TOMB SWEEPING DQ

1. What is Qingming? What traditions does Ling Ling’s family practice? (pg.197-201) Qingming is a traditional Chinese festival also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, where families honor their ancestors by cleaning their graves, offering food, burning spirit money, and making other offerings to ensure their spirits are cared for in the afterlife 18 2.

a. What is comic relief? Find an example in the text. Comic relief provides humor to lighten a serious scene. An example appears when Ling Ling observes the absurdity of modern spirit money offerings:

“I saw a silver paper BMW the size of my torso; the people following her carried other large items: a three-story house made of golden bricks; a box of what looked like iPhones and iPads; and, most absurd, a gleaming paper washing machine with a red warranty sticker on its door.” (pg.201) This humorous image contrasts the seriousness of the ritual with the modern, exaggerated "luxuries" offered to ancestors.

  1. The narrator’s emotional response to Qingming and their relationship with the dead:

  • The narrator refuses to participate in the traditional Qingming rituals, expressing anger and frustration, as seen on page 18: "I refuse to go to the cemetery. I refuse to go to Changi Beach...I scream and pull at my hair and clothes; I cry until my parents leave me alone." This shows their emotional conflict and resistance towards remembering the dead conventionally.

b. What traditions does your family practice with regard to death and the afterlife? This personal reflection will vary, but typical traditions include visiting graves, offering food, lighting incense, and burning spirit money, similar to Ling Ling’s family practices.

2. What happened to Ling Ling’s bogong (grandfather’s brother)? What was happening in Singapore at the time? (pg.203-205) Bogong was killed during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II, with photographs showing massacres and atrocities inflicted by Japanese soldiers 12 2. This was a period marked by violence, war crimes, and mass suffering, with images of decapitated heads and prisoners highlighting the atrocities 12.

a. What was Waigong’s (Ling Ling’s grandfather) relationship with his brother like? Waigong’s relationship with Bogong was marked by love and loss; he mourns Bogong deeply. For instance, he offers Ling Ling a book about the Japanese occupation, emphasizing Bogong’s connection:

“My gege took care of me every day, until the day he disappeared at Changi Beach.” 9

  1. The narrator's dream and fears about mediums and spirits:

  • The recurring dreams about the medium swimming into the water and spirits reaching out indicate the narrator’s fear and guilt related to spirits and the afterlife. For example, on page 18, the narrator dreams of the medium smiling or laughing while reaching for spirits, yet feeling afraid and guilty, "And yet I know, even in those blurry landscapes of sleep, I can and should not run."

3. What examples can you find in the text of Waigong’s unresolved grief? (pg.206-207) Waigong’s grief is evident through his anger and insistence that honoring his brother means confronting the truth harshly. An example:

“Honor my brother? Honor my brother? This is not honoring my brother. This is disrespectful.” 6 He objects to the new medium at Changi Beach, seeing it as a betrayal, and his anger escalates when he calls the medium a murderer. His grief manifests as rage and accusations, showing he has not fully processed his loss.

a. Why does Waigong object to the new medium leading the Qingming prayers at Changi Beach? (pg.201-202) He believes the medium is “mixed up” and unworthy, arguing that the spirits and the dead deserve respect, not the “murderers,” referring to the Japanese soldiers, showing his mistrust in the modern spiritual practices and his unresolved anger toward those responsible for his brother’s death 5.

The importance placed on honoring ancestors, but also the complexities involved:

  • The story of the medium and the spirits on pages 16-17 illustrates the cultural importance of ancestral respect, but also the unpredictable and sometimes unsettling nature of these practices, especially when the medium disappears into the sea amid spirits and waves.

4. How is Ling Ling’s relationship with Changi Beach and the medium different from her grandfather’s? Ling Ling’s perspective is more accepting and curious, contrasting her grandfather’s anger and rejection.

a. “This was a place where people now picnicked and flew kites and watched planes fly above. It was not a place where people should think of massacres.” (pg.210) This shows Ling Ling viewing Changi Beach as a peaceful recreational spot, distancing herself from her grandfather’s traumatic associations with it.

b. “The medium placed a hand on my shoulder, and in his touch, I felt protected. I realized I liked the medium, despite my grandfather’s and the temple-goers’ various remarks.” (pg.210) Her positive feelings toward the medium reflect her openness and a desire to understand the spiritual realm differently from her grandfather’s conflicted view.

c. “I don’t like to think of myself that way. I like, instead, to think that my parents put me in perfect symmetry with this country’s history.” (pg.211) Ling Ling perceives herself as having a broader, more inclusive view of history—acknowledging different sides—something her grandfather struggles with.

