Gu Zhihe, the son of "Father of the Hong Kong Philharmonic" Gu Jiahui, and his wife recently flew to Guangzhou from Canada. Their first stop was at the "Overseas Chinese Home" of the Overseas Chinese Federation in Liwan District, and then visited his father's former residence at No. 40 Nanheng, Duobao, Liwan. This three-story western-style building, which carries Gu Jiahui’s childhood memories, has now been included in the eighth batch of registered and protected cultural relic units in Liwan District.
"I haven't returned to China for five years, and I have always wanted to come to Guangzhou to see the current situation of my father's old residence. My father often said during his lifetime that this was the old childhood home that the three siblings missed the most. My biggest wish is that the old residence can be preserved in its original state forever," Gu Zhihe said.
The picture shows Gu Zhihe and his wife taking a group photo with Bu Zhiqun, chairman of the Liwan District Overseas Chinese Federation, in front of Gu Jiahui's former residence. Photo courtesy of Guangzhou Liwan District Overseas Chinese Federation
Gu Jiahui was born in Guangzhou in 1931. His family moved to Hong Kong in 1950. He died in Canada in January 2023. In his lifetime, he composed more than 1,200 famous songs such as "Shanghai Beach", "Love in the Past", "A Laugh in the Sea", "Love in Thousands of Mountains" and "Under the Lion Rock". He partnered with Huang Zhan to create the "Huang Huang" era of Hong Kong pop music.
What is little known is that this music master spent his youth in Liwan. Gu Zhihe introduced that in 1998, when Gu Jiahui and Huang Zhan held the "Hui Huang Guangzhou Concert" in Guangzhou, Zeng and his sister Gu Mei made a special trip back to visit their former residence. In September 2015, Gu Jiahui came to Guangzhou to participate in the "Retirement Ceremony Concert" and took Gu Zhihe and his wife to visit their old residence.
"My father always kept a low profile. There was a parking space at the door, so the family could only look at it through the car and take some photos as a souvenir." Gu Zhihe said, "The old house looked very old at the time, and my father kept talking about how beautiful it used to be."
In Gu Zhihe's view, his father's ability to become a benchmark figure in the Hong Kong Philharmonic is inseparable from his experience in Guangzhou. He said: "Guangzhou was the place of enlightenment for his Cantonese culture. My father went to primary school and middle school in Guangzhou and laid a cultural foundation. Then he went to Hong Kong and was influenced by the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, and finally chose music as his lifelong career."
Seeing that the old residence was being renovated, Gu Zhihe expressed his hope to restore it to its original appearance as much as possible. "Relevant parties in Hong Kong have held many concerts and exhibitions to commemorate "Hui Huang", and some even asked me to borrow items used by my father for exhibitions. If this former residence has such considerations in the future, I will be happy to cooperate." Gu Zhihe said.
The fact that this old house can be recognized, retained, and protected is a story of searching for a family that spans thousands of miles. At the end of 2023, Changhua Street announced the construction of building facades in Duobao Nanheng area. Liang Dongbi, a researcher on Xiguan culture, found out from the memoirs of Gu Mei that No. 40 Duobao Nanheng was suspected to be the former residence of Gu Jiahui and Gu Mei, and should be protected as the former residence of celebrities.
To turn "suspect" into "confirmation", it is necessary to obtain approval from Gu Jiahui's family in Canada. Liang Dong contacted the Liwan District Overseas Chinese Federation for help after unsuccessful attempts. Bu Zhiqun, chairman of the Liwan District Overseas Chinese Federation, contacted more than a dozen Canadian leaders of overseas Chinese associations to assist in the search through the channels of the Overseas Chinese Federation and overseas Chinese school alumni resources, and finally contacted Gu Zhihe and his wife. Gu Zhihe took the initiative to provide many old photos as evidence and issued a certificate, confirming that No. 40 Duobao Nanheng was the house where Gu Jiahui, Gu Mei and others lived in the 1940s.
After the former residence was confirmed, the Liwan District Overseas Chinese Federation invited Gu Zhihe and Gu Mei to visit their hometown many times. This time, Gu Zhihe and his wife finally stood in front of the door of their old residence. Accompanied by the Liwan District Overseas Chinese Federation, Gu Zhihe and his wife also visited Huang Zhan’s former residence, Liwan Museum, Cantonese Opera Art Museum and Yongqingfang. Before leaving, Gu Zhihe expressed his hope to come to Guangzhou again in the future to learn more about his father's experience of living and studying in Guangzhou. (over)
