Class Reunion

Now that I'm all by myself back home, I have more time to sit down and write up the last 2 destinations of our China trip. Andy and Alex stayed back in Shanghai because my parents-in-law will be visiting Shanghai coincidentally in mid-November. So since Alex was born and Andy's last trip to N.Y. back in 2000, I'm all alone for the first time in 4 years.

So you may wonder what's this class reunion stuff all about as suggested in my entry's title. Well, for our last weekend in China, we joint my Dad's Tong Ji (同济) classmates for their class reunion trip to Shao Xing (邵兴) and Qian Dao Hu (千岛湖). It's a easy way to travel, saving us the trouble of arranging for our own accomodations and tour guides. It also gave us a rare chance to peek into the social dynamics and insides of his generation.

Since my parents met and fell in love while studying architecture in Tong Ji university back in the 60's, this type of class reunions can reveal much about what their lives much have been like back then. I don't want to make this entry one that is about the China's infamous culture revolution but that is the back-drop of their college years. While the 60's has been an era of sexual freedom and drugs in the U.S. and western world, China was going through perhaps the most rigid era easily comparable to the Victorian age's social values when it comes to courtship and marriage.

Our young tour guide, Ms Jiang was of great help in stirring up the crowd. In order to entertain the group on the bus, she would bring up old stories she dug up from various classmates to discuss and laugh about. There are old dorm room stories as well as singing their favorite Russian folk songs. Yes you heard me right. They loved Russian folk songs. Back then their required second language study was not English but Russian. Of course it was due to the close relations between the 2 communist countries.

When asked to talk about their "love stories" on campus back then, the comments we heard most from them is how drastically different it is now adays for college students to date and have public intimacy and publically known sexual relationships. Back then, sexual relationships just aren't allowed and will be a cause for expelling the student from the school. If you were lucky enough to have a girl/boy friend, then everything must take place under the highest level of secrecy with the support and cover of your closest friends. It is just not talked about in public.

I sensed a kind of sadness among the laughters in the bus. The kind that says they were robbed of their golden years in a way. But I do believe the kind of relationship that was forged under those circumstance must be superior and can withstand more tests of time and tribulations. I would say most 90% of them stayed with their college sweet hearts till today.

They try to meet up like this every other year now. But knowing with passing time, each time there would be fewer of them make to the trip either due to their health condition or simply has passed away. I also would not hesitate to say that their generation has been the hardest working generation even today. There is a well known saying in China these days. "The prosperity and growth in China today is at the cause of an entire generation's health." I don't think I have ever recalled my parents having any type of personal hobby such as golfing or fishing or even going to movies... All their lives, they're either studying, working or taking care of family. Even today, at the age of 60, they still work 6-7 days a week on a regular basis.

So I give my salute to my parents and their classmates for all they have lived through and sacraficed.