The last time I was in mainland China and Hongkong was in 1995. That was a long time ago. This summer, we will go back, and will also visit Taiwan. Yes, it will be hot, sweating hot, day and night, and perhaps will be hearing mosquitoes ringing in the ears at dusk, again. My childhood memories of hot summer was associated with mosquitoes ringing, and stinging, at dusk, in my maternal grandma's courtyard. (How nice it would be if I could still see my grandma, even with all the heat and all the mosquitoes!)

Taiwan will be our first stop, where we will stay for ten days. We will be meeting our in-laws, and descendants of Li-qing's uncles and aunts. It will be a meeting across the oceans, and by-passing a generation. We will be seeing, for ourselves, this beautiful island that shares the dialect, culture, and climate of our hometown in Southeast China.

Then we will go back to our hometown. For me, it's Shima in Longhai City; for Li-qing, it's Xiamen. Xiamen is also the place where I attended graduate school, and taught for about ten years. Shima is where I grew up, attended primary and secondary schools (except for the last two years of primary school, when I went to Fuzhou), and taught briefly. We will also go to Zhangzhou, where my former students are already planning a welcome party for us. Then we will go to Fuzhou, to meet with my friends, my former classmates of 55 years ago, and Li-qing's sister and her family.

On our way home, we will stop in Hongkong for a couple of days before we board our plane back to the States. I have a few college schoolmates there, and Li-qing also has some relatives. I will be posting pictures of the trip when I have time for the web.

• Northwest China
• Hong and Sandy 2005 China trip
• Wei and Maki 2004 home trip
• Li-qing 2004 China trip
• Wei and Maki 2003 home trip
• Li-qing 1999 China trip (Chinese text only)
• Li-qing and Yannan 1995 China trip (Chinese text only)

离我上次(1995年)回国，已经12年了。我们终于决定今年夏天回去一趟。尽管天气是热，蚊虫是多。但我们毕竟是在那样的环境里长大的，而且当年没有空调，没有电风扇，只有芭蕉扇。多少个漫漫的夏夜，睡在阳台上，还得半夜起来擦汗。然后，继续摇着芭蕉扇睡去，又再次醒来擦汗。还有蚊子，特别在王公巷外婆家。嗡嗡作响，铺天盖地。然而，那却是些值得怀念的日子，一是因为我们终于熬了过来，二是因为一些亲人，特别是外婆，当时还健在。

台湾我们从没有去过，却准备呆十天。我们将会见我们的亲家亲家母，和丽卿在台的两个叔伯的后人。这是隔洋和越代的会见。不过，由于早有书信和电话来往，他们的孩子也来看过我们，我们已经是未见如故了。台湾的人文、方言、天气和水果与我们的家乡(龙海石码和厦门)极其相似，但历史和体制十分不同。因此，这将是有趣的探索之旅。

九龙江畔的石码是我的故乡。那里还有我的母亲、弟弟，和众多的亲人。西湖小学(现名实验小学)的龙眼树应该还在，如果碰到台风，也一定仍有落地龙眼可拣。九龙江应该依然潮涨潮落，浑浊如初。但如果想游到对岸，恐怕已经力不从心。江上多了一座桥。如果去“过溪”，就不必乘小舟了。

漳州不是家乡更是家乡，因为那里有我的众多的学生，而且正在欢迎我们去。当年的那些光洁的额头，想必已经爬上皱纹。不过，当年的那些亮晶晶的眼睛，一定依然笑意荡漾。

厦门是丽卿的故乡，厦门大学是我读两年研究生和教书八年的地方。值得怀念的有原来芙蓉三的两间筒间，楼下的芙蓉园，和步行十分钟可到的厦大海滩。

福州可以算是我的第二故乡，因为我小学两年，大学四年，工作五年，都在这里。这里有我的生死之交，还有丽卿的姐姐一家人。

香港我们也将停留三天。那里有我的一些大学同窗，和丽卿的亲人。

旅途照片和感想，将陆续贴的我的网页上。

• 大西北
• 庄宏秀娟2005年中国游
• 庄伟麻纪子2004回国
• 丽卿2004年回国
• 庄伟麻纪子2003年回国
• 丽卿1999年回国
• 丽卿燕南1995年回国

我们在台湾停留十天，拜访了亲家和亲家母以及丽卿的堂姐(伯父家)及六叔一家人，并从台北玩到台南。