Family Tree Essays

Family Tree Essays Family Tree Essay Family Tree Essay Essay Topic: Chinatown Family Tree Exercise My grandparents from my mothers side of the family were both born in China and resided in a small town their entire life. My grandmother?Po Po, goes by the name of Ling Tan; and my grandfather?Gung Gung, is called Chau Yi Chen. Both of them lived in the same village and were tied together through arrange marriage which is a very popular tradition in China. Due to Chinas one child policy, my grandfather grew up with no siblings because it was illegal to give birth to more than one child. Unless he family is within the minority and falls under certain circumstances, the family would be fined heavily if they give birth to addition children. Grandfather Chau Yi worked as a farmer to help support his family; and Grandmother Ling was born in a middle class family and had an older brother?Tim Chi Tan. Being a middle class family had given her family the ability to pay off their fine for having a second child. Granduncle Tim Chi left home in 1958 hoping for a better future in life, but he has never returned home ever since?neither did he contact the family. : Therefore, I do not have much info about him and my mother would forbid me asking. Nevertheless, my grandmother grew up helping her parents in a small Chinese restaurant until she married my grandfather. After my grandparents were married for two years, they gave birth to my mother named Yan Ru Chen and a younger brother named Chang Yi Chen. Uncle Chang Yi worked at a restaurant as a waiter during daytime and a delivers newspaper early in the morning. Uncle Chang Yi left home in 1984 in attempts to seek a better life by swimming across the border to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, he failed his first attempt and was deported back home. Knowing that the opportunities in China are very limited, my grandmother cannot stand seeing her sons potential to succeed trample in waste. She exhausted her savings to payoff generals for my uncle to reach Hong Kong safely?undocumented. His second attempt to leave home was a success, and a new chapter of his life begins. My uncle currently resides in Hong Kong and is happily married with two daughters. Furthermore, my grandparents from my fathers side of the family were also born in China and lived in the Guangdong Province their entire life. My grandma?Ma Ma, Hua Li L, and grandpa?Yei Yet, Chung Yu, both grew up as the only child in their family and were raised in the lower class. They were neighbors and knew each other ever since their early adolescent years. My grandma grew up working in her parents grocery store selling fruits and vegetables as a living. My grandpa worked in a farmer market selling pork and fish and supported his parents. My grandparents were married in 1945 and 3 years later they had their first and only child which is my ather named Shiu Ki Yu. My father left home around 1974 to work in the naw for 5 years and later immigrated to United States after hearing how beautiful it is and how much freedom you can have. My mother immigrated to the United States in 1987 and was introduced to my father by an old friend from China. The first and only city both of my parents lived in the United States is San Francisco. My father worked as a chief in Chinatown and my mother worked as seamstress on Third Street of market. In 1990, they gave birth to my older sister and two years later I was born. Another two grandparents did not want to move to America because they were afraid to start a new lifestyle, old of age, and language will be a barrier for them. At the same time, my parents were not able to support them while being paid a low wage and trying to feed their three kids. Currently, my parents are retired while my siblings and I are pursuing our college education in California. A new life soon awaits as we all look forward to being the first in the family to pursue a higher education and to graduate college.