Father's reflections of Shanghai Wai 1932

I've recorded Father's oral history each time I make a trip to SP. It always amazes me how father remembers every little details of his time spent in China. I am thankful for the time that I spent with him...sitting with him and hearing his stories. He said:

" I was studying in the Great China University when the Shanghai War started. The Japanese attacked some of settlements in China. Fortunately, the place I stayed was not attacked. When the war started, the tables and chairs from our class were transferred to the hospital. I became a storekeeper distributing food such as eggs, bread, rice to the people who were affected by the war. Life was difficult. Because of the war, we could not move about freely. I had no money. Fortunately, there was a Hokkien Association in Shanghai that help Hokkien students. I registered my name with the association and they paid for my fare to Amoy. In Amoy, I stayed there for a while before going back to Penang"

From his story, you can deduce that life for father was not easy. He went through the war and poverty yet his spirit remained strong. Shanghai War was in 1932. Dad was born in 1913. That shows that Dad was only 19 then.

For those grandchildren who are going nineteen...think of Ah Kong and how his life was like back then.

Recorded by Ang