Capturing bonds in stamps – and the spirit of my grandfather

My grandfather was born the year after Japan invaded China. 

My great-grandparents had changed multiple jobs due to the tough time back then, and lots of pressure was upon them. They suffered, living under unstable political conditions and the inadequate environment/place they were in. 

That was when my grandfather's family came to HK the year after and lived hard in those situations. 

My great-grandparents worked in a factory, one of the only jobs they could get back then. The factory was located in a dangerous and hazardous area, and they needed to work very hard in a factory to earn a living as they didn’t get paid much back then. My grandfather on the other hand stayed at home and had to take responsibility for caring for his brothers and sisters while studying at a young age. 

Although food was scarce, they lived very happily together. They were grateful for what they had, and for being able to stay as a whole family. 

To them, that is the perfect definition of a happy family.

Afterward, my great-grandpa worked in a post office out of his own will. It wasn’t a job with lots of excitement or danger, however, he took it as an opportunity to learn and find his own interest. It wasn’t as stressful as working in a factory. On the contrary, when he worked, he was able to witness different types of letters come in and discover the importance of the bond between people. 

By working at the post office, he realized that what he saw was just a small part of the world and through the stamps on the letters it was like he had traveled through the world to see all those amazing things on the stamp, and this inspired him to develop a hobby of collecting stamps during that stressful period. 

He liked to show his stamp collections to everyone, even when he got old. 

My grandparents kept his collection of stamps after he passed away.

When I saw those stamps, which were carefully organized in a clear folder stored on our bookshelf, I always remembered his story about how hard life was back in the day, and what our family had been through to share the peace they deserve today. I am both proud and glad that this piece of history was able to be passed down through generations.