ABOVE: A small part of the "clan" after our annual ancestor worship rituals in 2002.
Pic taken in front of the townhall in Feng-Yuan, Taiwan in March 31, 2002

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This page serves as an explanation for those that cannot read Chinese.
It is not a full translation.

The scholarship that my dad and my oldest cousin set up was named "Chen A-Rui Scholarship" (my English translation).

Chen A-Rui was my grandfather.

The scholarship was given to the qualified offsprings during the luncheon right after the annual ancestor worship rituals.

The members elligible to donate to and/or receive this scholarship were ranked in a special way.

First of all, let's see the abbreviations:

P = Parents
M = Man
L = Lady
MW = Wife of the Man
LH = Husband of the Lady
* = Passed away

1M means Grandfather's first child (a son).
To the clan 1M was known as "Uncle No. 1" (大伯).
I have never met him as he had passed away long time ago.
Grandfather had 7 sons and 1 daughter, so there are 1M, 2M, ... to 7M, and 8L.

My dad is the fourth so he is "4M".
For your info, Dad joined a Japanese overseas enterprise after he had finished school.
He left his home for Thailand at the age of 20.
At that time, WWII was still going on.
Thailand had not changed the name from "Siam " to Thailand yet.
For most of the villagers in the farming communities on the island of Taiwan, Siam was an exotic country in the distant tropical south.
More about this in Part Two (link at the bottom).

Back to the abbreviations.
1M-1MW = Wife of Uncle No.1's first child, namely, Grandfather's oldest daughter-in-law. To me, she is "大嫂" ( da-sao, or duah-sou or "Big Sister-in-law"), a very kind-hearted lady who always takes care of the younger ones in the "clan".

2M-1M-2L = Grandfather's second child (son)'s oldest son's second child (a daughter).
I hope my explanation in English is not confusing.

3M-1L = Grandfather 's third son 's oldest child (a daughter).
We younger ones call her "大姐" (da- jie, which means "Big Sis").
She and her husband have also been so active in contributing to the scholarship fund and in helping others in the clan.

4M-4L = Grandfather's fourth son's fourth child (a daughter), who happens to be my youngest sister.

8L-2L-2M = Grandfather's 8th child (daughter)'s second child (daughter)'s second child (son ).

Members are:
1.   Chen A-Rui's male descendants and their offspring.
2.   Chen A-Rui's daughter, granddaughters, and their children.

Usually a Chinese family would not "bother" daughters that are married: married daughters "belong" to their husbands' families.

But in our "clan" the (monetary) contribution from our female members have been acknowledged and therefore the elders decided to include more generations of the offsprings of Grandfather's female descendants to be elligible for the scholarship.

Currently (Aug 2009) there probably are more than 200 members.

For decades the more economically fortunate ones among the "elders" of the clan have donated a lot to the scholarship fund. They have thought this the most ideal way to encourage their children and grandchildren to achieve their best at schools.

The awards are given once a year at the luncheon after the annual ancestor worship rituals to the qualified members who have outstanding grades, have achieved something remarkable, or have done excellent services to the society.

The scholarship has greatly inspired and encouraged the youngsters in the clan to do their best so as to bring HONOR to the family.

At the luncheon, some of my cousins, who had received their PhD degrees from well-known universities abroad, immediately donated the scholarship that they had just been awarded.

They said it was their turn to pay back.

What a heart-felt moment!

I have heard that the fund has been getting bigger and bigger as years gone by, and is too big to accept anymore donations now!

My grandparents, who were farmers living in traditional dirt houses, who did not have TV or electricity or tap water when they were young, and who had very limited education at school, would have been so proud of their offsprings had they been able to witness all these!

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Photos:

My Grandfather (CHEN A-RUI) in front of the old house in Feng-Yuan, Taiwan
我的祖父 (陳阿瑞) 在台灣豐原南陽街的老家

My Grandmother LU-WEI and Grandfather in their house
我的祖父 (陳阿瑞) 與祖母 (呂畏)

Grandfather and Mom
母親去豐原時與祖父合影

Grandmother and Mom
母親去豐原時與祖母合影

Uncle No.3, his oldest son, and Grandfather
我的三伯、堂哥 (三伯的長子)、祖父

Grandfather and I when I first visited Taiwan.
我第一次去台灣與祖父合影

Father and I in Bangkok, Thailand
父親與我在曼谷的家

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Next : ( 看更多的照片 ) My Father and Family Scholarship : Part Two