2016 Roots Recap

In July 2016, ten Roots interns visited their ancestral villages in the Pearl River Delta region in Guangdong, China. This year was another success with visits to every intern's village. These photos are just a glimpse of their journeys in China. Visit their blog for more stories and stay tuned for their community presentation next year!

2016 Roots cohort atop one of the UNESCO Watch Towers of Hoiping

Hetty on the first day of rootings and entering the villages.

Words cannot describe the moment when I stepped out of the van and the rush that washed over all my senses as I was enveloped by the resounding acquiesence, 'This is where I come from...'

Katie's family has photos on their family altar matching the ones on her grandmother's wall back in the United States.

Ted explaining the honor of the house by the placard that was outside

Andy found some old family photos of him and his mom

Sometimes all we have is a picture. It often makes it harder to find the ancestral house, but it leaves no doubt when reality matches.

Marcus paying respects at his ancestral home in Toisan. It was a long walk through the rice patties to find this village on one of the hottest days of the trip.

Jeffrey getting schooled by the resident Sifu in the art of drumming

Zhongshan skyline

Tami has the clearest distinction of being the rainmaker of the year.

Ryan with a portrait of his ancestor. The resemblance was uncanny, though it was hard to tell because Ryan hasn't perfected the 'ancestor pose' of not smiling.

2016 Roots Leaders- Brian Yee, Al Cheng, Ted Truong and Derek Lee

The 2016 Roots interns and leaders at the Meiling 梅嶺 Pass in Nanxiong 南雄