Family History Essay-Reach to the Top

Reach to the Top

In imperial China, people that were not educated would have a hard time to earn money and support themselves. People had less education had to work in the fields from sunrise to sunset. My father grew up in a village and didn’t have a chance to get educated. In the 1970s, Deng Xiaoping, the president, decided to open up the  China’s economy. At the same time, many factories and railroad companies were built in Southeasten China. Around the 1990s, my father decided to get out of the village and get a job in a railroad company. He had made this decision because there is a saying in Chinese, man struggles upward and water flows downward. Regardless of family background looks like, people would take any chance to make their lives better. My father’s decision to find a job in Guangzhou brought the future and new hope to his family.

   When my father began work in the railroad company, it totally changed his family’s economy. My father was born in a well off family. His family owned a field, so they planted crops and sold the goods to earn money. Even though the family had some money, it was not enough to support a family of eight. When my father got the news through a friend that railroad company had a job offer in Guangzhou, he decided to take the opportunity and travel to a strange city for employment. After working in the railroad company, he sent back money monthly to support his family. In addition, it was inevitable that he would miss his family, but he never went back because he didn’t want to waste the money on the tickets. Even though there was a far distance between him and his family, their hearts were close together.

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In addition, because my father worked in a big city like Guangzhou, I received an amazing education in school and didn’t have to work in the fields. Moreover, my cousin who is the same age as me is less fortunate. She studied in a poor school in the village and helped her family in the fields. The education was poor and the environment was cruel in many villages in China. Schools couldn’t provided tasty lunch for students and the recreational facilities were poor. Also, the books that students used to learn were worn. Students couldn’t have the great opportunity to learn, nor could teachers have great teaching materials to use. I felt bad for my cousin because it can be unfortunate to be born in a poor village.

In modern China, those born in villages wish they can escape the poor life to find a better life. In 2007, there was a better chance that came to my father which was immigrating to Chicago. He had taken this chance to make an even better quality of life for his family. Now, he have the ability to send more money to his family in China, and buy everything for his family wants. Because of his immigration, it was a new and challenge life and great opportunities were set up for me. It has given me more experiences and challenges when I arrived in United States. I appreciate that my father had taken his opportunity when the chance came to him and chosen to be brave and dare to pursue a better life.

Everyone wants to pursue the best opportunities in their life. Many people find different ways to achieve their goals and wouldn’t miss any chances. Like my father, he had taken his chance and left his family to pursue a better life alone in a strange city. He wouldn’t miss any opportunities that could change his family and his life. He later chose to immigrate to the United States for an even better opportunity for himself and his family. The history forced me to think about when I have my own family, I want to give them the best things I have. Family is a magical thing that pushes people to do such difficult things, and I am proud to have such a father.