Roots in ShenZhou, China 2010.

One time when my cousin took us to eat at SM Xiamen, the man making octopus balls asked if we were foreigners (to my cousin, of course. My sister and I aren’t fluent in Chinese at all. The practice of speaking Chinese died with our generation. lol.). My cousin explained that we were already mixed blood and that we were raised in the Philippines. The octopus ball man then grumbled that he was disappointed we forgot our roots and our forefathers.

Even though it was a bit funny, it really did hit me that we didn’t appreciate where we came from as much as we should have. I have never met Angkong and so have a lot of my cousins here in the Philippines because he died way before we were born… Still, it would have been nice if our parents strictly imposed on us to speak Chinese. That would have been easier for us to keep our identity in a way plus it’s a bonus in the business world.

My grandfather came from a province called ShenZhou. It really impressed us that the place improved so MUCH from the last time we visited. The granite and marble businesses are flourishing in this part of China because mining resources are abundant.

I found it very ironic to see Mercedez Benz, Porche, Audi and other expensive brands of cars all around a very provincial scene. Never had I seen an ordinary matte colored car the whole time I was there! All shiny, dark SUVs and such. Goes to show how hard working Chinese are, especially those who came from a hard life in the province.

My grandfather came from this humble place and went to the Philippines during the hard communist life, just like many other Chinese-Filipino’s grandparents. He sought to earn a living in this country. Times were really difficult as my dad would tell me stories about his childhood, but because of very hard work, wit and perseverance, they were able to save and save and eventually live a good standard of life.

Like I said, I’ve never met my grandfather but my dad has always told me about his admiration for him and how great a man he was. Angkong was a man of few words such that if he were to speak, everyone would respectfully and gladly listen for they know wisdom would come to them.

I hope I can still visit again in the future when I’ll have my own family. I think it would be really cool to show the future generation the life they came from.