My Two Years in China

I left Malaya and my beloved maternal grandmother when I was two years old. My departure from Segamat must have broken her heart. I was too young to understand that, but looking back and knowing now how much I meant to her, I can imagine how sad she must have been to see me leave for China.

I have very vague memories of my two years in China. At the very young age of two I guess it made very little difference where I was. I probably did not appreciate the difference between the home in Malaya and the new home in China. I cannot even remember if I missed the kind face of my maternal grandmother I left behind. When I got to China I immediately acquired a new set of grandparents, my paternal grandparents. By Chinese standard my father came from a very small family. My father had only one younger sister. Like my father she too left China for a life in Malaya. She too got married in Malaya and made her home first in Seremban and later in Segamat.

Compared to Segamat, my life in China was decidedly more comfortable. In our new home in China we had servants to tend to most of our needs. The house we lived in was larger compared to the cramp shop house in Segamat. I can still remember our village in China. There was a large lake just across the front gate of our house. There were tall tree on the bank of the lake and I can remember fishing boats in the lake. The front door into the house was round. From the front door, just inside the house there was a large courtyard. On the other side of the courtyard there were some steps to another door. Inside this second door was another smaller yard with doors leading to the kitchen, the main house and to some other rooms. I cannot clearly remember the layout of the whole house but I can always visualize that little narrow lane at the back of the house where I played my childhood games. To the right of the house just outside the front door, was a road leading to the market. I can still remember walking along this road to the market with my paternal grandfather. Each morning grandfather and I would walk into the market to buy a fish for my lunch and dinner. I was much loved by my paternal grandfather.

During the two years in China my mother gave birth to one of my brothers. Just as I was the apple of my grandfather’s eye, this brother of mine was the love of my grandmother’s life. I guess life in China was pretty good for us. I cannot recall any sadness or any distressing event during the two years.

At the age of four my mother, father, paternal grandfather returned to Malaya leaving my brother in China on the insistence of my grandmother.

At four years of age, back into the loving care of my maternal grandmother in Segamat and the continuing affection from my grandfather, life was very good for me. I was beginning to appreciate my blissful existence.