“广州人把出外消遣叫作‘蒲’，我年轻时很喜欢去音乐茶座‘蒲’。”旅居海外近20载，南非约堡华星艺术团团长黄晶晶对上世纪八九十年代广东流行音乐的黄金岁月，依然非常怀念。那时，她常在广州各音乐茶座驻唱，还成了广东电视台的签约歌手，是粤港两地多个综艺节目的常客。
"I liked hanging out at music teahouses when I was young," Huang Jingjing, director of South Africa Johannesburg Huaxing Arts Group, was still nostalgic about the golden age of Guangdong pop music in the 1980s and 1990s, even though she has lived abroad for nearly two decades. At that time, she used to sing at various music teahouses in Guangzhou and was later signed by GDTV. She once frequently showed up in a number of variety shows in Guangdong and Hong Kong.
△黄晶晶和父亲在广州街头自拍。
2006年，黄晶晶决定告别歌坛，定居南非约翰内斯堡。“当时唱20多年的歌，想着换一种生活方式。恰好和朋友来南非旅游，被这里的美丽风光所吸引，机缘巧合下就留了下来。”
为了排解乡愁，黄晶晶每隔一段时间就会去约翰内斯堡唐人街，听乡音、品乡味、叙乡情。“约堡的华侨华人遇到困难，都会互相帮衬。我就想着发挥自己在节目策划、唱歌、舞台表演方面的特长，为当地侨社做些事情。”
In 2006, Huang Jingjing decided to quit singing and settled in Johannesburg, South Africa. "After singing for more than 20 years, I wanted a new way of life. It was a coincidence that I was attracted by South Africa's beautiful views during a tour with my friends, and then I settled there."
However, Huang Jingjing sometimes felt homesick. She went to Johannesburg's Chinatown every once in a while. That place was a source of comfort, where she met people who spoke Chinese, tasted Chinese food, and talked about each other's hometown. "Overseas Chinese in Johannesburg help each other when anyone is in need. I wondered if I could make a difference in the local diaspora community by taking advantage of my expertise in event planning, singing, and stage performance," she said.
△南非约翰内斯堡唐人街中华牌楼。
2012年8月，黄晶晶成为非洲华裔小姐选美比赛的总策划人。2013年，她同多个侨社一道，发起首届“水立方杯”海外华裔青少年中文歌曲大赛南非赛区的选拔赛。“到今年，这个活动已经连续办了12届。前几年报名参赛的都是华裔，后来其他族裔的年轻朋友也慢慢加入进来。”
In August 2012, Huang became the chief planner of the Miss Chinese Africa Beauty Contest, and in 2013, she worked with local overseas Chinese communities to initiate the South African session of the "Cultures of China Water Cube Cup Chinese Song Contest" for young Overseas Chinese. "This year marks the 12th anniversary of this event. Previously, all the participants were Chinese people, but young people of other races have also joined us in recent years."
希望生活在海外的“侨二代”“侨三代”能从小有一份有关中秋、春节的回忆，黄晶晶又联合南非侨界艺术界朋友，在约翰内斯堡成立了南非中国文化艺术交流协会，策划举办中秋晚会、春节联欢演出等文化活动。
In addition, Huang Jingjing and some local overseas Chinese artists founded the South Africa-China Culture and Art Exchange Association. They have organized cultural activities, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala and Spring Festival Gala, to create special memories for the second and third generation Chinese immigrants.
2015年，南非中国文化艺术交流协会获“文化中国·华星艺术团”授牌；同年，黄晶晶获国务院侨办等机构颁发的第四届“中华之光——传播中华文化年度人物”奖。
In 2015, the association was licensed by "Culture of China · Huaxing Arts Group" to promote Chinese culture in Chinese communities abroad. To recognize her dedication to promoting Chinese culture, Huang won the Brilliance of China Award issued jointly by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and other authorities.
△黄晶晶在广州西关的小巷中漫步。
“小时候外婆特别疼我。记得她对我说，‘你长大也没啥出息，就是爱唱歌、跳舞、打扮’，她真的说准了。”回首往昔，黄晶晶笑言，“音乐，是我难以割舍的情缘。虽然刚到南非时曾中断过几年，但我又重新拾起来了，还有了意想不到的收获。”她说，推动中华文化“出海”，让自己找到了人生新方向，“这件事我会一直坚持下去”。
"My grandma truly adored me. She ever told me jokingly, 'You won't strike gold when you grow up. You just like singing, dancing, and dressing up.' It turned out she was right," Huang said with a smile. "For me, it is hard to live without music. I stopped singing during the first few years in South Africa. However, I started over and achieved unexpected results," she added. Since being a part of "Chinese culture going global" helped her find a new goal in life, "I will keep on doing it," she said.
乡愁跨山海，桑梓情常在。
People can never get rid of their attachment to their homeland.
随着父母年岁的增长，黄晶晶更觉思乡情切。今年夏天，她从约翰内斯堡起飞，经香港中转，回到阔别已久的广州。
Huang Jingjing feels more homesick as her parents grow older. In the summer of 2024, she departed from Johannesburg, transited through Hong Kong, and finally returned to Guangzhou, where she had been away for a long time.
顾不上旅途劳累，黄晶晶归家后的第一件事，就是陪年过八旬的父母饮茶。她说，小时候到莲香楼饮早茶是一家子固定的周末活动。
Regardless of the fatigue after traveling a long distance, the first thing Huang did after arriving in Guangzhou was to accompany her parents, who were in their 80s, to drink morning tea in Sai Kwan. When she was a kid, going to Lian Xiang Lou Restaurant for morning tea was a regular weekend activity for her family.
△放下行李后，黄晶晶拉上父母一同饮茶。
西关，这片传统和现代碰撞、历史与现实交织的老城区，承载了黄晶晶的童年回忆。趟栊门、满洲窗、蝴蝶窗、木雕花饰……虽已时隔多年，但提起西关大屋，她仍如数家珍。
Sai Kwan, an old town featuring the fusion of tradition and modernity and a combination of history and reality, is the carrier of Huang's childhood memories. Recalling Sai Kwan mansions, she knew them like the back of her hand, naming structures in those mansions, such as slid-lock doors, Manchuria windows, butterfly windows, and wood carvings.
“小时候，每当做完功课后，我喜欢倚靠在窗边，看着窗外的小桥流水、蓝天白云，心中会生出许多古灵精怪的想法。”“在南非，我时常也会梦到西关大屋。这是古老的‘防盗门’，每个趟栊都有这样的‘锁舌’，外公外婆到晚上就会把门关上后，在屋内上锁……”
"In South Africa, I often dreamed of Sai Kwan mansions. This is the ancient 'anti-theft door' with aslid-lock. My grandparents closed the door at night and locked it from inside," said Huang.
△在广州荔湾永庆坊，黄晶晶说起童年生活，一下子打开了话匣子。
“以前恨不得远走高飞，要去看外面的世界；现在看了很多地方后，还是觉得故乡最好。”这既是她在海外多年心路历程的写照，也传递出她对故土的思念。
家乡，始终是她内心最柔软的地方。
"As a young woman, I longed for a far-distant place and the world outside. However, after traveling to many places, I find there is no place like my hometown," Huang said. This was a long journey of discovery for herself and also a statement of her love for her hometown.
Hometown always holds a special place in her heart.