"If You're Going to San Francisco"

Post 84 The Hippies

You may want to go to youtube and listen to this song made popular in the 60s. The lyric reflects the culture and radical beliefs of a new cultural movement. The decade from 1960 to 1970 saw the emergence of an anti-establishment Hippies group, spearheading from San Francisco to Canada and other parts of Europe. The hippies were rebels against middle-class values, especially during the 1960s. They adopted an unconventional way of life, particularly in clothes and behavior. I remember their anti-war rallies in the 60s well.

In my two brief visits to San Francisco, I enjoyed watching cable cars plying the city, visiting Fisherman's Wharf, travelling along the famously crooked Lombard Street and the Golden Gate Bridge, and speaking a few Chinese words at San Francisco's Chinatown, established in the 1840s. I also took an hour or so of bus-ride to the Muir Garden for a relaxing morning and a cup of tea during my first trip.

During the 19th Century, San Francisco was the center of the U.S. gold rush, with many early Chinese workers joining in the treasure hunt. The Chinese then called it “Gold Mountain”. However, with the discovery of gold in Melbourne, Australia, and in order to make a distinction between the two gold mines, the Chinese name for San Francisco was changed to “Old Gold Mountain”, and the one in Melbourne, "New Gold Mountain ".

Be it old or new, and “If You're Going to San Francisco”, be sure to “wear some flowers in your hair”!

1 March 2011