The April Talk Story on April 14, 2019 started off by wrapping up the March Talk Story with Rita Moy discussing her trip to Toisan and finding her roots as a second-generation Chinese American. She discussed the urbanization of villages and rice patties into high-rises and went to nearby villages depicting houses and how people lived in the villages.
Carole Louie then discussed her experience as she learned about Yangshi Lei, the Lei family architects who designed and built the buildings and gardens for the last eight emperors of the Qing Dynasty. This journey lead her to share the stories in her books “Conversations with a Hungry Ghost” and “The Legacy of Lei Family Architects.” These books help celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of Lei Fada, the progenitor of Yangshi Lei.
Carole Louie is an award-winning Interior Designer and Feng Shui Consultant. Her ancestors came to San Francisco during the 1800s from Toishan District in Canton Province.