Silicon Valley Tech V.P. Dr. Tong Liu was born in 1961 in the countryside near Yangzhou, the southern part of China. (See post one.) He never expected to go to university--not because he didn't want to or because he wasn't intelligent enough--but, the politics of the country made it seem impossible. (See post two.) Liu graduated from Nanjing University, and then--thanks to Professor T. D. Lee of Columbia University--he was given chance to take a physics exam allowing him further study at the University of Virginia in the U.S. (See post three.) Liu was excited to explore the U.S., despite the sometimes hilarious hiccups he had with communication. (See post four.) Upon graduation, Liu took a four-month posting in Holland. (See post five.) Liu returned the U.S. planning only to stay for a few short years before returning to China. The Tiananmen massacre changed that. (post six.)
Still, the pull to return to China was always there.
So, in
1998, both Liu and his wife quit their jobs, and moved to Hong Kong for two years to work
at TDK-SAE. (Hong Kong had just been returned to China the previous year.) They
wanted their children—aged 8 and 4-- to experience life in China. For, while Liu’s
parents had come to the U.S. and stayed with them, helping them to take care of
the children, their children were not very appreciative.
“Sometimes the kids think grandfather or grandmother behave
a bit strange. Sometimes my daughter
would ask them to buy something, and they would say, ‘It’s too expensive.’”
So, Liu and his wife wanted their children to see a
different kind of culture.
“At that time a lot of people don’t use refrigerators in
China, and they don’t buy a large amount of food. For many people life is not
as abundant as the U.S.”
During their time in Hong Kong, Liu's daughter, especially, started to realize that –with this
cultural background—her grandparents were normal.
(To be continued. Next: Impressed By Americans Volunteer Spirit)
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