Stories of the Loh Family by storiestolast

Stories of the Loh Family

As told to Linda Hamilton

As Told To lindA HAmilTon

Copyright ÂŠ 2012 by Jillian Loh and Stories to Last All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Jillian Loh or her assigns, and Stories to Last. Stories of the Loh Family reflects the opinions, perceptions and memories of the Lohs. The stories and conclusions they express within these pages are matters of personal opinion, not necessarily fact, and are in no way intended to be hurtful to any individual or group.

Edited, designed & published by: Linda A. Hamilton www.StoriestoLast.com 510-301-1997

For Hawbu

Table of Contents Preface

Part I: The Good Life in Shanghai, 1908-1950

Part II: Riches to Rags in Hong Kong, 1950-52

Part III: Japan, Taiwan & Transient Times, 1952-1963

121

Part IV: Coming to America, 1963-1975

153

Part V: Lessons Learned

163

Epilogue

168

Preface

he stories in this book were derived from two interviews: one with Paul Loh and the other with all seven Loh siblings. It also incorporates written accounts gathered from the Loh family. Oftentimes, multiple narrators tell about the same incident or person, each from their own perspective, enriching these family stories. In addition, we utilized Stephanie Lohâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account of the family history and outside sources for the social and political background. While all stories are based on memory and emotional truth, they portray a very real journey from Shanghai to the United States with many stops, obstacles, joys, and lessons on the way.

The Seven Loh siblings (left to right, top) Alice, Grace, Joyce, (bottom) George, Paul, Leo, and John, 2010

Shanghai, 1930â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

PART I The Good Life in Shanghai 1908-1950

Introducing the Loh Siblings From an Interview of the seven Loh siblings, recorded on March 10, 2010 Alice:

My name is Loh. [laughter from around the table]

Alice: Grace: Leo: George:

Interviewer: George:

My name is Alice, and I’m the oldest of seven. My name is Grace, and I’m the second daughter. I’m Leo. I’m the oldest boy. I’m George Loh, #4, right in the middle. I have two older sisters, a younger sister, older brother, two younger brothers, right in the middle. The George sandwich. Either the baloney or the ham. [laughter]

Leo:

Mostly baloney! [more laughter]

Joyce: John: George:

My name is Joyce, and I’m the youngest girl, but #5 in the family. And I’m John, and I’m #6 in the family and the third boy. And the favorite of the parents! [laughter]

Paul:

And I’m Paul, the youngest of seven.

Stories of the Loh Family The Interview, 2010

George and Leo

Born To the Good Life

he seven Loh children, Alice, Grace, Leo, George, Joyce, John, and Paul were born into wealth and society in Shanghai between 1930 and 1944. During their childhood days, Shanghai was known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paris of the Orient.â&#x20AC;? The city was occupied and partitioned by many different countries, so from the beginning, the children were influenced by many cultures.

An International Port City In 1842, Shanghai, with its ideal location facing the East China seas and at the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta, became a treaty port, thus developing into an international commercial city. By the early 20th century, it was the largest city in the Far East with three million people, and the largest port in the Far East.

In the 1930’s, when the oldest of the Loh children were born, Shanghai was the stuff of legend. While the rest of the world grappled with the Great Depression, Shanghai entered its most prosperous era, with ample commercial opportunities for those with the means. As the city grew in wealth and sophistication, it became a Mecca for the rich and famous of the era. With its international commerce, there were more skyscrapers in Shanghai than in any other place outside of North America. Art Deco was all the rage, and soon the city’s skyline was festooned with such streamlined masterpieces as the Paramount Ballroom, the Grand Theater, and Sir Victor Sassoon’s Cathay Hotel. On Nanking (now Nanjing) Road in the city’s commercial heart, great department stores offered goods from China and all over the world. 16

Stories of the Loh Family Shanghai was divided into three distinct political spheres: the International Settlement, the French Concession, and Greater Shanghai. The British dominated the International Settlement. A Governor General appointed in Paris ruled the French Concession. The United States retained a portion of the French Concession. Russian immigrants also settled in this area to work and live. The French Concession was the premier residential and retail district of Shanghai and also the centre of Catholicism in Shanghai. Greater Shanghai, which surrounded the foreign enclaves like a giant cocoon, was administered by the Chinese central government.

