Hometown: the best place in the world

"I liked hanging out at music teahouses when I was young," Huang Jingjing, director of South Africa Johannesburg Huaxing Arts Group, was still nostalgic about the golden age of Guangdong pop music in the 1980s and 1990s, even though she has lived abroad for nearly two decades. At that time, she used to sing at various music teahouses in Guangzhou and was later signed by GDTV. She once frequently showed up in a number of variety shows in Guangdong and Hong Kong.
 

In 2006, Huang Jingjing decided to quit singing and settled in Johannesburg, South Africa. "After singing for more than 20 years, I wanted a new way of life. It was a coincidence that I was attracted by South Africa's beautiful views during a tour with my friends, and then I settled there."

However, Huang Jingjing sometimes felt homesick. She went to Johannesburg's Chinatown every once in a while. That place was a source of comfort, where she met people who spoke Chinese, tasted Chinese food, and talked about each other's hometown. "Overseas Chinese in Johannesburg help each other when anyone is in need. I wondered if I could make a difference in the local diaspora community by taking advantage of my expertise in event planning, singing, and stage performance," she said.
 

In August 2012, Huang became the chief planner of the Miss Chinese Africa Beauty Contest, and in 2013, she worked with local overseas Chinese communities to initiate the South African session of the "Cultures of China Water Cube Cup Chinese Song Contest" for young Overseas Chinese. "This year marks the 12th anniversary of this event. Previously, all the participants were Chinese people, but young people of other races have also joined us in recent years."

In addition, Huang Jingjing and some local overseas Chinese artists founded the South Africa-China Culture and Art Exchange Association. They have organized cultural activities, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala and Spring Festival Gala, to create special memories for the second and third generation Chinese immigrants.

In 2015, the association was licensed by "Culture of China · Huaxing Arts Group" to promote Chinese culture in Chinese communities abroad. To recognize her dedication to promoting Chinese culture, Huang won the Brilliance of China Award issued jointly by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and other authorities.
 

"My grandma truly adored me. She ever told me jokingly, 'You won't strike gold when you grow up. You just like singing, dancing, and dressing up.' It turned out she was right," Huang said with a smile. "For me, it is hard to live without music. I stopped singing during the first few years in South Africa. However, I started over and achieved unexpected results," she added. Since being a part of "Chinese culture going global" helped her find a new goal in life, "I will keep on doing it," she said.

People can never get rid of their attachment to their homeland.

Huang Jingjing feels more homesick as her parents grow older. In the summer of 2024, she departed from Johannesburg, transited through Hong Kong, and finally returned to Guangzhou, where she had been away for a long time.

Regardless of the fatigue after traveling a long distance, the first thing Huang did after arriving in Guangzhou was to accompany her parents, who were in their 80s, to drink morning tea in Sai Kwan. When she was a kid, going to Lian Xiang Lou Restaurant for morning tea was a regular weekend activity for her family.
 

Sai Kwan, an old town featuring the fusion of tradition and modernity and a combination of history and reality, is the carrier of Huang's childhood memories. Recalling Sai Kwan mansions, she knew them like the back of her hand, naming structures in those mansions, such as slid-lock doors, Manchuria windows, butterfly windows, and wood carvings.

Huang said, "In South Africa, I often dreamed of Sai Kwan mansions. This is the ancient 'anti-theft door' with aslid-lock. My grandparents closed the door at night and locked it from inside."
 

"As a young woman, I longed for a far-distant place and the world outside. However, after traveling to many places, I find there is no place like my hometown," Huang said. This was a long journey of discovery for herself and also a statement of her love for her hometown.

Hometown always holds a special place in her heart.
 

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Copywriter / Video script | Gong Chunhui

Cameraman | Zhang Guanjun

Video editor | Jin Di

Poster | Pan Jie Tan Wei

Operation | Huang Xinying, Chen Longyan, Feng Huiting, Jiang Chang

English editors | Liu Lingzhi, Wei Shen, Huang Qini

Coordinators | Lu Yi, Xie Miaofeng, Zeng Qiang, Qi Lei, Ouyang Yan

Planners | Wang Xiyong, Cao Si, Zhao Yang, Wang Haijun