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Dragon Seeds A bold young man in his twenties Left Guangzhou Province in China To face the rough and violent seas Sailing to far-off Malaya It was the nineteen twenties And China was torn by strife He had to make some monies For his family to survive The journey was a long one And life on board was a bore It was close to a month Before he could step on shore He made his way to Larut Where tin mines were flourishing And towkays were out to recruit Workers to do the mining But he was a skillful tailor Probably one of the top So, instead of being a tin-miner He set up his own shop He slogged and struggled so tough That his business began to thrive Very soon he had saved enough To send for his lovely young wife Together the young couple strived To earn enough money To keep themselves alive And send back to the family She soon bore him two sons Which made him swell with pride But they were also the reasons Their expenses took a hike The situation then was such They survived from day to day Alas, the strain was too much The young mother passed away The two then grew up Being cared for by their stepmother Studies, they soon had to give up To learn the trade of a tailor The elder began working With the famed British Army At a camp in Klian Pauh, Taiping In a shed facing the entry I can't think of anything worse Then this earnest young man's plight For he knew just three English words Which were "Yes", "No" and "Alright" How it was not a deterrent I really don't have a clue He managed to raise ten And send them all to school That, my , is the story Of two brave young men indeed Who overcame every adversity Two of China's Dragon Seeds Their spirits were indomitable They faced life with pluck Strong, courageous and capable They do not depend on luck You, my , are the ones chosen To perpetuate your ancestors' deeds To follow this path, well-trodden As you are all Dragons Seeds You've to fight life's battles with valour Treat your kith and kin with care Give your best with every endeavour And never ever seek Welfare It's for those helpless and destitute Who cannot cover their needs Don't bring us into disrepute Remember, you are Dragon Seeds Always live to your full potential Strive to win every distinction Seek achievements that are special For you, for us and for the nation Lee  Live today as if it is your last For tomorrow will soon be in the past |
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Hi shirl, Nice photo. That looks like a ram that you are holding on to.  It looks like your family came here way before mine. Gambling is a trait of us overseas Chinese. After all our ancestors took a gamble coming to Malaya not knowing what the outcome would be. About my dad, my daughter asked me whether it is true that he only knew three English words after reading my blog. (My dad died young at the age of 50 so my children don't know him). We have a good life here now (You already know that); none of my relatives are living in poverty. In fact, some of them are quite well to do so my children just do not believe the adversities and challenges that their grandpa and great grandpa had to face which is why I wrote this, to remind them of their heritage. I want them to remember our culture - values, history, beliefs, thinking, etc. Lee p.s. You gambled? Silly question  . You are like my grandpa, sailing off boldly to start a new life in a far-away land.Live today as if it is your last For tomorrow will soon be in the past
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Hi stillflower, Thanks for stopping by. I think the word for your officials is Dragon Princes and not Dragon Seeds. Dragon Seeds are reserved for us overseas Chinese because we are like seeds, planted in a new country to grow on our own. Corruption exists everywhere in this world - wherever there is money and power; it's just to what extent. Anyway, I think Bao Bao is a good premier; Hu Jin Tao did well to appoint him but China is such a vast country so it is difficult to administer. I don't know about the people being oppressed but, after my retirement 3 years ago, I've been to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Taipei. I think your cities are comparable to other cities and the people are happy, especially in Shanghai. Shanghai (Pudong) is a very modern city and I think the people of Shanghai are rich so imagine my surprise when a friend in Taiping, who has traveled all over the world and holidays in China often, told me that the people of Shenzhen are even richer! I can't imagine what life in China will be like in the future when it becomes the biggest economy in the world. Lee Live today as if it is your last For tomorrow will soon be in the past
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Hi summer, Thank you. The advice is for my children (and you) as I will be posting it in our family blog. Actually I have read some long poems at allpoetry and also the one posted by Katie_au_lait recently so I decided to give it a try. Hey, have you translated my pantun?  Lee Live today as if it is your last For tomorrow will soon be in the past
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Hi summer, You have already got to my facebook page. The family photos are all there. You won't find photos in our family blog; it is mostly the same things that you read here. It started as our blog but they are now so busy, I am the only contributing. But it's okay. The blog is going to be part of their inheritance. Nice huh? Instead of leaving behind a cd we can now leave behind a blog.  And a facebook pageYeah, your boys will soon have their own families but you can still together or near each other. My children are in Singapore, so far away. Anyway, at your summer place, don't plant Balete trees. Plant fruit trees like nangka, langsat, rambutan, durians or papaya and bananas which are healthy food. Oldboy still have not taken the hint huh? Why don't you ask for a photo so you can talk to him when you are lonely?  p.s. Where did you get the info about me being a young writer from Hongkong? I checked my profile in facebook but could not find anything. Maybe it's someone with the same name. Lee Live today as if it is your last For tomorrow will soon be in the past
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Hi summer, There are 3 of us with the same name. I think the young man from Hongkong looks rather like a young me too. Who knows, he may be my long lost nephew because my grandpa has a brother and sister in Hongkong. Those times, a lot of family members were split up.Yes, I posted a few articles in Helium. So, you now have a photo huh? That's good. No, don't post it here. It's for you alone. Lee Live today as if it is your last For tomorrow will soon be in the past
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