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In Sai Kwan (西關), Canton (廣州), Kwangtung province (廣東省), Republic of China (中華民國).
a street called as Chong Yuen Square (狀元坊),
Chong Yuen Square (狀元坊) has a lot of embroidery and tailors shops,
Canton resident order wedding clothing, Cantonese opera costumes and funeral costumes in here.
hkgalbert remember another around 770 feet (235 m) path - Kwong Nga Lane (光雅里),
it has a few coffin shops;
those coffin shops' opposite side, were a few funeral undertaker shops,
each funeral undertaker shops employed a few "crying actors (喊口佬)",
they are crying in clients' funeral, so as to make a sad atmosphere.
hkgalbert remember that "Ting Choi Kwai funeral undertaker shop (丁財貴儀仗店)" is one of them,
its boss is Mr. Choi Hing (蔡興, 1898 to ?).
Funeral is starting now! 舉行下葬禮!
God in the heaven! God in the earth! The deceased has been buried, he directly back to the heaven, 天皇皇!地皇皇!先君已下葬,直路上天堂(heaven),
please cry! (crying ...!) Gongs and drums are playing, Mr. Dolly, you back to the heaven, 無災亦無難,孝子淚汪汪,喊啦喂!(嗚......!)鼻涕眼淚啦!(嗚......!)多大鑼鼓就響叮噹啦,多利先生(Mr. Dolly)你上天堂,
No need to work hard anymore! 從此就無災亦無難,唔駛晚晚呢,捱到面黃黃呀!
employed a son to cry in the cemetery for you. please cry! (crying ...!) perform 3 kowtows, please kowtow! 你立下功勞無嘉獎,所以請個孝子上墳場。喊啦喂!(嗚......!)三叩首,再叩呀!
sharp teeth was your tools, thieves be afraid with you, you guarded bankers' residence. 在天法語係頂瓜瓜,你一生全靠係果棚牙,鼠竊狗偷見你就怕,銀行大班(banker)就靠你看家。
you ate fried beef steak everyday, and drank fresh milk every morning, 餐餐就要食煎牛扒(fried beef steak),朝朝鮮奶(fresh milk)呢,
just like to drink tea, 你就當飲茶,
please kowtow and cry! (crying ...!) 叩首!喊啦!(嗚......!)
please cry with snivel! gongs and drums are playing, you like the rich; and hate the poor! 喊到出鼻涕(snivel)!(嗚......!)係啦!多大鑼鼓就響叮噹啦,你生成愛富,就厭人窮!
madam love you so much, 好在阿夫人將你愛寵,
we hold a grand funeral for you today! 你搖頭擺尾把毛鬆,今日葬禮幾禁隆重呀!
guests are on queue! 多數朋友就擺長龍呀!
please cry more! (crying ...!) 孝子喊多兩句!(嗚......!)
please stand up, I will read funeral oration now! 大家肅立,宣讀祭文!
Today is 22nd June, 1967, Thursday, it is summer. 是為丁未年五月十五(22nd June, 1967, Thursday),節令夏至。俗云:「冬至如山;夏至三六。」
Mr. Dolly is so lucky, 多利先生(Mr. Dolly)本利口福,
your host love you so much, 幸得主人(host)情如手足,
you always live in concrete building, no need to stay in a wooden hut. 長住洋樓(concrete building),就不住木屋(wooden hut)。
you ate beef steak, no need to eat congee, comfortable life, 只擦牛扒(beef steak),就不擦白粥(congee)。利爪尖牙,就不需勞碌。
no need to worry about food and home, Indians are more stupid, guards are disloyal. 擺尾搖頭不憂食宿。阿差(Indian)冇你禁精;看更(guard)冇你禁純。
thieves be afraid with you, you could catch bandits. 鼠摸見你發茅;大賊你亦會捉。
manager is so sad for you; madam is crying for you. 經理(manager)為你傷心;夫人(madam)為你痛哭。
so hold a grand funeral for you, bought a formal western coffin, 所以大葬風光,買正式西式棺木(formal western coffin),
enshrine 3 cups of fresh milk, joss paper gold ingot and candles. 饗以鮮奶三杯(3 cups of fresh milk),奉獻元寶(joss paper gold ingot)、蠟燭(candles)。
if Mr. Dolly could feel, 多利先生(Mr. Dolly)有靈,
you should rest in peace. please keep silent! decorticate the tomb plate! 自應九泉瞑目。請各人靜默!揭幕!
however, the wage for a "crying actors (喊口佬)" was so humble,
they just got 2 to 3 cents (0.6 g of silver) per a funeral show,
on the other hand, work task is not stable too! 亦不是每天都有工作。
they were gorgeous and young juveniles,
in order to earn more money, they were compelled to be part time male prostitutes, let the rich to call them for fun.
Canton resident gave them a derogatory term as "male prostitutes (契弟)",
Canton argot: a blind man pass Kwong Nga Lane (光雅里) --- no eyes to see such gang of "male prostitutes (契弟)"! 盲公(blind man)過光雅里(Kwong Nga Lane)--冇眼睇你呢班「契弟」(male prostitutes)!
hkgalbert remember that Kwong Nga Lane (光雅里) had a few jade and jewellery shops too,
such as "Wah Hing Shing jade shop (華興盛玉器庄)" and "Cheong Shing Tai (昌盛泰)",
they used bold type and huge characters to write advertising banner,
Emphasize that thay imported the jades from Burma (Myanmar).
Kwong Nga Lane (光雅里) had a "Lai Cheong Sin Tong charity (黎昌善堂)" too,
just like Poh Teck Tung Foundation (มูลนิธิ ป่อเต็กตึ๊ง; 華僑報德善堂), beside Hua Lamphong Railway Station (สถา นีรถไฟ หัวลำโพง) in Bangkok, Thailand.
they also provided free funeral service for unclaimed bodies and poor people.
Kwong Nga Lane (光雅里) had a Chinese college, it was called as "Kou Wo Hok Suk (求我學塾)",
however, a horrible incident of campus violence had occured in 1919,
two students, Mr. So Kei Piu (蘇祺標) and Mr. Chiu Kwong Chung (招光忠),
as they hated thier teachers and classmates,
they put arsenic poison into the meat!
such action caused 7 died and 9 hurt tragedy, included a teacher Mr. Lai Fai Chung (黎輝仲),
hkgalbert's mother said Mr. Lai Fai Chung (黎輝仲) has a son who is Mr. Lai Cho Tin (黎祖田).
Kwong Nga Lane (光雅里) had a "Ping Kee *** den (炳記煙館)" too,
hkgalbert's mother said a drug addict refused to pay the bill after enjoy its *** and service, in 1924,
two *** den guards, Mr. Cheung Chi Ping (張治平) and Mr. Yu Hai Kwong (余海光) used a dagger to kill him,
pull his corpse into the lavatory, and chopped chopped into several parts!