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Sze Lee
Sze Lee
Po Lee
Po Lee
Sze was born in 1931 and grew up in China. He's the oldest of 5 siblings. His family was very wealthy growing up, but around 1947 communism captured China leaving his family with a middle class status. His family then moved to Hong Kong in 1950 to escape further control of the communist party.
Born in 1939, Po grew up in China along with 4 younger siblings. When she was a teenager, her father passed away which left her, as the oldest child, to step up and help support her family. Her aunt got her a job in Hong Kong, so she moved from China to Hong Kong in 1957.
Story
Story
Sze and Po met in 1960, in Hong Kong. Sze worked as a manager in a factory and Po worked in a factory assembly line. On March 21st, 1966 they got married and lived in Kowloon, Hong Kong. In 1968 their daughter, Laiping, was born.
Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon in the 1950s
In the 1950s there was a massive influx of Chinese immigrants to Hong Kong, a result of the communists taking over China. Many immigrants settled in Kowloon because of the low and affordable rent. The city was notorious for being overcrowded. There were more than 300 connected apartment buildings, each ten stories high. They were all clustered together in the small six and a half acre city. Kowloon was ridden with families in poverty, gang members, and drug addicts.
Map of Hong Kong
"My parents struggled to afford an apartment, so they had to rent a bedroom within the apartment. The other bedrooms were rented out to other families and they all shared a bathroom, living room, and kitchen. The three of us were living in a room only big enough for one bed and a couple of nightstands."
"My parents struggled to afford an apartment, so they had to rent a bedroom within the apartment. The other bedrooms were rented out to other families and they all shared a bathroom, living room, and kitchen. The three of us were living in a room only big enough for one bed and a couple of nightstands."
- Laiping Yee
- Laiping Yee
Departure
Departure
In 1970, Sze and Po decided to leave Kowloon and journey to America. They feared that the communists would take over Hong Kong, just like they had previously taken over China. It was a tough decision because they would be packing up their whole lives and traveling about eight thousand miles to an unknown and foreign country. They would also be leaving behind most of Sze's family in Hong Kong and they feared what would happen to them if communist China took over. Sze and Po knew moving was the right decision for their family’s future. America could provide Laiping a better chance in life than they had been given in Hong Kong. The American dream could be theirs if they moved. They took the chance and left Hong Kong from the Kai Tak Aiport in July of 1970. Sze and Po were surrounded by family at the airport as they set off to start a new chapter in their life.
"They packed the little they had and left for America."
"They packed the little they had and left for America."
- Laiping Yee
- Laiping Yee
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