Inscription in front of Yu's ancestral house Courtesy of the interviewee
Ningbo, January 20 (Reporter Li Dian) The golden lantern spikes sway in the wind, the Lunar New Year is approaching, and the Spring Festival atmosphere in the small city of Ningbo Zhenhai in eastern Zhejiang is becoming more and more intense. Yu Jiachen, a descendant of the Yu clan of Zhenhai and a Taiwan compatriot, drove to the countryside and gave a special "New Year's gift".
In modern history, the footprints of Ningbo merchants who "no peace, no city" have traveled all over the world. Ye Chengzhen, Bao Dasan, Bao Yugang and others set out from Zhenhai and grew into business giants, which also created the title of "Hometown of Merchant Gang" in Zhenhai.
In Zhenhai Duqiao Village, the story of the Yu family giving back to the township for three generations has been widely known. Yu Jiachen said that his grandfather walked out of his ancestral house in his hometown, where the wind and rain have not moved for a hundred years, telling distant tourists where they came from and where they are returning, which is a "root" that cannot be forgotten.
A century-old ancestral house: the hometown of Ta Zi Ya
Walking into the Ancestral House of the Yu Family, there is an inscription inside and outside the door, recording the deeds of Yu Jiachen's grandfather Yu Lizi Fuze Township. A sentence "Naked son travels to other places, benefits Si Guigen", which outlines the life of this ancestral house.
The ancestral house has stood for more than a hundred years, with white walls, black tiles, vermilion beams and columns slightly mottled. Yu Lizi went from this typical Jiangnan residence to Shanghai to work hard in his early years.
"When my grandfather came to Shanghai, he saw the endless possibilities of connecting this commercial city overseas." Yu Jiachen said that before founding Fulonghua, his grandfather received a Western-style education, "so he believes that reading is the only way to connect with modern times and connect with the world." This laid the groundwork for his later donation of schools in his hometown.
Yu Yitao (center) poses with his cousin in front of his ancestral house (data photo) Courtesy of the interviewee
Yu Jiachen's father, Yu Yitao, spent his green years in his ancestral house. Unlike the other brothers, he first stayed in His hometown in Zhenhai to take care of the elderly, and then went to Shanghai Fulong Huaxing as a "student". Later, in 1948, Yu Yitao went to Taiwan, and when he returned to the mainland again, it was 40 years later, "in 40 years, separating the two sides of the strait from his family was the widest wound in the heart of my father's generation." ”
After the "three links" between the two sides of the strait, Yu Yitao returned to his hometown with his sons Yu Jiajun and Yu Jiachen and saw the familiar and long-ago ancestral house. Bricks on the floor, tiles on the roof, used furniture... Everywhere is a story of where a clan or a family came from.
"The ancestral house is not only an old past, but also lets us understand where we came from and why we came from." Yu Jiachen said, "We see the branches and leaves that are now flourishing, but we must also see where our 'roots' are. ”
Inauguration ceremony of Qiao Zi Primary School Education Building (data map) Courtesy of the interviewee
A School of Hope: Continuing to Nurture Grace
At that time, my hometown had not really developed. In 1988, Yu Lizi first donated 60,000 yuan to build a cement road in his hometown; in 1995, he donated 1 million yuan to help build the Aozhu Pagoda in Zhaobao Mountain, Zhenhai; and later donated 650,000 yuan to build Qiao Zi Primary School near the ancestral house.
In 2017, 91-year-old Yu Yitao and her two sons created the "ZiYa Dingyu" education fund for Qiao Zi Primary School, which rewards students who have outstanding performance in both learning and virtue, and teachers who are enthusiastic and innovative in teaching. Teaching and learning are nourished and encouraged by the pure hearts of three generations.
Today, due to its proximity to the Zhenhai Economic Development Zone, the school benefits many children of migrant workers. Inheriting the support of the previous generation for the construction of "hardware" in their hometown, the Yu Jiachen brothers further cultivated the "software" of education.
In January this year, Yu Jiachen was invited to Qiao Zi Primary School again as a special guest to give teachers and students a special "New Year's gift" - to award teachers and students who won the "Zi Ya Ding Yu" education fund.
In 2017, Yu Yitao returned home with her two sons to award scholarships
On the podium, Yu Jiachen admitted that he had gone from a magnificent year to a full head of gray hair, witnessing the development of the motherland day by day, "When I first returned to Ningbo, I drove from the airport to Zhenhai, and both sides of the road were desolate. But today, all the tall buildings and elevated roads have been built there, which is the result of everyone's joint efforts to build their hometown. ”
"My father created this fund in the hope that the young people in his hometown would receive a better education and give the next generation the opportunity to build a better hometown." The breeze blew the red scarf that the children tied for Yu Jiachen, and his voice was soft but firm.
"My 'roots' are here." Yu Jiachen told the China News Network reporter that in the hearts of three generations of grandchildren, the ancestral house carries memories, and the school pins hope, they are like talking history, telling the story of an era when a family has gone away and returned. (End)
Source: China News Network