Today is a big day. My grandmother is going to celebrate her 70th birthday. My aunties, uncles and cousins will meet at a Chinese restaurant tonight. I am very happy because some of them have migrated to other countries for many years and some I have never even met before. It is nice to have all the relatives gather together and I think my grandmother feels the same too. I see her smiling throughout the day. It is not usual to see her act this way. I think it must be a very big surprise for her to see all the family members here. I heard from my mum that grandmother was very poor when she was young. She was neglected in the family as the tradition in China in the old days made families only focus on the boys. Every time my mum told me this, I just can’t imagine why things happened this way, why women had to be in a lower position.

Ah! My last relatives have finally come. My aunts, whom I only recognize from photos, are walking proudly towards my grandma. They hug her deeply and I see there are tears coming from their eyes. Grandma raises her wrinkled hands and softly wipes away their tears. It is such a precious moment, I will cherish it for the rest of my life and I think grandma will do the same too.

Seeing all of her offspring, grandma is very pleased. She starts to chat with us. She says it is comfortable to be with all of us. She is very proud of us because all her sons and daughters have very good jobs. One of my aunts works for a famous private organization and the other is a doctor. Although they have very high social status, grandma says it does not matter as the most important thing is that they can contribute to the society. Chatting about their social status, grandma seems to have a stir of emotions. Suddenly she sighs deeply and talks about her grief. She says, “You have respectable jobs. How lucky you are! When I was young, I didn’t even have the same rights as men. In my time, women had no power, and they were always under the control of men. I could not go to school. My father even ordered me to marry a man whom I didn’t love - of course I didn’t obey his order but it was the first time I realized the importance of women’s rights. I determined to fight against the feudalism.”

She continues, “However, I discovered that women didn’t have the ability to fight. We had no power, we had no knowledge, and we had nothing. The only thing that we could do was to find our own way. Although I didn’t have the chance to go to school, I started to work hard and proved to men that women are humans too. They should be treated equally.” Grandma had never told us anything like this before. We all feel very strange at first but we are really touched by her experiences.

Grandma goes on, “My early life was tough but I still managed to get through. I observed that people changed their mind as time went by. Perhaps it is the evolution of civilization that makes men finally understand the importance of human rights. I was born in the 30s when women didn’t have a high social status. People at that time just thought that a woman’s job was to take care of children at home.’ Grandma points at my mother and aunts. “You were born in the 60s. By the time you were born, women’s rights had gradually started to grow. Many women became workers in factories, and they had jobs and could earn their own living. Education was provided to women too. Many protests were held to fight for the rights of women. It was the time I first joined the feminist movement. It was the first time that I could fight for my own rights - not only for myself, but also for you, our next generations. You are very lucky because you even got the chance to study in university.”

Grandma turns to me and pats my head, “My dear grandson, I believe you will have a bright future. People’s minds are still changing. They will know that women deserve to live as equally as men.” I feel very touched, someday I might be able to contribute to society as well, and as long as this spirit lives, all women (I think about my sisters, cousins, even my future wife) will have equal rights as men do someday.

While I am enjoying grandma’s story, all the grown-ups have realized there is something wrong. Why is grandma saying all of this to us? Grandma says, ‘I know you all feel strange while hearing my words. Yesterday, when I went to see the doctor, he told me that I have cancer, and the chance of recovery is very low. Today, I tell you my story because I want you to pass my message to the new generations, remind them that women should be equal with men. Sixty years ago, I could have had an education, and I could have had more freedom. But feudalism prevented me from being successful. Today may not be an important day for me, but it is the day that I can proudly tell my struggles to all of you. I hope you can strive to fulfill your dreams and never give up.’ After hearing grandma’s words, I feel very sad, yet, I am full of hope towards the future!