Policy Blessing

        Many Chinese farmers benefited from China’s Reform and Opening-up policy which led by Deng Xiaoping to revive the Chinese economy. My uncle was a special one of those farmers. In 1985, China carried out many policies to promote the rural economy. There was a policy that looked for 500 workers in our hometown, Xinxian. This policy decided to provide some jobs for those lucky people because Xinxian was a poor city. My uncle was the oldest child at that time, so my grandfather recommended him to try the policy. Therefore, my uncle started a ten-year journey away from home, so he had to give up his studies. In the end, he succeeded and changed our family. The policy brought good luck to him, and he also brought luck to our family.

        When my uncle began his ten-year journey, he was about eighteen years old. Obviously, his journey was not easy because he needed to work hard and give up his education. My grandfather was a poor farmer, but he had one daughter and four sons. As the oldest child, my uncle had to work hard to support the family. My uncle also said that he really wanted to go to college, but my grandfather couldn’t offer to pay for his tuition. Although my uncle didn’t go to college, he didn’t stop studying. In his free time, he is usually fond of reading books and writing some articles. The 500 workers' policy let him work in many different big cities. There were a lot of interesting things shared in his articles, such as Beijing's flowers and Xi’an's mountains. I like to read his articles very much.

       Because of his hard work and his writings, he successfully went from a farmer to a boss. He has a better life now. He doesn’t have to worry about money, so his wife and children’s lives all are carefree. Compared with their old house, their new house is very big and clean. My aunt is satisfied with her lifestyle now. Every day she can take a walk in the nearby park and enjoy different kinds of flowers that she loves. My uncle regretted that he didn’t go to college. Therefore, he really tried his best to help his children to get a good education. His daughter finally graduated from the University of Hong Kong, and my uncle was very proud of her graduation.

       Apart from the two effects above, the good luck he brought to my family is the most important effect for me. With his help, my father, sister, and I had a chance to come to the United States. About six years ago, my father lost his job as a worker at Zhengzhou. Then he suggested that my father should try to go to the United States like he tried that policy. He asked his friends to help my father. In the end, my father passed his interview with my uncle’s blessing. My uncle also encouraged my sister and me to go to an American college, so we both agreed to come to the United States. I think my American dream will come true because of the good luck from my uncle.

       My uncle is the kind of person who just thinks about others. He was unfortunate in the past, but he got that policy’s blessing. For his family, he left his hometown. For my family, he asked many friends to help us. I am thankful for this policy which changed my unfortunate uncle to be lucky. My uncle could have a chance to fight for his future. Finally, he succeeded. Our family has a better life now.