What if?

As a son of a pair of first-generation Chinese immigrants, I have been told by my father throughout my upbringing that he had moved to England in the 80’s in hopes that his would-be family might be able to grow up with opportunities that he was not afforded in his youth. Having lived through the Chinese famine in the late 50’s and early 60’s, I can see why he holds that sentiment.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to visit my father’s hometown of Dongguan, located in the south of China. Even as a child, I noticed the differences in the lifestyle lived by the locals compared to my own. Farmlands were commonplace in the city, with motorcycles being the choice of transportation for many (they would later be banned in 2007).

Dongguan experienced significant economic growth throughout the years, becoming a major industrial manufacturing hub. With a large influx of economic migrants from other parts of China, my mother tongue, Cantonese, had been taken over by the widely spoken Mandarin. The farmlands were replaced by shopping centres and apartment complexes while the motorcycles were replaced with electric vehicles. Yet, during my last visit in 2023, I could not shake the feeling of gratefulness that I was raised in the UK. Perhaps I had just grown accustomed to the western lifestyle I was raised with. That being said, there will always be a part of me that questions, “What if?”.