Huang Wong

    When his family left China, he followed.  After all, how could one not follow in the footsteps of a beloved family?   Huang Wong's son moved to the United States after his son met and married a Chinese- American woman.  When Huang Wong's son and daughter-in-law had children of their own, they called upon Huang Wong to come move out of China to be with them and to help care for his grandchildren.  However, Huang Wong wondered if he could truly find a better life in America after life in China had forever scarred him.

    The majority of Huang Wong's life took place in Canton (Guangdong), China.  Huang Wong's parents were fruit farmers, with 6 children to help out with the farm.  Those who did not farm relied on relatives to send money to them.  Yet if the farmers had no relatives to send money, then they survived/ obtained money by selling their metals, then their clothing, then eating flowers and tree bark, and eventually selling their children, then themselves, as slaves.   Unfortunately, this was the fate of many as Huang Wong grew up.  This poor quality of life was attributed to Japan brutally invading China in WWII.  Some tried to flee and migrate, yet they had no family to turn to for help, so they died. 

Canton, China, is located near the Sea of Japan, with the Xun River running through it.  With all of its water supplies, Canton is one of China's largest areas of fertile land.  Therefore, farming and agriculture is very important in Canton.  (Image courtesy of Wikimedia)

    A very prominent figure in modern-day China, Mao Zedong was very influential to Huang Wong and the area in which he lived.  In response to all of the havoc in China, Mao Zedong provided relief, or at least promised to provide relief, to the peasant farmers, including Huang Wong's parents.  In Huang Wong's eyes, Mao saved China by caring for the peasants and fixing some of the problems, such as the poverty.  In the West, Mao is generally seen as a bad political figure.  His failed attempts at bringing China to power and glory, such as the Great Leap Forward, resulted in the deaths of over 23 million people.  Yet in the eyes of a native Chinese, Mao is seen as a good political figure in China, even though he created many new problems China would have to face. 


Providing relief to the low, peasant farmers was rare among many leaders in Chinese history, yet Mao was able to bring his communistic government to power by tactically gaining the support of the farmers, which accounted for the majority of the Chinese population.  (Image courtesy of Flickr)

    Huang Wong was brought to the United States by his son and daughter-in-law.  He enjoys Chicago and the United States for the democracy, freedoms, and four seasons.  Yet Huang Wong's life is very isolated to the confines of Chinatown, for he only speaks Chinese, and it becomes a nuisance to speak with non Chinese-speaking people outside of Chinatown.  In Chinatown, however, Huang Wong feels accepted among the other Chinese people, with stories/ experiences similar to his own.  This acceptance and sense of "home", however, came after much time was spent living in the United States.