waking point

this hot sunny afternoon, I went back to my grandfather's old house, which I haven't been for 11 years
while i was at the house, and I saw this young man's photo on the wall, someone i have never seen or met before,
but the photograph caught all my intension.

under the photograph there was a name "Hong Kr-Chin" my aunt started tell me about him.
she went back to the studied, and came back with this book which grandfather was interviewed about his older Brother
"Hong Kr- Chin".

my grand grandparents were from this little island right next to Taiwan called Penghu Isiand,
but my Grandfather was born in Kaohsiung when he were a kid his parents had pass away.
with older brother and two younger sister and brother, they were family.

in 1945, 50 years of Japanese rule ended, Hong Kr-Chin was very educated young man, had studied in wood
Architecture design soon after he graduated from school he got a architecture design job.

In March 11, 1947 my grandpa was 17 years old working part time after school at small factory,
in that 4 pm after grandp's older brother Kr-Chin just got out the work, wanted to check on grandpa first day working,
also give him a ride home.
on the way to grandpa's work, Kr-Chin ran into 10 Kuomintang (KMT) soldiers, the Soldiers was trying get money from Kr-Chin,
and shot him in the back.

at 5 pm grandpa had got out the work, over heard KMT soldiers killed someone not to far by.
grandpa didn't think was his own brother, he walked over and realized the young boy who has been shot in the back
was Kr-Chin.

grandpa ran over crying held Kr-Chin, Kr-Chin looked and grandpa in the eyes, and said" here is my ring and all the money I have left,
the soldiers had taken my watch and my bike away" soon after that Kr-Chin pass away.

this is the 228 Incident, also known as the 228 Massacre was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that began
on February 27, 1947 and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang (KMT) government.
Estimates of the number of deaths vary from ten thousand to thirty thousand or more.

Kr-Chin was in his early 20s wasn't married when he pass away.
grandpa was 17 years with a younger sister 10 years old, and younger brother 4 years old.
in my grandpa's memoir, he said " i really didn't know what can I do it at the time, i felt so helpless
with two younger sister and brother looked up to me, i really don't know how could i made it"
grandpa had to gave up school and worked in the farm in morning and washing dishes at night market at night.
he was very heart broken cuz his brother died, he said" if Kr-Chin was still alive, this small family was be much better''.

after reading the memoir i cried, and think how weak I am. looking at Kr-Chin photograph
i told myself I will be strong. cuz now I know where i came from.
in our blood we are strong even when I am alone.

Skyler Bo-Hao Chen