Home in the French Concession The seven Loh children were born and raised in a residential area of the French Concession in a home at #2 Rte. Ferguson, off Avenue Joffre. It was a European-style neighborhood with Tudor and Spanish-style houses. Several miles down Ave. Joffre, was a commercial center with fine restaurants, sidewalk cafes, boutiques, jewelers, a Russian bakery, and the Cathay Theatre where the most current movies were shown. 17

Stories of the Loh Family

Shanghai and the French Concession district of Shanghai, 1940s

Leo (above) Grace (below)

Their house was one of eight in a gated community with a twenty-four-hour armed guard. The compound was not at all like the extended clan compounds of old China with several generations of family and extended family living together in a confined space. Instead it was more like the gated communities of today in the United States. Within the gate were three streets, each leading to two or three large individual homes with spacious yards. The front row of houses in the compound faced the outer wall and street. The Lohs lived in one of the middle homes in the third row. The Lohsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; neighbors were not related to them. As a matter of fact, one of their back door neighbors was Run Run Shaw, the famous Chinese movie director. He had a big family with several boys with whom the elder Loh brothers used to play soccer. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until after they left China, that Leo and George realized that those boys were the sons of Run Run Shaw.

Stories of the Loh Family The Shaws serve as a good example of the social status of the neighborhood. The Loh home was a brick three–story, western-style home, 3,500 to 4,000 square feet, with central heating. It had modern plumbing, including hot and cold running water and bathrooms with flush toilets, showers, and bathtubs on the upper floors. This was very luxurious for the times. The house also had a large kitchen where hired cooks made all their meals. It had a gas stove and a refrigerator, and at the other end of the long kitchen was a big round table where the servants and the cook ate. Except for Leo, the children were not Run Run Shaw and allowed to enter the kitchen. Still, they his brother founded Shaw Studios and were very curious about the goings on there, produced some 760 especially with their eldest brother allowed movies and helped finance Western inside. One day, Grace poked her head in the titles like Blade door just in time to see the cook kill a frog Runner. (In 1967, Run Run launched for supper. From that day on, she could never TVB (Television Broadcasts Ltd.) in eat frog legs again. That frog was only one of Hong Kong, growing several the family’s cook prepared that day. it into a multi-billion dollar TV empire Leo watched as the cook killed and prepared ranking today as frog after frog. one of the top 5 television producers Another day, he witnessed the cook in the world. Incidentally, Run Run accidently cut his fingers. The cut was deep, was alive and well and the cook cried hard. Leo felt so sorry for at 105 years old when this book was him. published.) Another time, Leo watched as one of the servants gave a bowl of “spoiled rice” to a beggar outside the gate.

The beggar wolfed it down so fast. “It was terrible to see such poverty!” says Leo, “I still feel bad for the guy even today.”

Leo and George

LIVING QUARTERS The children’s quarters were on the third floor of the house. They each had their designated rooms. The two oldest brothers, Leo and George, had their own playroom, but sometimes all the children, along with their amahs, would hang out there. Their parents each had their own bedrooms on the second level connected by a doorway. Their mother’s bedroom was ultra modern with all white furniture in a white room. Their father’s bedroom decor was very traditional. The four-poster bed and dresser had been the couple’s bridal suite set, made of handcarved rosewood. The bed had silk curtains wrapped around the four posts. When Wellington was away traveling, the children loved to jump on their father’s bed and dance around with one curtain open, pretending it was a stage. 22

Stories of the Loh Family One of the other rooms on the second floor was the Mahjong room. Like the game of Bridge in America, this was a social game, requiring strategy (and some luck) and usually played by four people with 144 tiles. When the parents were not entertaining there, Grace loved to sit and study in that room in one of the soft, brown leather armchairs. The children found many ways to entertain themselves in the house. This was important. With either World War II or a civil war taking place around them during their entire childhood, the younger children very rarely left home. They had a German shepherd, who they played with, and they had a parrot for a while, but it talked so much that they had to give it away. They also had cats but preferred dogs. When Paul went back to Shanghai as an adult to see the house, he was disappointed by how modest it appeared compared to the largeness of his memories. Even the yard wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very big. In contrast, the homes they lived in later in Japan were far more dramatic. Still, to the children, it was a mansion.

