My Paternal Grandmother

I know very little about my paternal grandmother. The 2 years I was with her in China have become a very vague memory. I was only 2 when I visited her in China and 4 when I left her. It was not until much later when I was in my young teens when she joined us in Segamat. By then she had become very old and because of her bound feet she was practically immobile. I remember my intrigue to see her small distorted feet. It must have given her much discomfort when she walked.

As I have said, I knew very little about my paternal grandmother. I remember her to be grumpy and very demanding. I guess it was just her way of getting attention which she was accustomed to when she was in China where she had servants. I was in my young teen when she joined us from China. I remember I was rebellious where my grandmother was concerned. I was young and too immature to appreciate that she could not help being the way she was. Wish I had been more accommodating.

I spent only a few years living in Segamat with my grandmother. I left Segamat in 1962 when I was 17. After 3 years in Kuala Lumpur I left for the United Kingdom. A year or two after my arrival in the UK I received news of the demise of my grandmother.

My paternal grandmother lived most of her life in China. A large portion of her life must have been rather comfortable with wealth and servants to tend to her every need. The cultural revolution of China was a traumatic period for her. I remember her stories about how she was punished by the Red Army; her crime was our family wealth. It was a relief that she managed to leave China to join us in Segamat. However, Segamat was a foreign land and with strange customs and languages. To this day I am still not convinced that the quality of her life improved after leaving China for Segamat. Maybe she would have been happier if she had remained in China.