Yingchun Hu - China 1960’s to the States

In 1954, the quiet villages surrounding Nanchang, the capital of the Jiangxi Province, had once moved at a pace different from what is familiar today. One that wasn’t measured in hours and minutes, but in harvests, seasons, and a steady rhythm. It was in this life that hard work lined everybody’s hands that Yingchun Hu began her story more than 70 years ago.

Born into a modest household in rural Jiangxi, Yingchun’s early life was shaped by hardship. With a large family of 2 siblings, Yingchun was the middle child of the house. Now, poverty wasn’t just an economic condition, but instead, it was the air her village breathed. Days began before dawn and often ended after the sun dipped under the fields. But even then, she carried a quiet presence. One of focus, determination, and most importantly, willpower.

As she grew, it became clear that Yingchun possessed two gifts that rarely exist together within oneself. A sharp, organized mind and an eye for detail in artistic beauty. It was her skill with numbers that led her to pursue work in accounting. This path demanded precision, trustworthiness, and patience. She was all three. In a world where these opportunities for rural women were limited, she made a space for herself through this talent. It was also through this line of work that she found an identity in the society she once thought didn’t need her. 

But numbers were only half of that identity. The other half was evident through calligraphy. She practices with reverence. Ink, brush, and paper became the emotional outlet that she used to express care, wisdom, and aspirations that words couldn’t hold by themselves. Every single stroke she painted would carry a sense of peace and intention but they also reflected her ideals that were clearly rooted by her childhood. 

It was during this chapter of her young adulthood that Yingchun met the man who would become her partner for life, which was my grandfather. With her work as an accountant, it was only natural she would meet him through the line of architecture. Their relationship wasn’t an instant romance but a gradual unfolding: shared responsibilities, mutual respect, and something that deepened steadily throughout the years. They had both built their life from the ground up. My grandfather was talented in architecture but suffered from the same unfortunate poverty as well. Still, that didn’t stop the two of them from building a life. And now, that life looked a little brighter with the two of them by each other's side. With a warmth that deepened over the years as colleagues, they raised a family with the same principles that guided her calligraphy: steadiness, discipline, and kindness in every stroke of their lives together.

Most people begin slowing down as they approach later life. Yingchun did not.

Fifteen years ago, she made a life-altering change–to leave China and move to the states.

Now, for a woman who grew up in a small village, this leap was massive. It meant learning new routines, navigating unfamiliar systems, and rebuilding everything from scratch. Yet she embraced it with one goal in mind. Build a life where her family never had to experience what she had to go through. Now, her brothers stayed. With the youngest going to the airforce and the oldest becoming a business owner, she was only accompanied by her husband and daughter.

Still, she found joy in the small things: watching her family grow, bringing her traditions to the new world, and sharing her warmth through cooking, stories, and gardening. Her brushes, carried carefully across the ocean, still glide across the paper with the same level of elegance–now a bridge between the past and present.

Today, at seventy years old, Yingchun Hu is more than the sum of her experiences. She is a woman shaped by struggle but defined by her compassion. She is a mother and grandmother who uses her care to anchor her family. She is an artist who preserves culture through the steady but beautiful lines. She is an immigrant who has courage that goes beyond geography. Her journey from a poor village in Jiangxi to a peaceful life in America is not just inspirational. It is a testament to the strength of perseverance and the endurance of willpower. In every life she touches, in every memory she has left, Yingchun’s story continues. Her story is a reminder that although we constantly compare ourselves to the ones more fortunate than us, it is evident that we are all in this fight together in our nature as humans. Even as a child, she would always say, “We are them,” reminding me not to envy, but to reach for the very thing that connects the humble to the fortunate. It is proof that even the humblest of beginnings are still capable of leaving the most extraordinary legacies.