My Dad's Side of the Family...

I cannot take for granted the "American" part of "American born Chinese."

It came with a lot of sacrifice, hardships, and hard work.

My dad's dad was a landowner in mainland China who the Communists sought to annihilate in the 1940's. He dodged Communist bullets on his bicycle through streets covered with dead, bloodstained bodies and was one of the few lucky ones who made it on a ship to Taiwan. There, he rebuilt his life.

My grandfather in his 60s decided that he wanted to provide his wife and four children a better and more promising future by moving from Taiwan to the U.S. In Queens, N.Y., my grandparents bought a vacant spot in Chinatown and started the Kuansing Dumpling House. People would wait in long lines just to order some of his famous, tasty dumplings.

Because the eatery was located in Chinatown, the Triads gave my grandfather a hard time. They wouldn't pay for meals and some of the people my grandfather knew were shot to death. But because my grandfather was big-hearted and upright, the Triads began to respect him and even called him "Chi-lao" or Elder Chi.

My grandparent's shop helped put his four children through professional degrees.

My grandfather is definitely one of my heroes. What I distinctly remember about him is his wide, cheerful grin that would brighten his entire face. He would also sketch the most beautiful rabbits I have ever seen.

I owe so much to my grandfather. I am so thankful that he chose a more promising future for his family in America. In everything I do, I hope to make him proud.

Chinese Triads http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triad_(underground_societies)

Communist China - Tiananmen Square 20 years later: A Survivor's Story http://www.realcourage.org/2009/04/tiananmen-survivors-story/