Our SO's Family History

[frank1538]

I was viewing Tywy's picures in the Gallery, and it reminded me of some of his posts where he talked about his wife's early years growing up in China.

 

I thought it might be interesting to get others' posts about our SO's family history. Jingwen is older than many of the SO's, but for her recent family history, her dad was a journalist for the Communist paper and a war correspondent during the Viet Nam war. He met his wife in a part of Viet Nam that is now part of China. Jingwen tells a story about how her dad helped to get his own father out of China, saying that he ended up in Panama of all places. One of Jingwen's older sisters was allowed to study one and only one foreign language - Russian. She actually studied in Russia and ended up as a teacher in China.

[Guest Gene]

It would be very interesting to know what China was like before Richard got us in there. I know a friend of mine, who is from Kunming, parents speak fluent Russian.

[jimglot]

I know that one day while talking to yafei i asked her about her father who was an accountant. She said before that "He was in the army, and fought in the Korean war" "he fought to help the Korean people"

 

i told her

 

"So did my father"

 

truth is stranger then fiction

 

Regards,

 

Jim

[Yuanyang]

I'd love to hear my SO's older siblings and mother talk about the years of the Cultural Revolution and the Civil War, but such unpleasant subjects such as that are never discussed. As I understand it, it is considered rude to even bring up those kinds of topics.

[BuffaloPaul]

I'd love to hear my SO's older siblings and mother talk about the years of the Cultural Revolution and the Civil War, but such unpleasant subjects such as that are never discussed.  As I understand it, it is considered rude to even bring up those kinds of topics.

146743[/snapback]

Yes, Jenny talked to me one time about her early years and living in the cultural revolution. Talks about waiting in long lines to get meager rations of food. Lots of Communist stuff in grade school with uniforms and everything pointed toward Mao. She never has said anything bad about Mao. If I remember right she also talked about stories of people disappearing. Just recently she told me (after defending everything Chinese for 2 years) about seeing the video of Tianamen Square when she was in Hong Kong one time several years ago. I assume I will hear more stories after she leaves China. She felt very uncomfortable talking about Tianamen incident.

[Randy W]

Yes, Jenny talked to me one time about her early years and living in the cultural revolution. Talks about waiting in long lines to get meager rations of food. Lots of Communist stuff in grade school with uniforms and everything pointed toward Mao. She never has said anything bad about Mao.0„2 If I remember right she also talked about stories of people disappearing.0„2 Just recently she told me (after defending everything Chinese for 2 years) about seeing the video of Tianamen Square when she was in Hong Kong one time several years ago. I assume I will hear more stories after she leaves China. She felt very uncomfortable talking about Tianamen incident.

146750[/snapback]

 

Watch 'XiuXiu, the Sent Down Girl' (ÌìÔ¡ - Tian Yu), a very poignant movie about a girl who 'disappeared' to Tibet in a sort of Cultural exchange program, and was forgotten when the Cultural Revolution ended.

 

A very good movie.

 

Your SO probably hasn't seen it.

Edited August 15, 2005 by Randy W (see edit history)

[david_dawei]

Here's a movie I own... very good.

 

The Little Chinese Seamstress

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-...section-videos/

[frank1538]

She never has said anything bad about Mao. 

146750[/snapback]

Jingwen has and I can tell you they aren't flattering at all - even about his sexual habits and abilities. Don't ask me how she knows this - maybe urban legend.

[Randy W]

She never has said anything bad about Mao.0„2

146750[/snapback]

Jingwen has and I can tell you they aren't flattering at all - even about his sexual habits and abilities. Don't ask me how she knows this - maybe urban legend.

146821[/snapback]

 

My Chinese male friend at work used to live in a small town in China, where the toilets were public and had no stall dividers.

 

He tells me that they had to be very careful to look for and cut out any pictures of Chairman Mao before using the newspaper which was available there for toilet paper.

 

Someone very possibly would notice.

[Yuanyang]

Whenever I would mention "The Chairman", SO just giggles.

 

She does belived that the folks in Beijing are good, it's the guys at the local level that are corrupt. As I have said before, she'd leave her camerman in the van recording her being thrown out of places when she was doing her TV reporting. She caught hell from the local officials until Beijing told'em to back off. She also would get excellent ratings when ever she did that stuff.

[Robert S.]

Nice idea, Frank. I have been planning to tell some of her family's stories but will wait and do so in a separate thread.

[skibum]

My wife was born during the cultural revolution. Her mother volunteered to be the child that was sent to the countryside as she was a Doctor and would not have to work in the fields. They had a nice home next to the hospital that used to belong to a Japanese.

The grandmother had a very nice home in Shanghai, not far from the French quarter. She took all her jewels and through them in the river so the Red Guards would not get them. There must be a lot there as it was common to do this.

My wife would take the train between Shanghai and Hunan where her parents were and spend about half the year in each place. She was able to go to a school for returned overseas Chinese in Shanghai where her aunt taught and got a good education.

The family has no love for the CCP as after they came to power, they took the summer home that they had on one of the islands off the coast. Later, after grandmother died, they took her Shanghai home for a road. Now, each year, Mom-in-law and her sisters make a visit to the islands chief and ask for the house back. They are told that if they find a place for the six or so families living there, they can get it back.

After my wife got her college degree in organic chemistry, she went to work for Yangzi Petroleum Co. She had a good job and enjoyed her life in China. Then she met me and her life changed alot!

Edited August 17, 2005 by skibum (see edit history)