My name is Chi-Sheng Liao. I was born on October 18, 1938 in Feng Yuan, which is a small town located in the middle part of west Taiwan. My grandfather came from Fujian province next to Taiwan, but separated by the Taiwan Strait.
From 1938 to 1945, Taiwan was controlled by Japan during the Second World War. Because supplies went to support the Japanese army, the food was poor and not enough for everyone to eat.
I had four brothers and two sisters. I was the second son of my father. My father was a brick maker and had two brothers, so the three families lived together in a big house. My house was surrounded by big walls which separated us from the neighbours. I was the only one who invited school mates or neighbours the same age to come to my house to play together.
My dad’s older brother was a roofer in the building industry. The business income was just enough for living costs only. My mother cooked meals for my family only. My elder brother joined the military school to study electronic communication for national defence use. My other two brothers studied agriculture and telecommunications. They both are doing good.
I joined the local elementary school for six years to study the Chinese official language (Mandarin), which is different from the Taiwanese language. After I graduated from elementary school, when I was 14 years old, I passed the exam and entered the Taichung middle school to study for six years. Taichung middle school was built for Japanese boys to study only at that time during World War II.
I loved sports and baseball and was very active in school. I joined the track and field and baseball teams. I had to take the train every day from Feng Yuan to Taichung, back and forth. I was not very smart, but because I had good records in the last three years, I entered Tunghai University without taking the entrance exam for further studies. Tunghai University is located near my home town in Taichung city. I selected Chemical Engineering as my major study. Tunghai University asked everyone to live on campus during the school term. Tunghai University was a new university, built in 1956 by U.S. Christian funds, situated in the hill side of a mountain that was not very high. The night view of the sky and city was very beautiful. There were many American teachers teaching English and Sciences.
In the summer of 1958, I met my girlfriend, Chien-Hui, in Feng Yuan during summer vacation. Through a friend’s arrangement, we played tennis with other friends for fun in order to see each other. Because I liked her, and her smile was very attractive to me, and I needed a girlfriend, we kept in touch with each other even though we went back to university to continue our studies. She studied in the national Taiwan University in Taipei, in the northern part of Taiwan. She studied law. We were separated about 200 miles from each other. So we wrote letters to each other. During holidays, I would go to Taipei to see her, or she would come back to Feng Yuan to see me.
In 1961, we both graduated from university. She stayed in Feng Yuan to teach Chinese and English in high school. I had to join the army to serve for one year as my duty of national requirement in the national army. After I retired from the army in 1962, I went back to Tunghai University in the summer of 1963 to work as a teaching assistant in the Chemistry Department.
On December 15, 1963, Chien-Hui and I were married in a country-style wedding celebration arranged by my mother at my home. My father’s friend was a cook, so we invited friends and relatives, seating about 20 tables, to have a festive 10-course dinner at my house. It was a very wonderful and delightful time together. I almost got drunk while drinking a lot of wine with my university classmates. The celebration lasted a whole afternoon.
After working as a teaching assistant in the Chemistry Department for three years, I obtained a U.S. scholarship in summer of 1966 to study Chemistry in the States. I went to the University of Colorado to study in the Chemistry Department for two years. The university was located in the foot hills of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado. It was not far from the winter ski area, so I followed my supervisor to learn to ski. It was very fun to ski downhill.
After two years, I finished my studies for my Master’s of Science degree in Chemistry in 1968. Because it was a U.S. funded scholarship, I had to go back to Taiwan to teach for at least two years before I could come back to the U.S. for further studies. So I went back to Tunghai University to teach Chemistry for two years.
While I was away from home, Chien-Hui raised one boy, David, and two daughters, Linda and Drey-San. They were fine children. I was very grateful to my wife!
In the summer of 1968, I applied for a teaching scholarship at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Because my Master’s Degree advisor, Dr. Chambler, went to the University of Tennessee to teach Chemistry, I received the teaching scholarship from the university. In September of 1968, I left my family to go to Knoxville to study. I was so sad to leave my wife and son and daughter alone again. I promised my wife after two years of study, I would come back home to take them with me to Tennessee.
After two years, in the summer of 1970, I went back to Taiwan to get the visa for my family to go with me to Tennessee. In September of that year, with the help of the university foreign student advisor, I got the visa for my family to be able to go with me to Tennessee. As a teaching assistant, my living allowance was not enough to support our living costs, so I had to work at night as a restaurant waiter to make money. My wife had to look after my son and daughters, and cook food. It was a hard job and time for her.
We joined a Chinese Bible study Friday night at the nearby Baptist church. An American couple, Dr. and Mrs. Coffey, loved my son and daughters so much. They led David and Linda to know Christ and believe in him. In 1973, we all believed in Christ as Lord and Saviour. When we faced difficulty, we started to pray and request to Christ to supply our needs.
Because I was a student without a green card, I could not look for a job in the U.S. In 1973, someone suggested I apply for a Canadian visa to live in Canada. So I did and in 1975, I got the visa. We decided to move to Canada for a better life and so my son and daughters could have better schools to study.
In January 1976, we drove and entered Canada to live in Brampton, which was not so far from Toronto, the big city, which had Chinatown where we could buy Chinese food. During that time, Brampton was a newly built city, and very clean, with not too many people living here. So I decided to stay and live in Brampton. We found an apartment just enough for five of us to stay. The three children went to a nearby school to study, and they were happy to be back in school.
Meanwhile, I found a job as a Quality Control Inspector for an American company, Carter Carburetor, to build water and fuel pumps to supply new car needs. Because I could not find a chemistry related job in Brampton, I stayed with Carter Carburetor until 1984.
Through the Quality Control Association, I found out there was a new job created by Canada Post looking for a Quality Control Inspector. So I took the entrance exam and through God’s help, I passed the exam. On November 1, 1984, I went to work for Canada Post in Mississauga, south of Brampton (not far) and had a better income. So I bought a house in 1986 for better living conditions. My son, David, was able to study at Waterloo University and Linda studied at Guelph University. They graduated and were able to find jobs. Drey-San, due to illness, was not able to finish her university studies, but she is good in drawing and photography.
Because Canada Post had a better pension and better pay, I kept working there until 2000, when I took the early retirement for 60 years or older package. I also paid off the house mortgage. What a relief! Since I took early retirement, and was looking for part-time work, The City of Brampton was looking for crossing guards to protect students crossing the streets in the morning and in the afternoon after school, so I applied for the position and I was offered a job near to my home and the elementary school close by. I worked for five years and because the weather was cold and snowy in winter, I stopped working. Also, my grandson needed my wife and me to care for him and give him a ride, so I became a car driver for Jason, my grandson, and my wife back and forth between his house and my house in Brampton. Now Jason is grown up (and was a grade five student). We looked after him after school until my daughter came home from work.
In October 2018, I became 80 years old. My body was ok, a little bit weak. I joined Good Life Fitness with my wife (also 80 years old), to keep active and exercise. Sometimes, we join the Brampton Chinese Society dancing and eating party. Overall, I am happy that I now stay in Brampton with my wife and daughter, Drey-San.
