This article was submitted by Aleck Sun, the grandson of Fu Yu Huang, who graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a bachelor’s in psychobiology and a minor in Asian languages. His goal is to ultimately become a physician’s assistant.
My maternal grandfather, Fu Yu Huang (Wong), was born in 1916 in Gom Benn Village. The homes in the village were decayed and worn down. Many people in the village had limited access to resources such as food, clean water and money. As a child, Fu Yu Huang was already working in the fields to provide food and income alongside his family. Despite toiling in the fields for income, money and food were scarce. Both were insufficient for meeting his family’s needs.
In 1926, at age 10, Fu Yu Huang left Gom Benn and moved to the city of Guangzhou with the hope of a better future. In the years to come, he worked at home sewing clothes. The clothes he sewed were then sold to provide money for his family. Even after leaving Gom Benn, Fu Yu Huang continued to remember the village and supported them financially by sending supplies back. This included food, such as flour and cookies, and toiletries for hygienic purposes. In addition to food and toiletries, he used his income to send bikes from Guangzhou to Gom Benn. He knew that transportation was limited at the village, so he wanted to ensure that they had a reliable source of transportation. These bikes allowed them to travel from the village to the markets and fields.
Not only did he support them financially, Fu Yu Huang returned to Gom Benn every year to pay his respect to his ancestors who had passed away. During his annual visits, he distributed cookies and candy for the kids in the village. These acts of kindness demonstrate how he always cherished them in his heart, enough to return and share his savings in the midst of poverty. Along with the treats, he shared his experiences with those in the village and they responded with their adventures. He sacrificed his time and money for Gom Benn because he wanted to give back to the village where he grew up.
During his years in Guangzhou, he got married. Their family grew to include a son and daughters, including my mom, Cui Qiong Huang. He taught my mom sewing and cooking. In September 1984, at the age of 68, my grandfather immigrated to Los Angeles to search for a better future for his son and daughters. Once again, he initially found a sewing job to make a living. In fact, he had a difficult time adjusting to American culture. He couldn’t speak English. Without English, he couldn’t communicate well with Americans. However, with the help of the Gom Benn Village Society, he found an affordable home in Chinatown and found a job as a restaurant worker. Thanks to the Gom Benn Village Society, he had a place to go every weekend to fellowship with other members. This fellowship involved reminiscing about their past in China, as well as playing mahjong. The Gom Benn Village Society encouraged him to seek a better life for his family.
Life did get better for him in America after he adjusted to the culture. As a result, his son and daughters (including my mom, Cui Qiong Huang) also immigrated to the United States to find a better life for their future children (me, my brother, and my sister). My mom immigrated to America in 1986. My mom was deeply supportive of the Gom Benn Village Society and demonstrated appreciation for all the work that they do. She also visited the Gom Benn Village Society in Chinatown to interact with other members. Even in my generation, my siblings and I have visited the society and fellowshipped with other members and shared a meal.
My grandfather’s time in Gom Benn was significant to our family because he demonstrated unending perseverance to get my mom and me to where we are today. I have always heard the typical speech from every Asian household that they immigrated to the United States to provide a better future for their kids. However, after learning about my grandfather’s past, I have a newfound appreciation of this “typical speech” and found it true for my own grandfather and mom. Through this, they have motivated me to work hard every day in school, whether for exams or homework assignments. This would ensure that I make my family proud of my accomplishments as a result of their laborious work. Therefore, the journey my grandfather endured from Gom Benn to Guangzhou to the United States was a commitment for me and my family to work hard and live the successful life that he wished upon us.
