A Tribute to Grandpa, Part I

When I started this blog I vowed never to write a personal post about my life.. I think this is a fitting time to break that promise. My father has asked that we all contribute a brief memoir in honor of my late grandfather, Lin ZhaoYun. I couldn't think of another place I could put such a eulogy except on my own blog, particularly since I hide it so well I figure only the people I'm close to would read this.In a few hours I will take off on a 23 hour journey back to my homeland, China, to pay my final respects to my incredible grandfather. He always loved when I returned to China since it showed I had not forsaken my roots, and yet I always went back out of love for him and my grandmother, rather than any particular devotion to the country.

Since time is short now I will only write the beginning of the story. I hope to write about my experience throughout the trip, though of course, due to the Great Firewall of China, I will not be able to post the rest of the installments until after I return. It will, in theory, include lots of social, cultural, as well as personal commentary on a strange nation, a conflicted culture and a very interesting, great man. But that's just the plan.. as the Chinese say 'changes happen faster than plans are made'.

I debated a lot about what to write. Given the culture I'm from and the ways of my own family, I'm not at all certain anyone would approve of how I've decided to approach this memoir. But I am determined to do this my way and somehow I'd like to believe gramps would have approved, too. Despite the fact that he was always convincing me to be more conventional, I think he rather loved me because of my unpredictable ways, though he'd never admit it. My approach, of course, is the truth as I see it, unadorned and unembellished. I don't wish to paint a picture of an idyllic place or a saintly man, which is the typical way to do it in the East (and probably what my father meant when he asked me to write this). Gramps was far from saintly, but he will always remain a great man in my eyes.

Lin ZhaoYun, like his wife, was an orphan and was pretty much rootless his entire childhood. He had what can only be described as a desperate passion for knowledge and learning and never let his lack of family foundation stop him. In a place like China, where family connections are everything, that was more than enough to stop most people. In his lifetime he mastered 4 languages (Chinese, Russian, English and Japanese) and rose to become one of the premier hydroelectric engineers of his day. For his efforts, he will now be honored with a memorial reserved for honored statesmen and revolutionary heroes, at 八宝山 (BaBaoShan Revolutionary Cemetary), though he managed to be one of the few to succeed in his country while remaining politically neutral always.

Alright.. this is just the intro.. now I must rest a little before this morbid trip commences. For now, I'll just be missing that jolly belly and those shiny, cloudy eyes of his. I was so proud of him, I only wish I got to tell him that. It's going to be a long journey before I've made my peace...