Lost or Gained

There were conflicts fought all over the world from 1930’s to 1940’s, and my country was in war too. The Japanese War was between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. It had proceeded in China for eight years. The Japanese army carried a rule which is known as the Three All Policy-“Kill All”, “Burn All” and “Loot All”. It created major losses for China which slowed down the country’s development. Beside, the Japanese War not only changed China, but also changed my family. The war affected my family in various ways. My family’s history had changed due to some events that happened to my ancestors.

First, the war altered my family’s economic status. My great-grandparents had a restaurant before the war started. They were not very wealthy, but there was enough income to support the family. However, the arrival of Japanese army ruined everything. Japanese soldiers robbed the restaurant, and they burnt it down. Luckily, my family managed to escape and survive. After that, they lost all their property, so they lived their lives painfully. My great-grandparents had to work for rich people to earn money even though the salary was low. My family was too poor to feed everyone. Moreover, my grandpa and his siblings were reduced to begging or starving, and everyone struggled for their lives.

In addition, some family members died during the war. Although people were being killed throughout the war, my family was not included. However, they did not have enough food or clothes for everyone. They were not in a good health because life was full of fear. The Japanese army was so bloody; people worried about their safety and lived in constant fear. Japanese soldiers killed every Chinese they met irrespective of gender and age. Terrible Japanese soldiers followed the Three All Policy strictly, so millions of Chinese died in the Japanese war. My ancestors were fortune enough to escape the killings. My grandpa was the youngest child. His elder brothers and sisters were very kind, so they gave their little brother the food they got from begging instead of eating it themselves. That is why my grandpa survived, but his siblings did not make it. It was a pity to the family. If this hadn’t happened, there would have been many more members in my family.

Most of all, the war changed my grandpa’s view of life, and it made him succeed in his life. The family had four more children later on, so my grandpa became the eldest brother. Since he lived through and survived the war, he had seen so many things of the cruel world. He felt that he had a responsibility for the family, and he wanted to protect his country. It was his ambition for the future. Therefore, he joined the army when he was old enough. Fortunately, he did a good job when he served the military. As a result, he got a promotion from his leader. He solved many difficult cases when he was working in a police station, and he became a police chief after years. Furthermore, everybody in town knows him, for he was an admirable police officer.

The development and history of China would be utterly different if the Japanese War never happened, the same to my family. The war took away some things from my family, yet I think it also gave them some opportunities. The misery let them have the desire to conquer, and they did it. My grandpa’s experience taught me a lesson - adversity is advantageous to one’s growth. It just depends on how you deal with it. Adverse circumstances are like a spring. The more power you put to press it, the further it goes down. It is easy to be dispirited when we are facing difficulties. On the other hand, difficulties can make people have the invincible will to overcome misery. Success or failure is in the control of our hands.