Pecking Order There was a reason that Leo was allowed in the kitchen when the other children were not. Leo was the eldest son in a clear pecking order amongst the children. That pecking order was firmly established by the time each child was just a few years old. Each child knew which siblings they could boss around and who could boss them around. For the most part, seniority followed age. In the absence of their father, the oldest daughter, Alice, and oldest son, Leo (the parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first favorite) dictated the activities around the house. Being the oldest sibling and the oldest sister, Alice held quite a bit of power. But Leo, being the oldest boy, had the most leverage of all. Only their father had more authority in the house. 23

Leo admits that he used that leverage without hesitation. He went around the house giving all, except Alice, a hard time. This included Grace, even though she was older than him. Grace’s only defense was: “I’ll tell Dad when he comes home!” But she never did. She tried to avoid conflicts with her siblings. Leo remembers ordering his younger siblings to stand in the corners while he left for a bike ride, and he expected them to be there when he got back. When the family lived in Japan, John remembers the time when Leo shot an arrow up in the sky while Paul and he had to stand frozen at Leo’s command until the arrow turned and started back down to earth. Only then could they run, and they did! “I was such a spoiled brat!” Leo says looking back, “Someone should have given me a huge spanking that would have knocked out a lot of hot air out and knocked some sense in.” George, the next oldest boy after Leo, was admittedly a very strong-willed child and usually refused to take orders from his older brother, so they ended up fighting almost every day. “He gave it to me just as well as I gave it to him, even though I am three years older,” says George Leo. 24

Stories of the Loh Family As a child, George wanted to do everything that the privileged Leo did. He even managed to be on the same soccer and softball teams as his older brother. Though George was by far the youngest on the team, he held his own. The older siblings, Alice, Grace, Leo, and George, did not play much with the younger set of Joyce, Paul, and John. There was just a big enough difference in age to create a divide. For example, when John was six years old, George was already eleven and didn’t want to play with a little kid. John and Paul were that much younger than Leo, so they didn’t have much interaction at all in the early years, although Leo sometimes played catch with the two youngest boys when they got older. All the boys enjoyed baseball. Joyce, being a girl had her own “thing” so Leo usually left her alone. In Leo’s world, Joyce was also too young to pay much attention to, however he does remember that she was strong enough to beat up John’s gang of friends! One time the whole gang, except John, joined in to beat her up, but she was too strong and fast and actually beat the whole lot of them.

The Flying Squirrels baseball team with Leo in the middle, sitting, and George on his right

The Household in Shanghai The Lohs had many servants. Most lived with the family in their home in Shanghai. Adding them all up, the household included the two parents, seven children, one cook, at least four or five maids and washing amahs, and amahs or personal nannies for the children. There were drivers and bodyguards as well. The chauffeur regularly drove Alice and Grace to school and to church and drove the four eldest children to the movies on the weekends. Their father also occasionally employed a valet. So, there were at least twenty people living there. The servants had separate quarters, which were off-limits to the kids, all except the amahs, who slept in the same room as the children they cared for. “We had a roundtable of servants in the house!” says Alice. In addition, the family employed a tailor to make their clothes. Their father would buy bolts and bolts of material. He and their mother had western-style suits as well as Chinese-style clothing made for the whole family. The maids in the house had specific assigned duties. Each was assigned to care for two children; Alice and Grace always shared the same maid. Most of the amahs began their work as wet nurses for the children, with the exception of John’s. The amahs were with the children all of the time when they were in the house. They took care of the children when they were sick. At bedtime, the children would line up to say good night to their mother, and then the amahs would usher them to bed and tuck them in. Their amahs acted like mothers. Looking back, Paul realized that the amahs were actually in a very sad situation, in a servant position away from their own families, and constantly in the company of children and not adults. But they seemed resigned to their fate. The Lohs’ amahs were considered lucky, because they were with such a good family, one that treated them well. Many amahs weren’t so fortunate and were subjected to physical and mental abuse. 26

Stories of the Loh Family The pecking order of the children was reflected in their servants’ behavior as well. Each amah’s status was dictated by An example of a boy and his Amah the status of the child she looked after. As a result, Leo and Alice’s amahs enjoyed the most power. But because of this hierarchy, the amahs argued among themselves a lot. “I remember there was a quarrel between John’s amah and the washing amah,” says Alice. “John’s amah thought, ‘I look after one of the boy children, and you just clean. I’m more powerful than you. You are only a washing amah, so I’m sure they will fire you, not me.’ But when our mother found out, she fired John’s amah, because the other servant was very nice.” Paul remembers his amah being very protective and even aggressive on his behalf because he was the youngest child, and she knew that he was not the parents’ favorite. She always fought to get the best food for him at meals. This was true of all the amahs. When the children ate a meal and were not with their parents, each amah stood next to or behind her children while he or she ate and would fight to get the best food for “her” child. One night, Paul accidently scared his amah. In his little room, there was a large window across from his bed. He was looking toward this window and said, “Hi, Grandpa.” Their grandfather had passed away years before Paul was born. The amah’s eyes grew wide with fear as she scanned the room for the ghost. Afterwards, she loved to retell this story to the children and other amahs. 27

