today i saw a couple of workers fixing up an old tomb along the 157 route (yes. that cemetery hidden amidst the trees) i always look into the trees as the bus whizzes past and try to see if i can spot the tombs in between. when i was younger i pretended not to notice them, out of superstituion and fear, but after i while i realised that is actually kinda interesting to think about them.
as one of the fortunate few who have yet to lose a direct relative (the only person i have lost so far is my greatgranduncle, whom im not particularly close to and am not obliged to visit so i dont suppose he counts), ive never actually gone to visit a tomb. come to think of it ive never actually buried anyone either. and anyhow, my ancestral burial grounds are probably in some obscure part of China, which im not even sure my dad knows where, so i dont suppose ill ever stumble into a whole area of deceased Ous. and its not like i can fly back to visit them during Qing Ming Jie or something.
but anyways, everytime i pass by (when im not asleep) i wonder about the people lying under the soil and their families. did they live to a ripe old age? are they buried next to their loved one? (there are a couple of tombs side by side) do their families come to visit them often? when Qing Ming Jie rolls around a couple of them get fresh flowers, new saplings, and lots of incense, so i muse over how nice it must feel, to have generations of people come to pay their respects even when you're long gone. (although then i wonder if these people include the youngest generations, and if these lucky tombs are the minority)
at least this restoration seems to indicate too, that these ancestors of ours (or more appropriately, yours) are receiving some attention, despite all the claims of apathetic youths and the diminishing emphasis on tradition culture and what not.
