of four.
His memories of his ancestral home were sporadic and hazy, and an undistinguished career swiftly faded.
But fortuitous opportunities enabled him to traipse around Hainan, absorbing marvellous sights, communicating with enterprising locals, and discovering his intriguing heritage.
In this travelogue, he now shares his delightful adventures in the idyllic but strategic tropical paradise that will one day emerge as the leading metropolis of populous China.
Rambling Around Hainan is a unique travel guide to the beautiful sights around Hainan Island, which is the principal island of Hainan Province, China.
The guide also offers glimpses into the history of Hainan Province and China, and the important personages associated with the island.
Born in Seremban, Lydia Wong Lai Har was an Art teacher in a Malaysian high school until her move in 1988 to Sydney, where she volunteered her service as Art assistant in her two teenage sons' school while her husband Daniel Chan was serving his final years as Principal of Ipoh Anglo-Chinese School. His sudden demise in mid-2011 was a pivoting point in her life.
Experimenting with water-colouring, Lydia soon found the medium very therapeutic. Since then, she blossomed as a Water-colourist. Her aptly-channelled passion and talent won her several awards in local Art Competitions, including First Prize in "Better Book Covers" Competition at Randwick Literary Institute "Annual Arts Festival" 2012 and 2013. Her paintings were also exhibited in Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Prince of Wales Children's Hospital, and Maroubra Bowen Library, receiving praises from visitors.
February 2015: I was desperate … desperate for an artist who could paint a coconut tree, a painting which I hoped to use for the front cover of my planned self-published travelogue Rambling around my ancestral Hainan.
Fruitless weekends were spent scouring around Sydney and Cabramatta. I was dejected. I shared my concern with Kiau (Ivy) Ching, a Christian. “I know Lydia Chan; she is an award-winning artist,” she reassured. Within a week, Lydia produced not one but four paintings of coconut trees. The rest is history.