Wellington Duke Wei-ming Loh A SELF-MADE MAN The family could afford the servants and the luxuries of their home because of their father’s great and early success in business. Wellington Duke Wei-Ming Loh (1908-1977) was a selfmade man. He had an industrious and ambitious nature his whole life. He was born the second son and had two younger brothers and three older sisters. The third daughter, Sylvia, was responsible for introducing Wellington to his wife, Maria. Wellington’s youngest brother, Tony, six years his junior, suffered from poor health, but Wellington looked after him like a son. Wellington’s father, Youn Kua Loh (1880-1943), or Old Papa as the grandchildren came to know him, owned a rice store in Shanghai. Paul remembers as a young boy jumping on the huge one-hundred-pound bags of rice in the back of Old Papa’s store. As the son of a rice merchant, Wellington had the opportunity to learn some English. In the first part of Wellington’s life, education was only offered in Chinese, so if a person wanted to learn English, he had to make an extra effort. English was an important language in Shanghai to the business community, but the average person couldn’t speak it. The ability to speak English meant you were more than just educated; it meant you were Westernized to some degree. Though Wellington never knew how to read and write in English well, his ability to understand and speak the language was a big advantage when he started his own stevedore business after completing high school. THE IMPORTANCE OF ATHLETICS & ENGLISH Wellington achieved his bi-lingual, British-based education through his own means. He became frustrated with the Chinese school that he had been attending, because the Chinese school did not offer a sports program, and he was quite athletic. 28

Stories of the Loh Family

Wellington Loh (1908-1977)

Sports were very important to young Wellington. He especially loved horse racing, soccer, and swimming. To be involved in competitive sports as well as to improve his English and learn more of Western ways, Wellington enrolled himself in the British school in Shanghai. He was able to pull this off without his parents knowing, because they gave him the money to pay his tuition rather than pay it directly to the school, so he simply switched schools. 29

Using the resources he created for himself, Wellington distinguished himself as an extremely gifted soccer player and swimmer. He was also an excellent horseback rider. He had a great passion for riding and became an amateur jockey. He won many professional races as a boy, even though he was an amateur. His children have many photographs of their father in the winnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circle with different horses. He continued this activity into adulthood. During hard economic times, he even used this skill to make money for the family. Growing up, the Loh children were accustomed to seeing soccer balls all over the house. Because he was active in sports and believed in the positive physical and mental effects of exercise, Wellington introduced all the children to swimming, soccer, baseball, and tennis at a very young age. Later, when the children were a little older, more than once he explained to them his favorite soccer move, the flying scissors kick. First, he said, you jump up in the air, and then you extend and snap your foot to meet and send the ball before you come down to the ground. With that extra extension, the ball would travel a bit farther and faster.

Stories of the Loh Family He especially encouraged the family to swim. He said it was good for the lungs and offered other health benefits as well. Wellington took his brother Tony to the YMCA for swimming lessons as a way to build his health. The two of them were swimming together regularly when the Loh children were old enough to join them for a swim at the Y. Grace recalls that despite their father’s interest, she never learned to swim. She disliked putting her head in the water. “As a young child, I thought the water was unclean with so many people in the pool.” But in her early teens, she enjoyed field hockey. Because of their father’s influence, all the Loh children have valued exercise all their lives. Says Leo, “The brothers especially all have the same blood as Dad—we are all nuts about sports!” HARD-WORKING ENTREPENEUR Wellington Loh was always industrious. He was a very good student, always first or second in his class. He had a quick mind. When Paul was young, he remembers his father challenging him to two-number multiplication contests. He would ask Paul a question like, “What is twenty-six times thirty-two?” Paul was quite impressed with his dad, who immediately calculated the answer in his head and always beat him in the game. Wellington also liked to work. While he was still in high school, he bought himself a gas station. He’d drop his schoolbooks off at home each day and then went to the station to pump gas. Maria told the children how, before they were married, she would see him there pumping gas. (left page) Wellington Loh as a jockey on a “China Pony,” also known as a “Mongolian Pony,” a smaller-sized racing horse, with a friend and Maria