The history and memory of the Japanese occupation as part of cultural remembrance:

  • On page 12, the narrator looks at a photograph of children celebrating, which triggers memories of the Japanese occupation. The detailed description of the photos and the narrator’s reflection show how remembering past atrocities forms part of understanding history: "I looked over every child's face, in search of my grandfather...and it occurred to me that he had been looking for his brother in the images."

5. What do you think happened to the medium after he went into the water? (pg.211-212) a. What does Ling Ling think? (pg.197, 211-212) Ling Ling wonders if the medium might have drowned or been lost at sea:

“What if this man, who had tattoos and a sadness in his eyes, got caught in the water and was never seen again?” (pg.212) Her thoughts suggest uncertainty about his fate.

b. What does Ling Ling think? She is unsure but feels a sense of foreboding, reflecting her concern that his death might be linked to unresolved conflicts or his spiritual connection to the site.

The impact of political repression and family history:

  • The story of the grandfather's disappearance and the secretive nature of his involvement with communists reveal family trauma linked to political upheaval. On page 15, the grandmother recounts the loss of Gege, who was last seen involved with a group of young communists and eventually "taken" by authorities, leading to a period of waiting and uncertainty.

6. What are some possible repercussions of the medium’s death? (pg.213) His death could leave spirits unsettled, disrupt ongoing rituals, and symbolize unresolved trauma within the community. It may also deepen Ling Ling’s awareness of the fragility of the spiritual connection she is beginning to explore.

a. What effect did his death have on Ling Ling? (pg.214) She feels reflective and slightly unsettled, realizing the fragility of life and the spiritual realm:

“I thought about the medium, the water, and how he might have been taken away by something unresolved.” (pg.214)

The material expressions of respect and remembrance, including spirit money and offerings:

  • Pages 2 and 5 describe how the family prepares spirit money and offerings for their ancestors, highlighting the importance of these rituals. The imagery of spirit money burning: "the bills turned to ashes and the embers and smoke flickered up into the spirit world" (page 2), and the detailed description of offerings such as flowers and spirit money on page 5, support this.

7. Discuss Ling Ling’s father’s opinion: a. “So he was a good person, you say? Maybe. But if your parents made mistakes, and their parents made worse mistakes, and their parents made even worse mistakes, you can’t live your life thinking that nobody has to pay for those mistakes?” (pg.213) This suggests that Ling Ling’s father believes in accountability and that historical injustices have long-term consequences which must be acknowledged and addressed.

b. How does a country make amends after committing war crimes and atrocities? Healing involves acknowledgment, memorialization, reparations, and fostering understanding. While not explicitly detailed in the excerpt, the text hints at the importance of remembering facts, confronting truth, and respecting victims to foster reconciliation.

The modern commercialization and cultural commercialization of Qingming:

  • On page 2 and 5, there are descriptions of families shopping for elaborate spirit money, luxury paper items like a BMW, and various electronic goods, reflecting how contemporary Qingming traditions incorporate modern consumerism, sometimes in an exaggerated way.

8. How does one recover and move on from grief and trauma, such as after having lost a loved one? Recovery might involve acknowledgment, ritual, and confronting unresolved feelings, but failure to do so can lead to lingering trauma, guilt, and unresolved conflicts.

a. What are the possible consequences if one is unable to heal from grief and trauma? Ling Ling’s grandfather’s unresolved grief manifests as anger and bitterness, which can strain relationships and hinder emotional healing. The unresolved grief may also prevent collective healing within the community or nation, perpetuating cycles of pain and silence.

The conflict between traditional beliefs and personal feelings:

  • The narrator’s internal conflict is evident on page 18, where she does not want to participate in the rituals, feeling anger and resistance towards being forced into remembering her ancestors: "Today, when yet another Qingming has arrived, I refuse to go."