Meeting writers on the page since 1996

Showcase

MW Sun

“AHLUK My mother and her six daughters. My poor mother, she kept trying for a boy, but all she got were girls. That’s me, the baby, the sixth girl. At first my grandmother wanted to give me away, but after consulting the Daoist priest they decided to keep me. Well, being the sixth – luk, in Cantonese, means good fortune – they thought my mother would have a son after me. So they call me AhLuk.

YILING I didn’t know that’s how you got your name. And your mother had a boy?

AHLUK No, my mother didn’t have any children after me.

YILING So the Daoist priest was wrong?

AHLUK I don’t know. In those days you did what they told you. I wish there’s one here. I have so many questions about the future.”

From ‘Behind the Curtained Door’ – included in the showcase

“When I moved to Manchester in 2010 to look after my elderly mother, I wanted to do something meaningful besides taking care of mum. I found a charity and began giving free English lessons to Chinese people who worked in kitchens. Soon some students asked me to help with translation and other language related difficulties. Most of them had very little when they first came to the UK, but many worked hard and saved up to buy their own takeaway. While we are familiar with the notion that Chinese immigrants are hardworking, their struggles and personal stories are not known outside their communities.” From the Introduction