He had tremendous business sense. Later, after he arrived in America, he said to his sons, “You’ve got to go into real estate and invest in it too.” John and Paul followed the first part of his advice, building a successful commercial real estate company. However, none of the brothers invested in the purchase of real estate. If they had, as their father foretold, they probably would have made a lot of money. When he graduated from high school, Wellington didn’t want to go to college. He already had the gas station, and it was going so well that he had to hire help. That early success enabled him to start his shipping business. It was fortunate that he had this early success, because he was the second son. In accordance with Chinese tradition, he did not receive any help from his parents to start his career. He broke away from family influences to start his own company. He was the kind of person who made things happen. Old Papa sent his oldest son, Wellington’s older brother, Doh Pa Pa Loh to America for schooling and opportunity, but Doh Pa Pa was so scared that he turned around and came back to China. His ignominious return was a great disgrace to the family. Wellington, however, was very kind to his brother, and eventually the older brother worked for him. In the meantime, many of Wellington’s friends did go on to college, and when they graduated, they also turned to him for jobs. That’s why he never emphasized education for the seven of his children. He said, “If you are looking for a job, you’d better have a degree. But if you want to be your own boss, you don’t need a degree.” He didn’t believe higher education was necessary for himself or for his children to succeed. He thought that in the event he needed some specific knowledge, he could simply hire someone with it. (right page) The Bund on the Huangpu River, where Wellington had his office

Stories of the Loh Family THE BEGINNING OF THE STEVEDORE BUSINESS With Shanghai’s great port and international community, it was a multinational hub of finance and business in the 1920’s and 30’s. The city flourished as a center of commerce between east and west. When ships from around the world docked in the port city of Shanghai they often needed to be painted, repaired, and re-supplied with food and water. Wellington saw this as a great opportunity and started his own stevedore business, providing laborers to make the repairs and supplying the ship with food and tools. To provide food supplies, he kept a cold storage unit. This would become very important to the family’s survival during the height of the Civil War (1945-49). Wellington and his right-hand man, an Englishman by the name of Gordon Crank, tried to be the first stevedores to board a vessel. Their language and Western ways helped them gain favor over competing Stevedores. They also approached the captains with very precise lists that included every available size of each tool they offered as well as other merchandise. This made the work of the captains easier.

Wellington made his stevedore business in Shanghai a wild success. He was a confident man and while this trait helped him become a self-made, profitable businessman, it may have also caused him to over-estimate his ability to protect the family and their assets later on. Paul reflects that the family’s loss of assets when the Communists took over Shanghai was a direct result of their father’s lack of interest in higher education. Wellington didn’t have the context to fully understand the situation and didn’t know how to protect his money by sending it overseas. But until that time, Wellington was so successful in Shanghai that the whole family kowtowed to him, even though he wasn’t the oldest son. They showed him great respect and deference since they depended upon him financially. At a family birthday party, even the guest of honor would not be served dinner until Wellington arrived. Despite this kind of deferential treatment, Wellington Loh was actually quite humble. He was a confident person because of his success in business and had much pride, but he remained an honorable man. In the few instances in his life that he did something unethical, it tore him apart. When he was victim to others’ dishonesty, it equally hurt him. Interestingly, this was true of his father too. But Wellington’s confidence was more reminiscent of his strong mother. 34

Stories of the Loh Family

The Paternal Grandparents PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER, KO ZHENG LOH (1882-1952) GRANDFATHER, YOUN KUA LOH, (1880-1943) GOOD GRANDMA The children called their paternal grandmother “Good Grandma” and their paternal grandfather “Old Papa.” Good Grandma was a stern-looking lady, but kind, and she moved slowly and deliberately wherever she went. She suffered from very small, deformed feet as a result of having them bound, as was the tradition during her childhood. Leo remembers approaching her in her bedroom as she sat with a frown on a very high bed with rows of drawers underneath. As he drew close to her, she suddenly reached down and pulled open one of the drawers. It was full of candies, cookies, and other goodies. A smile would spread over her face. She gave all the children treats from that drawer. Despite her stern nature, she always had a bright smile for her grandchildren. When the grandchildren visited her, she invited them to sit on her lap one at a time and ask them, “Where did you come out from?” The children always answered, “From under grandma’s armpit!” She would laugh and give them a warm hug. She was gentle and affectionate to all, especially towards her daughters-in-law and sons-in-law, whom she embraced as part of the family. She was loved, admired, and respected by all her family. Wellington was Good Grandma’s favorite son. By Chinese custom, the eldest son is the favorite, but unfortunately Doh Pa Pa had disappointed Good Grandma on many occasions, so Wellington assumed the responsibilities of being the eldest, and he earned his mother’s love, trust, and respect. 35

