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MY GRANDFATHER KNOWN TO ME AS YEYE WAS BORN INTO A LARGE WELLTODO
MERCHANT CLASS FAMILY IN THE EARLY 1930S DURING A TROUBLED TIME IN CHINA A
DECADE AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OF DYNASTIC IMPERIALISM THAT LASTED OVER 2000
YEARS CHINA IN THE 1920S WAS FIGHTING TO FIND ITS IDENTITY AMONG A MASSIVE
CULTURAL SHIFT WARLORDISM AND CIVIL WAR IN AN INCREASINGLY GLOBAL WORLD

TENSIONS WERE BREWING WHILE MY YEYE GREW UP IN WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS AN
IDYLLIC CHILDHOOD DESPITE UNSETTLING CLUES OF A QUIETLY TURBULENT AND CHANGING
TIME HE WAS THE ELDEST OF SIX SIBLINGS BORN TO A MOTHER OF BOUND FEET AND A
SUCCESSFUL MERCHANT FATHER WHO WOULD DISAPPEAR MOST AFTERNOONS TO
FREQUENT OPIUM DENS OR AS HE CALLED THEM TEA HOUSES

THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF CHANGING DYNASTIC RULES INGRAINED CAUTIONS OF
INFLATIONARY CURRENCY IN CHINESE PSYCHE AND MOST PEOPLE DURING THIS TIME
TURNED TO GOLD AS SAVINGS AS WELL AS AN INFORMAL MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE MY YE
YE REMEMBERS A LARGE WOODEN CABINET IN THE MAIN SITTING ROOM OF HIS HOUSE
WHERE A HIDDEN TRAP DOOR WAS INSTALLED BY HIS FATHER IN IT HELD THE MAJORITY
OF HIS FAMILYS WEALTH IN GOLD AND SILVER  THE REST WAS HIDDEN IN THE GROUND
UNDER HIS MOTHERS WOODEN WARDROBE

AT THE TIME OF MY YEYES CHILDHOOD A TAEL OF GOLD COULD PURCHASE 40 BAGS OF
FINE FLOUR AT 40 LBS EACH  TOWARDS THE PEAK OF CIVIL UNREST A PASSAGE ON BOAT
FROM THE MAINLAND TO TAIWAN COULD COST UP TO 10 TAELS OF GOLD

BY THE TIME MY YEYE TURNED EIGHTEEN THE JAPANESE WERE RETREATING AND THE
TEMPORARY TRUCE BETWEEN TWO CLASHING POLITICAL IDEALS WAS FALLING APART THE
SECOND JAPOSINO WAR IMPOVERISHED BOTH SIDES  WHILE THE KUOMINTANG
KMT INCREASED INFLATION TO PAY ITS DEBTS FROM CIVIL WAR FUNDING THE
COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA CPC WAS BEING ENERGIZED BY THE MASSES OF
PEASANTS LOOKING FOR A REVOLUTION

DRIVING THE RHETORIC OF THE COMMUNIST CAUSE WAS THE UNDERLYING DISTRUST AND
BITTERNESS OF WEALTH HELD BY THE UPPER CLASSES FOR CENTURIES AND THE PROMISE
FROM THE CPC TO REDISTRIBUTE LANDS TO THE PEOPLE ONCE THE WAR WAS OVER
LANDS OWNED BY FAMILIES LIKE MY YEYES

WHATEVER FUTURE HE HAD ENVISIONED FOR HIMSELF DISAPPEARED WHEN IT BECAME
TOO DANGEROUS TO ASSUME HIS OWN IDENTITY IT WAS DECIDED THAT HE AND HIS
SIBLINGS WOULD DISBAND AND ASSUME NEW IDENTITIES FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY HIS
FATHER REMOVED FIVE TAELS OF GOLD FROM HIS HIDDEN CABINET AND HIS MOTHER HID
THEM IN MY YEYES CLOTHES AND SHOES THEY SENT HIM OFF TO QINGDAO  A
RELATIVELY NEUTRAL ZONE AT THE TIME HE STILL REMEMBERS THE FEELING OF THE GOLD
YUANBAO WEDGED IN BETWEEN HIS TOES AND THE LUMP HE FELT ON HIS UNDERARM
FROM BEING SEWN INTO THE LINING OF HIS SHIRT

ONCE HE ARRIVED IN QINGDAO AND SITUATIONS SEEMED BLEAK MY YEYE GAVE HIS
FIVE GOLD YUANBAO MEANT FOR HIS SURVIVAL TO HIS COUSIN AND DECIDED HE WAS
GOING TO ABANDON HIS HOME HIS FAMILY HIS COUNTRY HE HAS SINCE REBUILT HIS
LIFE TWICE ONCE AS A REFUGEE IN TAIWAN AND AGAIN AS AN IMMIGRANT IN CANADA
IT WOULD BE 50 YEARS UNTIL HE RETURNED TO HIS ANCESTRAL HOME  HE NEVER SAW
HIS MOTHER AGAIN

FROM CHINA TO ZIMBABWE TO PRESENT DAY VENEZUELA THIS WORSTCASE SCENARIO
ISNT AN EXCEPTIONAL STORY  ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REFUGEES ARE STILL FLEEING
OPPRESSIVE REGIMES TODAY OFTEN WITH HEAVY FINANCIAL COSTS IN EXCHANGE FOR
FREEDOM