By then Tow and wife were already in their 70s and his wife had find it difficult to stand the bad air pollution in Hong Kong. One of Tow's younger brothers and family had migrated to Vancouver and had find it all right there. The future of Hong Kong was also not sure. There had been discussions between Beijing and London about returning Hong Kong to China.
The properties Tow was looking after on behalf of his family were mostly sold off and distributed. After further enquiries, and after discussing with his wife and his daughters, Tow, his wife and his 3rd daughter Teh decided to pack their bags and migrate to Canada.
They found Vancouver easy to get settled in. There were already many immigrants from Hong Kong. Teh was happier there. Translators were in demand. She could also teach English, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese there.
Unfortunately Tow's wife continued to be in poor health and died in Canada in 1985. She regretted she could not fulfill her wish to die in her home country China. Teh continued to stay with him and look after him.
Before this, Fah's wife was also in poor health and died in 1982. Two years later, Fah remarried to a slightly younger woman from S China. He was by then close to retirement. His two children were fully grown up, the elder was getting married soon.
After discussing with his father and sister, he and his new wife also decided to migrate to Vancouver, Canada. His younger son also joined them.
[To be continued. ...]
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011
3. Family Reunion
The 'Cultural Revolution' went on until Mao died in 1976. In the same year, the 'gang of four' who pursued the excesses in the name of Mao were also arrested.
Tow right away arranged to visit his son and daughter in China. He first got help from some friends in position in China. Then he asked his wife to go. She did get permission to enter China to visit both her son and her daughter separately. They also had not seen each other since 1949 although they had since talked on the long distance telephone.
After his wife's visit, Tow arranged a family get together at Khang where Fah and his family still stayed. To travel to the city Khang, Teh needed permission which she got. Finally they held this happy reunion in 1977.
By then, Fah had two children. His wife was not in good health, very much due to the excessive sufferings during the Cultural Revolution. Tow's wife was also not in good health. Teh was still not married. Her patriotic revolutionary zeal was already gone.
By 1978, in China, Deng Xiaoping took over leadership and turned China around to go for economic reform. He also gradually removed some unrealistic excesses of the past political policies.
Tow wasted no time to arrange getting Teh out of China. It was very useful that Teh was born in Hong Kong and not mainland China. He got the permission for her and she got out in 1979 to a very different sociey, very commercial. At first she had difficulty finding a good job. After getting used to the Hong Kong society, she got a job doing translation.
Getting Fah and family out of China was more difficult. Fah first came over himself for a visit to check on the new environment and his medical qualification. The latter was unfortunately not recognised. Schools for his children were also a problem. Thus Fah and his family stayed on longer in a slowly transforming China.
Tow right away arranged to visit his son and daughter in China. He first got help from some friends in position in China. Then he asked his wife to go. She did get permission to enter China to visit both her son and her daughter separately. They also had not seen each other since 1949 although they had since talked on the long distance telephone.
After his wife's visit, Tow arranged a family get together at Khang where Fah and his family still stayed. To travel to the city Khang, Teh needed permission which she got. Finally they held this happy reunion in 1977.
By then, Fah had two children. His wife was not in good health, very much due to the excessive sufferings during the Cultural Revolution. Tow's wife was also not in good health. Teh was still not married. Her patriotic revolutionary zeal was already gone.
By 1978, in China, Deng Xiaoping took over leadership and turned China around to go for economic reform. He also gradually removed some unrealistic excesses of the past political policies.
Tow wasted no time to arrange getting Teh out of China. It was very useful that Teh was born in Hong Kong and not mainland China. He got the permission for her and she got out in 1979 to a very different sociey, very commercial. At first she had difficulty finding a good job. After getting used to the Hong Kong society, she got a job doing translation.
Getting Fah and family out of China was more difficult. Fah first came over himself for a visit to check on the new environment and his medical qualification. The latter was unfortunately not recognised. Schools for his children were also a problem. Thus Fah and his family stayed on longer in a slowly transforming China.
