A Search for Family Roots

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Exercise increased caution in Hong Kong due to civil unrest.

Since June 2019, large and small political demonstrations have taken place in various areas of the city. Some have resulted in violent confrontations between protesters and police.

Ignoring all that, RHS'69 Reunion Committee chair Vincent Yim visited Hong Kong to see and learn about the part of his family he never met.

Back home he removes his flak vest and tells of a wonderous trip.

We started the day touring all over Hong Kong Island.  We stopped at Aberdeen, an area that was world famous for what Hong Kong was all about, back in the days.

Stanley Market is here and you could buy anything for cheap. Merchants from all over the world came to barter for dirt cheap goods.

Expensive condos line the coast and only a small portion of the market remains to cater to the visitors to look at what once was.

I bought an oil hand-painted picture from a street vendor of the bustling streets of Hong Kong. For cheap, of course!

Our Crazy Uncle

The reason why our family went to Hong Kong and China was to see Kaufu. He is 92 and in failing health.

For over 40 years he had traveled the world representing the Chinese Government and buying crazy things to help it grow into the industrial power house it is today.

Years ago he stayed with us for a layover to China... carrying a large box of blueprints of the Long Beach and Oakland City power generating plant. They were growing fast and did not want to build a power plant from scratch, cheaper to buy two used ones!

Uncle said they came in and took the entire plant apart every nut and bolt. If the cement was not stuck to the ground they would have taken the slab too.

He has been recognized for his 40 years of work by Chairman Deng Xiaoping.

Amazingly, he is an American citizen.

February 1, 2020