Family Reunites After Decades, Connecting Long-Lost Roots

After decades of separation, a family from Palmerston North, New Zealand, has successfully reconnected with their long-lost relatives in China. Ai Kwong Chiew, a resident of the city, experienced a powerful emotional reunion with family members after losing contact for many years.

The journey began with Ai Kwong’s father, Wu Long Shan, who was born in 1903 in China. Following the death of his wife in the 1920s, he relocated to Singapore, leaving his young son behind. He later remarried and moved to Malaysia, but never forgot his roots. Shan encouraged Ai Kwong to write letters to their family in China since he was unable to do so himself.

Decades of Disconnection

This correspondence continued when the family moved to New Zealand in 1991. However, in 2005, after changing their home and disconnecting their landline, the communication with relatives in China ceased. Despite this, Ai Kwong and her family always kept their Chinese relatives in their thoughts.

Recently, Ai Kwong felt a strong desire to reach out to her nephew, Wu Lian Ming, the grandson of Wu Long Shan. The last time they had communicated was over 20 years ago. Ai Kwong’s daughter, Peggy Chiew, who works as an international student administrator at the English Teaching College in Palmerston North, offered to assist in the search for their relatives.

Peggy enlisted the help of some students from Shandong, a province in northern China. One student even visited a local police station to check household registration records. Unfortunately, they discovered that Ming had passed away three months earlier, but they were able to arrange a video call with his son, Wu Jie, marking the first time Ai Kwong had seen him.

“The most touching part of it was when we were on Facetime and we couldn’t talk, we were both just crying saying ‘I miss you,’” said Ai Kwong.

A New Connection

The family in China had also been attempting to reconnect with their New Zealand relatives but faced challenges due to the disconnection of the landlines. Now, with new communication methods, they have established regular contact.

Peggy expressed a bittersweet sentiment about the situation, noting, “It was heartbreaking that my mum didn’t get the chance to reconnect with her nephew while he was alive, but we’re deeply grateful that we were able to get in touch with his son.” She referred to the reunion as a full-circle moment, highlighting the emotional significance of this new connection.

Wu Jie and his family are planning to visit New Zealand at the end of the year, with plans to travel to Sibu, Malaysia, where Ai Kwong’s father is buried. This journey promises to bring the family even closer together, celebrating their shared history.

Ai Kwong is one of the last family members to settle in New Zealand, having initially helped her father manage his textile importing and exporting business. Other relatives immigrated during the 1960s and 1980s for educational opportunities, all originating from a small farming village near Yantai.

Over the years, Ai Kwong held various jobs, including managing The Bean Cafe on Broadway for two decades, until her retirement last year. “I’m a Kiwi now. I’ve been here too long,” she remarked, reflecting on her deep ties to New Zealand.

This remarkable story of family reconnection underscores the importance of maintaining ties to one’s heritage, even across vast distances and decades of separation.