Last month I spent four nights in China and Hong Kong for Chinese New Year. It was the first time in fourteen years that I was there to celebrate with my extended family.
My parents, brother and I all took separate flights to Hong Kong airport, before rushing together across the border to Shenzhen in time to meet my grandma for dinner.
After a ridiculous amount of food and a good night's rest, I explored the local park near my grandmother's apartment with my dad and older brother, as my mum and grandma packed suitcases of gifts for the extended family.
The park was nothing like anything I have seen in Melbourne. It was probably a Chinese suburban version of New York's Central Park, a giant green space surrounded by a bustling metropolis.
Bike lanes ran alongside the main footpaths were filled with people leisurely riding share-bikes. Various rolling hills led to pagodas to rest, or blossom trees where people would lie down to bake in the sun. Children threw plastic planes soaring high and far, endearing them with a sense of awe.
We took the train to my parents' home town to see my Mum's side of the family. The following afternoon, my parents took us to see my Dad's house growing up.
Grandma was in high spirits sharing with us how much the house had changed and stories about my Dad growing up. I had visited here a few times before, but this was the first time I felt a sense of family connection and importance here. I won't ever forget the steep concrete staircase behind the shop to walk up there.
Mum showed me where she used to live and work. She had to walk through somebody else's toilet to enter her house when she was a child, and the shop she worked at was right around the corner.
Dad went to school nearby, and he ran into his best primary school's friends parents who were very old now as we meandered through the streets.
They showed us how they walked home from school and shared stories of all the different alleyways they could zigzag through. I hadn't seen them light up this much in a while.
Being back in my parents' hometown made me realise that there are some places in China which don't change quickly. My grandparents on Mum's side moved house for the first time in over 20 years recently, and my aunt's house where I stayed was where my cousins grew up.
The following night we were back in Shenzhen. After dinner with relatives we separated from our parents, as the others our age showed us the nightlife in the city.
We drank late night bubble tea from a trendy leafy joint which stocked Cereal magazine, before walking through the thumping nightclub district, where upper-class rich kids in street-wear would go and mingle.
We climbed up to the rooftop of the Shenzhen Space Theatre to see a grand view of the city. It was probably illegal, but incredibly thrilling.
We ended the night riding share-bikes on the empty Shenzhen streets, and eating chips and drinking soy milk at the local KFC.
The following morning, we raced across the border back to Hong Kong before enjoying an extended lunch at Jumbo, a floating restaurant on the harbour.
This was the first trip returning to China and Hong Kong since going vegetarian/vegan. I was incredibly grateful to all of my extended family who were accepting and extremely hospitable.
It turned out that one of our family friends at lunch had been the original head chef of Jumbo in the 1950's, so we had an incredibly delightful time there and they gave us a few gifts which was very kind of them. I may have drank a lot of wine.
This was my final stop before rushing to a flight back home to head straight back to the 9-5 grind.
It was a jam-packed crazy four nights, but nevertheless an important four nights for me because for the first time in my life, I felt a deep sense of my family roots and was able to connect and experience these places with other young adults.
I think I would describe this experience as a foreign homecoming.
© 2026 Thomas Feng
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