A Woman of the Age (貳)

Clothed in a printed dress with a head of wavy perm is the trademark of my grandmother. From the uncertain 21-year-old bride dolled up in a white rental gown, to the happily married wife being in the land of hope, then a proud grandma of 7 grandchildren, she is also the representation of women immigrants in the 1910s.

Born in a peasant's family, she bounded her feet at the tender age of 10. Despite the lack of education, her family nourished her with love, gave her a strong backbone, and vigorous integrity. As her older sisters got married, she became the only one that's left in the family.

Her father, who loved her very much, had to give her away when the Communists started to take over China, in hope of a better life for her. Just before the takeover, she was married to a young man that was just a year older in the next village and the freshly-wedded young couples were then being shipped to a nearby coastal island called Taiwan.

Wrapped up in new hope and fear, she jumped onto the bandwagon of married life, and onto the idea of moving to an island that she has no idea about. With absolutely no one she knew, she embraced it with great faith and strength because she knew that going back was never an option. At that time, besides being pregnant with a baby boy, she was also carrying a dream of a different future for her own family.

After moving to Taiwan, she began finding ways to make a living. Her first job was to sew up buttons for army uniforms. Even though she was halfway into her pregnancy, she carried her belly to the factory every day; and afterward, she had to carry water from the bottom of the hill from back to where they lived three times a day since there was no well nearby.

Five months later, my father was born. She still carried my father to work every day, making sure he had someone to look after him when a load of uniforms got heavier. Thankfully, all her co-workers, who were mostly women like her, pitched in to babysit. Life was hand-to-mouth for everyone, and according to my grandma, they weren't even able to afford a pair of pants for my dad till he was 2 years old!

During that time, she and my grandpa thought of nothing but saving money and buying properties whenever they had disposable income. As time passed, they had acquired 4-5 apartments with the help of my dad over the years, which now are all occupied with uncles and aunts, or have become a piece of paper which also known as my dad's master's diploma.

Other than raising her family and making sure they have a good education and health, the two biggest passions of my grandma are: majiang and learning. Having been in school for two years in China, she only recognized a few characters before coming to Taiwan. Ever since I've known her, she has always had a thirst for information and knowledge, and Grandpa would always read the morning paper to her in bed after breakfast every day since he is the more well-educated one.

As the children got older and grandchildren started spawning, she decided to go back to school at the ripe age of 65. Between her majiang meetings, cooking meals, and taking care of me and my oldest cousin, she would go to night classes at the local public school for elders every evening. After 2-3 years, she and her fellow classmates in their 60s proudly graduated. "It was one of the happiest time of my life [being in school]. But of course, nothing beats a good game of majiang."

Miss Chang Kui-yun has shown that not only a woman can be nurturing, loving, smart, and hard-working, she can also be fearless, confident, and happy.