Canton Elegy is a loving memoir, in the form of a letter to his 4 children, written by a Chinese dad late in life so that his children, in old age, would know their epic struggle for survival as a family through the Japanese invasion, the Civil War, and the Cultural Revolution, before moving to California in 1956.
He wrote in his letter accompanying his manuscript, “I want my heart to have a voice so I can love you louder.”
The author was sent by his grandfather when he was just 8 in 1910 to America to have an education.
After graduating with a degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, he was unable to get a job in California due to racism in the 1920s. He returned to China.
He reminds me of my late dad, who passed away at age 87 in Jan 2024.
Quietly sacrificing for the well-being of the family. Loving from a distance. We never understood that when young. We wish we could have more time with dad and openly show him more of our love for him.
