Home is where the heart is, as Taiwan retiree assimilates
May 26, 2012, Saturday
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CHEN Hon-ping, who was born in China's Hubei Province, moved back to the mainland about six years ago after retiring as a physical education teacher in Taiwan. Now living with daughter and her family in Minhang's Hongqiao Town, he said he is adjusting nicely to his new home.
Chen, 68, came to Shanghai from Taipei to be near his daughter and help care for his grandchildren.
His parents moved to Taiwan when he was only three. Although he visited the mainland once in 2006, he has never returned to his hometown of Wuhan.
"There is hardly any family left there," he said. "Except for my wife, who is still in Taipei, my children and grandchildren are all here in Shanghai. This is my new home."
Chen's son-in-law runs a company in Shanghai, and his daughter works as a consultant to kindergarten teachers.
The move to the mainland from Taiwan wasn't easy at first. For one thing, Chen found Shanghai's weather unpleasant.
"The climate here is very different from that in Taiwan. I got heat stroke in the summer and suffered from the cold in the winter," Chen recalled.
"At that time, my wife was here too, but later she decided to go back to Taipei because she really couldn't bear the weather here."
Food was another surprise. Chen said he wasn't used to Shanghai cuisine.
"Take breakfast for example," he said. "We have very similar types of snacks for breakfast in Shanghai and Taiwan, but the taste here is so very different." It was all a matter of adaptation.
"Although I will eventually go back to Taiwan for final days of my life, I plan to stay in Shanghai for awhile, so I needed to get used to the new environment and customs," he said.
Fortunately, Minhang didn't let him down. He has noted changes in the district since moving here, especially the transition from a largely rural area to a suburban residential community. New Metro lines have been built. Schools, kindergartens, hospitals, restaurants and shopping centers have mushroomed, allowing a convenient lifestyle far from Shanghai's central business district.
Hongqiao Town, in particular, has become a favorite second home for Japanese, South Koreans and other expatriates.
"The town has become a sort of 'foreigners' enclave'," he said.
"You can see many signboards here only in foreign languages. I think that's because life has become increasingly comfortable here. Less and less, I feel the gap between life in Shanghai and Taipei."
Chen said he has made many new friends here, most of them retirees living in his community. Many are Shanghai natives happy to share their extensive knowledge of the area.
"The neighbors sometimes organize outings, and I go with them," he said. "We might walk around Qibao Old Town, enjoying all the snack foods there. Or sometimes we go to lectures on issues like how to stay healthy in old age."
Watching his grandchildren grow up gives Chen a special feeling of warmth. Having worked with children for most of his life, Chen said he enjoys the company of the young. It's one way to stay young yourself, he added.
His grandchildren are currently attending a class on the classics of ancient Chinese literature. Since the school is nearby, Chen often attends with them.
"Nowadays, not many schools teach the works written of Confucius or Mencius," Chen said. "I think it's good that such classes are accessible to children here."
Chen is keen to contribute something back to the community. Every Tuesday, he joins several other Taiwan natives in helping with trash recycling in the neighborhood.
"In Taiwan, the concept of recycling is deeply rooted," he said.
"But I find that the idea hasn't taken hold yet property on the mainland. So I want to help. Although it sounds like a cliché, we have only one earth."
Chen said he is concerned about the effect of rising prices on the mainland. Education in Shanghai is more expensive than in Taiwan, so he worries about future schooling for his grandchildren. Housing prices, too, are very steep.
"When Taiwan businessmen first came to Shanghai, most of them lived in the Gubei area in the Changning District," he said.
"But later, as the cost of housing kept going up in Gubei, they began moving to Minhang, where the cost of living is not so high. But now prices here are catching up. I hope the situation will change for the better in the future."
Chen, 68, came to Shanghai from Taipei to be near his daughter and help care for his grandchildren.
His parents moved to Taiwan when he was only three. Although he visited the mainland once in 2006, he has never returned to his hometown of Wuhan.
"There is hardly any family left there," he said. "Except for my wife, who is still in Taipei, my children and grandchildren are all here in Shanghai. This is my new home."
Chen's son-in-law runs a company in Shanghai, and his daughter works as a consultant to kindergarten teachers.
The move to the mainland from Taiwan wasn't easy at first. For one thing, Chen found Shanghai's weather unpleasant.
"The climate here is very different from that in Taiwan. I got heat stroke in the summer and suffered from the cold in the winter," Chen recalled.
"At that time, my wife was here too, but later she decided to go back to Taipei because she really couldn't bear the weather here."
Food was another surprise. Chen said he wasn't used to Shanghai cuisine.
"Take breakfast for example," he said. "We have very similar types of snacks for breakfast in Shanghai and Taiwan, but the taste here is so very different." It was all a matter of adaptation.
"Although I will eventually go back to Taiwan for final days of my life, I plan to stay in Shanghai for awhile, so I needed to get used to the new environment and customs," he said.
Fortunately, Minhang didn't let him down. He has noted changes in the district since moving here, especially the transition from a largely rural area to a suburban residential community. New Metro lines have been built. Schools, kindergartens, hospitals, restaurants and shopping centers have mushroomed, allowing a convenient lifestyle far from Shanghai's central business district.
Hongqiao Town, in particular, has become a favorite second home for Japanese, South Koreans and other expatriates.
"The town has become a sort of 'foreigners' enclave'," he said.
"You can see many signboards here only in foreign languages. I think that's because life has become increasingly comfortable here. Less and less, I feel the gap between life in Shanghai and Taipei."
Chen said he has made many new friends here, most of them retirees living in his community. Many are Shanghai natives happy to share their extensive knowledge of the area.
"The neighbors sometimes organize outings, and I go with them," he said. "We might walk around Qibao Old Town, enjoying all the snack foods there. Or sometimes we go to lectures on issues like how to stay healthy in old age."
Watching his grandchildren grow up gives Chen a special feeling of warmth. Having worked with children for most of his life, Chen said he enjoys the company of the young. It's one way to stay young yourself, he added.
His grandchildren are currently attending a class on the classics of ancient Chinese literature. Since the school is nearby, Chen often attends with them.
"Nowadays, not many schools teach the works written of Confucius or Mencius," Chen said. "I think it's good that such classes are accessible to children here."
Chen is keen to contribute something back to the community. Every Tuesday, he joins several other Taiwan natives in helping with trash recycling in the neighborhood.
"In Taiwan, the concept of recycling is deeply rooted," he said.
"But I find that the idea hasn't taken hold yet property on the mainland. So I want to help. Although it sounds like a cliché, we have only one earth."
Chen said he is concerned about the effect of rising prices on the mainland. Education in Shanghai is more expensive than in Taiwan, so he worries about future schooling for his grandchildren. Housing prices, too, are very steep.
"When Taiwan businessmen first came to Shanghai, most of them lived in the Gubei area in the Changning District," he said.
"But later, as the cost of housing kept going up in Gubei, they began moving to Minhang, where the cost of living is not so high. But now prices here are catching up. I hope the situation will change for the better in the future."
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