2. More News
It took another four years before Tow received another letter from his son Fah in China. The letter was opened before being sent out. Some parts were clearly blanked out.
Fah had got married to a woman from the same hospital. Her father was a teacher from a town near Khang. This meant she was more used to the cold weather and he had a larger circle of relatives.
Fah also had some news of his sister Teh. She was asked to change to a lower ranked university. But she finally graduated with a education degree. the letter's blanked off part was about her treatment. Tow subsequently knew she was also badly treated for the same reason as her brother. It was no use to defend herself that she volunteered to stay on in China after 1949 out of revolutionary patriotism. Fortunately her English skills learnt while in Hong Kong was useful. She was assigned to teach English and translation at a foreign language College. It was subsequently revealed that she was closely monitored in this College.
In Hong Kong, Tow and his wife were happy with their second daughter Sie. She could not enter the only university as it was very difficult to enter. Instead she took nursing studies and got qualified. Due to her good looks and pleasant personality, she got on well with and married a medical doctor.
In subsequent years, Tow got some indirect news from time to times of Fah and family and of Teh. In general, times were difficult in China. Many in China died of starvation at the time of the 'Great Leap Forward' from 1958 to 1961. Fah and Teh continued to get bad treatment and distrust due to their overseas Chinese bourgeois background. Generally, treatment of anyone with both educated and bourgeois background very harsh during the time of the 'Cultural Revolution'. This
started in 1966 for about 10 years. Many were sent to the villages to do manual work.
Tow, his wife, and Sie were still not allowed to enter China to visit Fah and Teh, due very much to Tow being an overseas Chinese bourgeois. Even money and food sent up were not received. The family had find this emotionally very difficult.
It was only in 1970 that there were slight relaxation of the entry restrictions. Sie was the first to enter China and had touching separate meetings with his sister, and his brother which she had never seen since 1949.
Fah had got married to a woman from the same hospital. Her father was a teacher from a town near Khang. This meant she was more used to the cold weather and he had a larger circle of relatives.
Fah also had some news of his sister Teh. She was asked to change to a lower ranked university. But she finally graduated with a education degree. the letter's blanked off part was about her treatment. Tow subsequently knew she was also badly treated for the same reason as her brother. It was no use to defend herself that she volunteered to stay on in China after 1949 out of revolutionary patriotism. Fortunately her English skills learnt while in Hong Kong was useful. She was assigned to teach English and translation at a foreign language College. It was subsequently revealed that she was closely monitored in this College.
In Hong Kong, Tow and his wife were happy with their second daughter Sie. She could not enter the only university as it was very difficult to enter. Instead she took nursing studies and got qualified. Due to her good looks and pleasant personality, she got on well with and married a medical doctor.
In subsequent years, Tow got some indirect news from time to times of Fah and family and of Teh. In general, times were difficult in China. Many in China died of starvation at the time of the 'Great Leap Forward' from 1958 to 1961. Fah and Teh continued to get bad treatment and distrust due to their overseas Chinese bourgeois background. Generally, treatment of anyone with both educated and bourgeois background very harsh during the time of the 'Cultural Revolution'. This
started in 1966 for about 10 years. Many were sent to the villages to do manual work.
Tow, his wife, and Sie were still not allowed to enter China to visit Fah and Teh, due very much to Tow being an overseas Chinese bourgeois. Even money and food sent up were not received. The family had find this emotionally very difficult.
It was only in 1970 that there were slight relaxation of the entry restrictions. Sie was the first to enter China and had touching separate meetings with his sister, and his brother which she had never seen since 1949.
1. Splitting the family
[This is a fictional Blog. It is temporarily published for comments. There will be further editing.]
Tow was very worried about his three children studying in China. Mao Zedong's communist Red Armies were already occupying most of China. Chiang Kai-Sek's armies could get aid and supplies from the US, but did not have much support of the general population. Some soldiers and officers were deserting.
