Double Luck: A Story of Heartbreak and Triumph
Author and restaurant owner Lu Chi Fa returned for his 11th visit to Taft College. Professor Kamala Carlson and her Intermediate Reading class invited students and faculty to spend an hour with Lu Chi Fa listening to his inspiring life story of the struggles he faced while coming to America.
Lu Chi Fa welcomed everyone in the Cougar Room and extended his hospitality by and bringing pot stickers and egg rolls. As the room settled down, Lu Chi Fa began speaking about the theme of his book and how it is a reflection of the difficulties he endured. From heartbreak to triumph, Lu Chi Fa’s story is a reminder that not all stories with the pursuit of happiness are easy journeys.
At the age of 5, Lu Chi Fa was living in extreme poverty. The parents of Lu Chi Fa had no choice but to sell him off to a communist village chief for two bags of rice. While living with the communist chief, his wife would abuse Lu Chi Fa by starving and beating him. During a communist holiday, there is a tradition of cakes being laid out and not eaten out of respect. Lu Chi Fa ate a couple of cakes, but the chief’s wife noticed and began beating him. The moment the chief got home, the wife informed him of Lu Chi Fa’s actions; he lifted Lu Chi Fa by his ponytail. “The neighbors heard my cries for the chief to put me down and they intervened,” Lu Chi Fa said.
The next journey for Lu Chi Fa took him out of the communist chief’s house and put him on a train to Shanghai. The journey itself was not an easy one as he was instructed not to speak to anyone because the Shanghai district had multiple dialicts. The reason for the lack of interaction is because there have been reports of police arresting citizens attempting to flee the communist reign of terror.
Lu Chi Fa arrived to Shanghai and met up with another similar group attempting to flee the country. “There were 14 adults and 2 children,” Lu Chi Fa said. The group was led by a husband and wife; their job was to ensure that the group made to a boat. The journey was a success but almost ended tragically when a communist machine gun opened fire on the group. Thankfully, nobody was injured during the confrontation.
Unfortunately, Lu Chi Fa was forced to beg at the refugee camp because his brother and his family demanded that Lu Chi Fa contribute. Although he was told not to be outspoken, Lu Chi Fa managed to learn additional dialects; he said,”I switched dialects for 4 years and it helped me get more money from people.” At the age of 12, Lu Chi Fa finally left China and made his way to the Philippines where he would come into contact with Americans. He found a fascination towards Americans while he worked in the Philippines and appreciated their hospitality.
At the age of 26, Lu Chi Fa took the next step in his life and went to Honolulu under a 38 day travel visa. Lu Chi Fa wasted no time on embarking on his new journey towards an American citizenship. One year after his arrival, he acquired his green card and then 10 years later Lu Chi Fa became a U.S. citizen. Lu Chi Fa’s story was published and recounts the events that occurred during the plight of his younger years. Double Luck is the name of his book, and Lu Chi Fa has sold about 30,000 copies, he says the satisfaction he gets from his book is “donating his earnings to scholarships and libraries’.”
“Life is good, life is very good in America” Lu Chi Fa said in his closing statement. He thanked everyone for coming to his visit and began signing books. He posed for pictures and expressed his gratitude. Overall, Lu Chi Fa’s visit is a reminder to everyone that no matter what difficulties one is faced with, giving up should never be an option. From the tales of an orphan, to a successful business owner Lu Chi Fa is the epitome of what the American dream is.
