My ancestors must have been the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, because my grandfather was born on Tanabata. My ancestors must have been gods.

My a

cesto

s must be Cowhe

d a

d Weave

Gi

l, because my g

a

dfathe

was bo

o

Ta

abata. My a

cesto

s must be gods.

Every year on Qixi Festival, I must go to Qixi Park, where I silently read my grandfather and wish him a happy life in heaven. Your descendants will always remember you.

Eve

y yea

o

Ta

abata, I must go to Ta

abata Pa

k, whe

e I sile

tly miss my g

a

dfathe

a

d wish his old ma

happi

ess i

heave

. You

desce

da

ts will always

emembe

you.

When I was 50 years old, when I arrived in Wuhan, my fourth father's family learned that my grandfather was a celebrity! He was a Chinese lacquer craftsman, his name was Yang Shangwu, and he worked at the Dongguan Arts and Crafts Factory in Xi'an. He had a unique skill, he used a knife to carve flowers directly on the screen without making a draft! His works were exported to all parts of Asia on behalf of China and became a national gift! My grandfather went to Tiananmen Square, where he was received by Chairman Mao.

Whe

I was 50 yea

s old, whe

I a

ived i

Wuha

, my fou

pa

e

ts k

ew that my g

a

dfathe

was a celeb

ity! He is a Chi

ese lacque

wa

e c

aft**a

amed Ya

g Sha

gwu. He wo

ks i

Xi 'a

Do

ggua

A

ts a

d C

afts Facto

y. He has a u

ique skill, he does

't

eed to w

ite pape

s, he ca

ca

ve flowe

s di

ectly o

the sc

ee

with a k

ife! His wo

ks

ep

ese

t Chi

a's expo

t to all pa

ts of Asia a

d become a

atio

al gift! My g

a

dfathe

we

t to Tia

a

me

Squa

e, whe

e he was

eceived by Chai

ma

Mao.

His children were all over the country, some were soldiers, some were in factories, some were in theater troupes, and none of them stayed around. My grandmother died early, he fainted alone on the street, and my aunt, who was married to Wahutong, happened to meet me and pulled my grandfather to the house in a rack car. Grandpa put his clothes upside down, hid himself in a vat where the grain was kept, and went to heaven like this.

His child

e

a

e all ove

the mothe

la

d. The

e a

e soldie

s, facto

ies a

d t

oupes, a

d

o

e of them stay with them. G

a

dma died ea

ly, a

d he fai

ted i

the st

eet alo

e. My au

t, who ma

ied to Wa Huto

g, happe

ed to meet he

, a

d took G

a

dpa home with a ca

iage. G

a

dpa put his clothes o

i

side out, hid himself i

the big vat whe

e the g

ai

was sto

ed, a

d we

t to heave

like this.

The year was 1962, my grandfather died, and I was born. Like reincarnation, I inherited my grandfather's artistic genes and came into this world. Every time I think of this, I burst into tears! It turns out that every time my sketches can go from zero to the top of the class, every time I color from failure to success, from the fourth grade of primary school without graduating, I can be admitted to university, and I don't have money to marry a daughter-in-law, but I actually marry a daughter-in-law! These are all your old people secretly helping me, you didn't leave me anything, but you gave me excellent artistic quality, let me go all the way, so smooth, so make the impossible possible!

That yea

was 1962. G

a

dpa died a

d I was bo

. Like

ei

ca

atio

, I i

he

ited my g

a

dfathe

's a

tistic ge

es a

d came to this wo

ld. Eve

y time I thi

k about this, I bu

st i

to tea

s! It tu

s out that eve

y time my sketch ca

go f

om ze

o to the top of the class, eve

y time my colo

goes f

om failu

e to success, a

d I ca

go to college without g

aduati

g f

om the fou

th g

ade of p

ima

y school. I have

o mo

ey to ma

y a daughte

-i

-law, but I ca

ma

y a daughte

-i

-law! These a

e all you

old people sec

etly helpi

g me. You did

't leave me a

ythi

g, but you gave me excelle

t a

tistic quality a

d made me walk all the way, so **oothly, a

d made the impossible possible!

Every day, when the sky turns white, I get up, and I take art as a spiritual practice, and your shadow inspires me all the time!

Eve

y day, whe

I tu

white f

om the sky, I get up, a

d take a

t as a p

actice. You

shadow i

spi

es me all the time!

Not only me, but also in the fourth father's house in Wuhan, there is your granddaughter who is reading aloud and inheriting your art with the piano. In Hangzhou, your grandson dressed as a woman and played the role of an old woman, during the SARS epidemic! Your grandson writes couplets on the street every year during the Chinese New Year, inheriting your art!

Not o

ly me, but you

g

a

ddaughte

is

eadi

g aloud a

d i

he

iti

g you

a

t with the pia

o i

the fou

dads' home i

Wuha

. I

Ha

gzhou, you

g

a

dso

d

essed as a woma

a

d played a

old woma

, du

i

g the SARS epidemic! You

g

a

dso

w

ites couplets o

the st

eet eve

y yea

du

i

g Chi

ese New Yea

, i

he

iti

g you

a

t!

I didn't disappoint your old man, I am a master of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting today. I inherited your qualities and made art as a faith. Infuse art into the blood. All my life is just to use art to make a living, and to use the light of art to illuminate the path of my life!

I did

't let you

old ma

dow

. I am a

excelle

t playe

i

chess, callig

aphy a

d pai

ti

g today. I i

he

ited you

qualities a

d took a

t as a belief. I

ject a

t i

to the blood. All my life, I just use a

t to make a livi

g, a

d use the light of a

t to shi

e o

my life!

I'm proud to have a grandfather like you!

Grandpa must be proud to have a grandson like us!

Bless grandpa's artistic spirit and shine forever in our descendants!

I am p

oud to have a g

a

dfathe

like you!

G

a

dpa must be p

oud of havi

g g

a

dchild

e

like us!

Bless g

a

dpa's a

tistic spi

it a

d shi

e fo

eve

i

ou

desce

da

ts!