#Cholon was the 1st #ChineseSettlement established in #Vietnam in 2nd half of 17th century, after the fall of the #MingDynasty in #China, by the people who remained loyal to the fallen emperor and exiled to Vietnam.
Then, later during the 18th century, a 2nd wave of #Chinese immigration arrived to Cholon, as a consequence of the demographic pressure in China.
*My patriarch ancestors fled from China in 18th century & starting rebuilding life in Saigon. This thread is about where we lived.
(3)The #survivors had to rebuild the town and took this opportunity to improve the waterway system by building high embankments and wharves along the river. The settlement then took the name of #TaiNgon (embankment).
It grew and became a bustling center of #commerce. #Chinese merchants started to trade a larger variety of goods such as building materials, opium, alcohol, tobacco.
The only remains of what was our multi-families home in #Cholon were pieces from the original foundation. There were no remains from my Grandpa's incense factory - which was located beside our family's house/compound. Where our home used to be - there's a gas station, water station & some small shops. There's an autobody shop & noodles shop, where Grandpa's incense factory was. I saw both sites when going back to my birthplace in the 90s with my parents.
@Susan60 My family was grateful that the folks, who now run businesses & have housing where our home & family incense factory was, not only gave us permission to do honouring ceremonies there - they provided incense & other offerings. We lost 5 family members(on Dad's side) during the Tet offensive. 3 of their bodies were never recovered. We lost almost everything. More than half of Mom's family, further South in a tiny village accessed only by riverboat, lost their lives during the US invasion.
When racists tell me to go back to where I came from - been told that too many times to count since coming to #Canada - I retort -> Would love to but my home was bombed. Being a war refugee wasn't a choice. Fuck off, racist.
@msquebanh Yeah, it's that "picking your batlles" thing. A lot of people are repeating things they've heard, most have been part of the majority thinking for so long, it's hard for them to get out of it & some are just funts. Some can be saved & change their thinking though, it's a question of whether you personally have the energy at that moment to do it? If not, it's not your effing job to educate people.
@jimllmixit I don't have the spoons to educate racists. It's not my job as a POC who has endured a lot of racism in my life either & I want more folks to understand it's not cool to ask for more emotional labour from POC folks. We are tired.
@msquebanh I'm Whitey McWhitey, I couldn't possibly know what it's been like for you. I have some understanding about being in a minority, but it's not the same.
@jimllmixit Points for honesty. I can't stand it when white folks try telling me or other POC that they've suffered racism & it's just like what we've experienced. They are ignorant. They need to read more books from POC perspectives.
@msquebanh We ignore all of the years leading up to the abolition of slavery, that's the past, we aren't responsible for that (& other Fairy Tales), the money paid out to the owners of slaves! That money has pretty much set up the entirety of the Capitalist system of exploitation, which every white person benefits from to this day, whether they want it to or not.
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