Tow asked his children to come back to Hong Hong for safety. The second daughter Sie agreed but not the first and third even after much reasoning. The first son Fah was finishing his medical studies up there at a good university and still had to continue his internship there. The third daughter Teh wanted to stay on in China out of revolutionary patriotism. "Why run away? It is our duty to serve and build up the Motherland."
Tow had no choice but to return to Hong Kong with Sie and continued to work in a bank and to look after his family's properties.
Mao's Red Armies continued to advance south. But they stopped at the border with Hong Kong which was a strategic trading outpost ceded to Britain as a colony. The armies were strong enough to march on to take Hong Kong. For some reason they stopped. Thus Hong Kong could still continue as a British colony out in what they called the Far East.
Soon, Chiang had to retreat further. He refused to surrender. Instead he withdrew his administration and his armies to the nearby island of Taiwan considered a part of China. Mao was thus in control of nearly the whole mainland China. In 1949, he could declare in Beijing the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
"What's happening?" Tow said to his wife about their two children. "I wrote to them but there's no reply. The newspapers are reporting bad news of starvation, harsh treatments and imprisonments. I need to go up and visit them."
Unfortunately at the border with mainland China, Tow was not allowed to enter and had to turn back.
Life in Hong Kong for Tow was all right. But he and Hem were anxious for any news of Fah and Teh. Three years later, they were happy to receive a letter direct from Fah.
Fah had finished his medical studies. He got his degree as well as finished his internment to practice. He hinted he was badly treated and monitored. Subsequent Tow understood Fah's bad treatment was because he was an overseas Chinese from Hong Kong and the son of a landowner. But as Fah's medical knowledge was useful, he was sent far up north to Khang, one of the many cities short of doctors. Unfortunately his accommodation had nearly no heating and winter was below freezing there.
Tow was very worried about his three children studying in China. Mao Zedong's communist Red Armies were already occupying most of China. Chiang Kai-Sek's armies could get aid and supplies from the US, but did not have much support of the general population. Some soldiers and officers were deserting.
Tow asked his children to come back to Hong Hong for safety. The second daughter Sie agreed but not the first and third even after much reasoning. The first son Fah was finishing his medical studies up there at a good university and still had to continue his internship there. The third daughter Teh wanted to stay on in China out of revolutionary patriotism. "Why run away? It is our duty to serve and build up the Motherland."
Tow had no choice but to return to Hong Kong with Sie and continued to work in a bank and to look after his family's properties.
Mao's Red Armies continued to advance south. But they stopped at the border with Hong Kong which was a strategic trading outpost ceded to Britain as a colony. The armies were strong enough to march on to take Hong Kong. For some reason they stopped. Thus Hong Kong could still continue as a British colony out in what they called the Far East.
Soon, Chiang had to retreat further. He refused to surrender. Instead he withdrew his administration and his armies to the nearby island of Taiwan considered a part of China. Mao was thus in control of nearly the whole mainland China. In 1949, he could declare in Beijing the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
"What's happening?" Tow said to his wife about their two children. "I wrote to them but there's no reply. The newspapers are reporting bad news of starvation, harsh treatments and imprisonments. I need to go up and visit them."
Unfortunately at the border with mainland China, Tow was not allowed to enter and had to turn back.
Life in Hong Kong for Tow was all right. But he and Hem were anxious for any news of Fah and Teh. Three years later, they were happy to receive a letter direct from Fah.
Fah had finished his medical studies. He got his degree as well as finished his internment to practice. He hinted he was badly treated and monitored. Subsequent Tow understood Fah's bad treatment was because he was an overseas Chinese from Hong Kong and the son of a landowner. But as Fah's medical knowledge was useful, he was sent far up north to Khang, one of the many cities short of doctors. Unfortunately his accommodation had nearly no heating and winter was below freezing there.
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