My search for missing Chinese relatives have led me through winding paths and side trips to unexpected destinations. The journey has enriched my life, broadened my horizons, and put me in touch with many people. After my visits to the Calbayog cemeteries searching for Li Xianggu’s tomb, I learned of a survey done in the […]
I have a short memory. This is why memorabilia, such as old photographs, are so important to me. They help me recall yesteryears, however faint the memory has become. Without them I am lost. This story is about one search that took so long, traversed so many of my other-relative finder quests and even became […]
Catarman Tsinoys join hands to save one of Samar’s last Chinese-language schools. In most Tsinoy communities in rural areas, Chinese-language schools are the focal centers of community involvement. Supporting the school creates a bond among residents who trust the school not just to prepare their children to become successful individuals but also to pass on […]
Ed’s Note: This is the third installment of Relative Finder’s “Saga after the storm,” July 5-18, 2016 issue. After my failed guidance of Aunty Marites (Reales) on her travel arrangements, I needed to find a way to help her meet her long lost uncle in China. In December 2014, I got engaged to my girlfriend […]
Author’s note: This is a continuation of Relative Finder story, “Saga after the storm,” Tulay, July 5-18, 2016 issue. How important can a piece of scribbled paper be? Sometimes, a nondescript note can mean a lot. This is a case of one such letter that my friend Ed Lim made a photocopy of and had […]
On Nov. 8, 2013, less than two months after becoming acquainted with Ed Lim on Facebook, our country was struck by one of the worst natural disasters in history. Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), the strongest typhoon on record to ever make landfall, hit the Visayas. Approximately 6,300 people were killed, infrastructure and livelihood […]
This epic quest involves several families and spans locations from China’s Fujian province, to Hong Kong, and to the Philippine islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Despite extreme obstacles, each find is a result of unexpected but fortuitous happenings.Precedence My late father-in-law, Engr. Antonio B. Ty (鄭道党), is my role model in my relative-finder quests. […]
A relative-finding quest can trigger chain reactions which sometimes go on and on. Our family had a reunion with long-lost China relatives in 2010. The reunion’s itinerary included meeting family friends with the same Chinese surname Chan (曾 Zeng). That meeting sparked yet another successful search for a friend’s family. While scouring letters and photographs […]