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It has been 2 years and 5 months since the first Covid-19 case in the UK, and on 2nd July 2022, I was finally struck by the virus myself. This is how it has changed my life... Living in fear Even though I had been fully vaccinated and boosted, I still felt shaken after my late mother passed away from Covid-19. She had also been double vaccinated and lived a reasonably healthy lifestyle. Since then, it has really hit me that no one truly knows how Covid-19 will affect each per

How we celebrate one of the most important festivals in Chinese/Asian culture in the UK and everything you need to prepare. What is Qingming? Qingming Festival (清明节), also called Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival, is an important traditional Chinese holiday. The festival is celebrated both in China and among members of Chinese communities around the world. The main activity that people engage in on this day is cleaning the tombs of their ancestors The holiday is c

It was always a taboo in our family to talk about the passing of my parents’ firstborn, my eldest brother, so I grew up knowing very little about what actually happened. Haiphong, North Vietnam In early 1978, tensions between newly reunified Vietnam and China led to a mass exodus. Around 150,000 ethnic Chinese fled Northern Vietnam for China due to fears of war. In April and May 1978, my family fled to Guangxi, China, to a county called Ningming. At the time, my mother was al

The feelings I felt and the words I didn't speak.. . during the 100 days and nights I stayed by my parents altar... When my dad passed away on 8th December 2020, we were in lockdown in the UK. I stayed at the family home with my mum, my sister, my brother, my niece and nephew, and we all mourned together. We had to burn incense continuously, day and night, until the funeral, which took place four weeks after my dad passed away. After the funeral, we no longer needed to keep t

When my mum unexpectedly passed away from covid-19, we had to make all the arrangements for the traditional Chinese funeral with Covid-19 as our obstacle. With no parents to guide and support us, we battle through a number of emotions. Monday 1st November 2021 It was 21:40 when my siblings and I sat around the hospital bed as my mum took her last breath... "she's gone now..." the doctor confirmed... It was only a couple of days ago that we spoke to Mum, and she was in good h

When someone dies, they are brought to Hell (DIYU/地獄) by cow head and horse face (Niútóu mǎ liǎn/牛頭馬臉). Here they will cross the bridge to hell (Nai He Qiao/奈何橋) where they are now at the entrance of Hell. Hell is beneath the sea bed. The kingdom of Hell has 10 palace halls with a respective king in each. In Each of the respective Palaces lies a Court in which the deceased will report to one by one. These courts are known to be as the Ten courts of HELL. Each court of hell h

Mum tested positive for Covid-19 on 25th October 2021. She was double vaccinated, reasonably healthy, went on daily walks in the park, and ate plenty of fruit and veg. During the first seven days, her symptoms were not life-threatening or especially worrying, but on day eight, everything changed. Saturday 23rd October 2021 Since my father’s passing the year before, I had spent almost every weekend at my mum’s, healing together. On Saturday 23rd October 2021, I briefly saw my

A journal of Dad’s six-week battle with cancer, and how it changed my life. Monday 26th October 2020 I was doing my regular fortnightly visit to my parents’ house, dropping off some supplies. I made some dinner for Dad, and that was when I noticed something wasn’t quite right... It was around 6pm when I heated up some congee for him. He sat up from the sofa and took a spoonful, but before I knew it, he vomited it straight back up. “Dad, are you okay?” I asked. That was when h