As is evident, I haven't updated my biking and travel blog a while. Although I still bike whenever I get the chance (weekly), I recently have been spending more time on researching and writing about my (Chinese's) wife's family. The story covers the last 100 years in this country's tumultuous history, from the last dynasty, to the Republic, the Japanese War, the Cultural Revolution, and present day China. My wife's grandfather was an artist, musician and assistant pastor at a Methodist church in Jinan, Shandong, in the 1940s. After graduating from North China Union Theological College (or Huiwen Theological School, 汇文神学院），he worked for an American pastor, Perry Oliver Hanson (韩丕瑞）at a Methodist church in Jinan. After 1949, he worked as a teacher at Ningyang's pedagogical college (宁阳师范学校）。 In the 1960s and later in the 80s, he worked in Beijing and lived in a traditional Beijing courtyard (四合院). Located at Houhai (后海）he learned watercolor painting from Guan Guangzhi (关广志）。 Their home was close to the Song Qingling's residence and also Ma Haide (马海德 or George Hatem) . Apparently his son Zhou Youma (周幼马) took a picture of grandfather for the China Reconstructs magazine.
If you have any interesting information on any of the people or places mentioned here, please leave a comment.
