Cheung Po Yu

My Paternal Grandfather (I still do not know his name)was some sort of Kuomintang official in Guangdong, educated in Japan at a time when only the elite could afford it, and ended up having four wives at the same time (Which was legal in those days.) the ofurth was my Grandmother. (I still do not know her name.) My father told my mother (through however it was they communicated)that he had some memories of growing up in the mansion like compound as a child though only a few. At some point the Japanese invaded and my grandmother and father went down to Hong Kong in poverty. My father had told my mother when referring to my Grandfather and most of the family that most of them had died from the invasion. Needless to say contact seems to have ended.
My father grew up poor in Hong Kong and was somewhat mature by the time he somehow became a chef on a boat that travelled all around the world, Asia, Africa, Europe and eventually the United States. What he did before that job, I have no clue of.
What he did on the boat I know a little bit about from what he told my mom, and what one of his friends who was Younger than him I who I will refer to as Uncle S. told me. Most of the Chinese crew would stay on the boat when the ship was docked but my Father and Uncle S. were youthful enough to go around and have adventures, watching movies in European languages they didn't speak, skiiing, whatever.
Uncle S. said he was watching a movie with my father and finally turned to him and asked him, "Do you know what the hell is going on?"
"Yeah sure," my father said.
"You speak German?"
"Nope" he said, "That guy there is saying something to that chick, now they're kissing, so that's what'seasy enough right?"

On the boat, activities consited of gambling, doing some kind of Hung Gar Push hands, and occassionally stealing suits to pass themselves off as wealthy paying vacationers on the boat and partying.

My Father was apparently an excellent Chef, though felt no need to wash vegetables or much of anything before cooking them, and could lpay guitar and flute pretty well though he never had formal training.

At some point the boat docked in Baltimore at which point they jumped ship.