My family was considered a small family in China at the time when I grew up.  In those old days, a family in China normally had three or four children.  We only have two in my family: my younger sister and I.  We began to hear that one child policy took place in late 1970s.  We were worried about if words like brother, sister, uncle, or aunt would exit in the 21st century.  I did not realize that minority people in China could have two children until later I was in high school.  However, I am happy that I have one younger sister whom I am very proud of and love very much. She has a daughter named as Ruohan (nickname: hanhan) who is four years old now. All of my family love her because she is a doll. She is very bright and talent. She can recite some of the most great poems from Tang (618 ACE and 907 ACE) and Song (960 ACE and 1279 ACE) Dynasties in Chinese history. She is also learning piano and English. She makes me laugh and feel happy every time when she says in English: "I love you, uncle." The picture on the left was about my sister and her daughter Hanhan in Shenzhen, China. The picture on the right was taken in Hong Kong on the same date.

As for my parents, I have a longer story. My biological parents still live in Chongqing, China where my hometown is. My mother visited me in San Francisco for half a year in 1998. While she was in San Francisco, my American parents from Beavercreek, Ohio came here to join us for one week in the city. All of us enjoyed the time. In addition to the Bay Area, I took her to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and New York City for a visit. We had great time with Cherchie and Paula in Philadelphia.

There are a few people I considered as a part of my family. They treated me as their own child that I think they are my parents. Martha met me in Chongqing, China in Spring of 1988 while she was on a tour to China with her Mills College Alumnae Group led by Jade Snow Wong. With her encouragement and help, I came to America to pursuit my master degree in Business Administration. Without her great help and generosity of many of her friends, I could not possibly make to America.

With her network connection, I got to know Bob and Lorraine Wagley who hosted me for three years while I was at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. They helped me tremendously to adapt the new environment and to succeed in America. What they tought me in this years could not be described in a few paragraphs. They are the treasures of my life.

The followings are some of the fun stories with them: It was my second month in America, and they got to know that I had never been to a Salad Bar. They took me to a Salad Bar in Kettering, Ohio. I found out it was like buffet and I could get all those good stuffs. After I got my goodies and came back to the table, they looked at each other with strange facial expressions. I asked: "what's wrong?"

My mom (Lorraine) asked: "are you Chinese and from China?"

"Yes, of course." I answered.

They began to laugh. They said: "we don't think you are Chinese because you didn't get any rices at all."

I looked at my plate. They were right. All my goodies were beef, chicken, and french fries, not even vegetables. Then I said: "You know I got enough rice and vegetables in China. Now I want to change a little bit. Chickens are one of the most expensive meat in China."