Grace remembers Good Grandma as a remarkable woman with a great sense of wisdom. Despite her lack of formal education, she managed her husband’s finances. In those days, she was a “liberated” woman in all senses. When her sons were faced with difficult decisions, they consulted their mother, not their father and never their wives. Good Grandma hired maids and cooks for Maria and Wellington’s household from the town of Shou Chow, where she had been born and raised. Good Grandma made sure these girls were fully trained before sending them to the Loh household, because she was well-aware that Maria knew nothing about cooking or household chores. The children knew that Good Grandma looked out for their mother, because Maria was very special to her. Maria loved and appreciated her mother-in-law very much. Maria told the children many stories about Good Grandma. From these stories, the children formed a picture of her as a very disciplined, tough, and smart woman. Good Grandma was protective of Wellington and her other sons who all worked for him in his ship supply and repair business at some point. To ensure their safety in this rough business, Good Grandma befriended one of the local gang bosses. She made the boss her “godson” as a way of protecting dad and his operations involving the longshoremen along the docks. The family all knew about the infamous godson, but she managed to keep him at arm’s length from her loved ones. A criminal entrepreneur named “Big Eared” Du presided over a vice empire in Shanghai, the Green Gang, a criminal organization some 20,000 members strong that ran brothels, gambling halls, and drug deals. It is possible Good Grandma’s godson had ties to this widespread system.

Stories of the Loh Family Once, Good Grandma found out that her husband had a concubine. She went to her godson, who collected a few friends together. They helped her “invite” the concubine into her house to live. This was in spite of Old Papa’s protests. Given the social norms of the time, she had to accept that her husband had a concubine, but in this way, she knew what was going on and had some control. Good Grandma used to hold weekly Mahjong parties at one of her “godson’s” several Mahjong parlors. Each week, as they watched her get into the car or rickshaw sent by her godson to go to a Mahjong party, her children and daughtersin-law would say under their breath, “She’s going to be fleeced, as usual,” because she always lost. It is likely however, that this was by design. It was her method of repayment for her godson’s services. Good Grandma loved jewelry. Each of her ears was pierced with three holes in a row. The family used to joke about her looking like a Christmas tree! When Good Grandma died, all her jewelry was buried with her. It was not the custom, as it is in the United States, to leave valuable jewels to your heirs. Instead, to ensure a good life in the next world, jewels were buried with their owner. One revealing story about Good Grandma involves a young slave girl called “Yellow Fur.” She was a pretty albino with fair skin and light blond hair. Good Grandma cared about the girl, and so she changed the slave’s status to “daughter” and married her off to an electrician. It ensured the girl a better lot in life. This was an unusual act of kindness during those times.

OLD PAPA By the time the children knew Old Papa, he had mellowed and was a very even-tempered, kind, and gracious man. When Old Papa had his business selling rice, he allowed many of his regular customers to buy their rice on credit. It was customary in Chinese culture in those days to settle one’s debts by the end of the old year so one could start with a clean slate in the new. Maria told the children how Old Papa would tear up the IOU notes from the customers who were having a hard time repaying their debt at the end of the year. He was a softhearted, caring man. But though he was compassionate, Old Papa wasn’t always even-tempered! One windy day, a delivery man who was always rude and in a rush, dropped a load of coal next to Old Papa’s store, blanketing the white rice with black coal dust. Without stopping to offer an apology, the coal delivery man started to leave. When Old Papa saw what had happened, he came out of the store to ask the delivery man to help clean up the mess. Unfortunately, the coal delivery man refused to help and in the ensuing confrontation and scuffle, Old Papa, who knew kung fu, delivered a lethal blow to the delivery man. Charges were not pressed because eyewitnesses reported that Old Papa acted in self-defense. He paid the delivery man’s widow monetary compensation for the loss of her husband, but even so, the terrible incident tore him up, and he was never the same again. Old Papa loved his family, especially his grandchildren. Leo remembers one summer afternoon when he grew very tired after playing outdoors. Old Papa had moved into their house on Avenue Joffre by then. For some reason, instead of going to his own room to take a nap, Leo went up to the top floor of the house to Old Papa’s room and fell asleep on his bed. 38