My Family’s History

According to historical records, “during the ten years of the Cultural Revolution in China, there were almost twenty million people died. All the buildings were destroyed and the economy was weak.” The Cultural Revolution might sound unfamiliar for many people. My grandmother told me that the effects of the Cultural Revolution directly touched essentially all of the people in China. At that time, my hometown was affected by the mass social upheaval. It was hard for certain people to live in this situation and many of the leaders died because of the persecution of the Cultural Revolution. At the same time, my grandfather was one of the leaders in our village and he was the head of the committee. Unfortunately, my grandfather was killed during this time. My grandfather’s death has had a great influence on my family.


The first effect of my grandfather’s death was that the whole family’s responsibilities fell on my grandmother. There was no fixed source of income in my family when her husband died. As a single mother, it was not easy for her to raise five children at that time. In addition, the economic downturn at the same time and she was dealing with a difficult life. Even though she tried to work very hard, she had not enough money for the basic things. She was too poor to buy everything she needed. She couldn’t make any change of it. Disappointingly, she has faced the worst of her life and hopeless situations.


The second effect of my grandfather’s death was that my father has to work very hard to support my family because he was the oldest child in my family. He no longer depended on his parents for money. His job was the family’s main source of income. As his age, he should have been studying in school. Unlike other children, he lost the opportunity to go to school. Without his father, he made many sacrifices to provide help for his siblings. My father as a child of eight, he was farming every day. No matter rain or shine, he had to work in the field. In order to make more money, he worked day and night no matter how tired he was.


The third effect is that my grandmother always reminds me of my grandfather. She always told me that my grandfather was a powerful person and he helped people a lot in our village. Unfortunately, he was killed during the Cultural Revolution and made my grandmother very sad at that time. She also told me that how difficult her life was without my grandfather. Compared to my father’s life, I feel happy now. I have an opportunity to get an education. Thus, my grandmother told me to study hard because my father didn’t have an opportunity to go to school. I really appreciate the standard of living that my parent gives me now.


Though the time of the Cultural Revolution has passed, it made a great impact on my family. When my grandmother tells stories of my grandfather, I think of the effects on my family especially for my grandmother and my father. Now, I feel great love for my family because they have provided the peaceful life for me. Even though I have never met my grandfather, he is always in my heart.