| With brutal
honestly and wry humour, Mary Chan Ma-lai tells the story of herself
and her family against the backdrop of a brash and rising Hong Kong. A
testament to her victory over her disabilities to become a teacher,
writer, world traveller and vital member of society, this is an
important book about Hong Kong as it seldom reveals itself by an
articulate and inspiring author whose blind eyes saw deeply.
One of the finest memoirs ever written by a Hong Hong
writer, a pre-publication excerpt of this book was featured among the
best of contemporary Hong Kong writing in the summer 1998 edition of
Manoa, the literary journal of the University of Hawaii.
Critics Comments
"This is the story of a
woman who rose above disabilities, poverty and disaster by sheer force
of will and deep religious faith."
South
China Morning Post
"The book should
encourage many who are handicapped to be optimistic about fulfilling
their dreams. Mary Chan showed that almost anything is possible with
determination and perseverance."
The Sunday
Examiner (Catholic), Hong Kong
"Adversity is like a mountain. Sometimes it looms in front of you,
offering you two choices. The easy option is to accept it and adapt to
the constraints and problems it may cause. Or you can see it as a
challenge, and rise to the occasion.
"Mary Chan Ma-lai chose the latter. She used courage
and bravery to overcome her own adversity and her story is an
inspiration to all who come across it.
"The true story of Mary was that she was born in
1950 to a poor Tanka family who lived in terrible conditions. They had
nothing apart from the ramshackle fishing junk they called home. Mary
lived on the dilapidated vessel with her parents and all her extended
family Her grandparents ruled the roost, and various uncles, aunts and
cousins came to live with them at different times, making life crowded
and difficult.
"Leung Ho, Mary's mother, worked hard, cleaning,
cooking meals and generally looking after the family's needs. She
never questioned her position, and instead got on with her difficult
life as best she could.
"Mary's father earned a little money from fishing
and trading, but preferred to gamble away his earnings rather than
provide for his family. He gradually became an opium addict, causing
more problems for the family.
"Mary was feeble as a baby. She crawled around the
boat like an abandoned animal, but resolutely hung on to life, even
when things were desperate.
"When she was two years old, she developed
cataracts. The family had no money to send her to a doctor, so her
grandmother decided to treat her with a traditional remedy.
"She mixed hot incense ash with mud and spread the
paste on Mary's eyes. The result was devastating. Mary was left blind
in one eye, and could only see the movement of distant shadows with
the other.
"Could Mary's pathetic life get any worse?
"At the age of five, the inevitable happened. A
trap-door in the floor had been left open, and Mary fell into the
hold, crushing her spine. She was left paralysed from the waist down,
with a crooked hunchback.
"With no money to seek medical help, Mary's future
as a blind cripple seemed even more bleak. But her mother refused to
give in to the family suggestions that her little “blind ghost” be
taken somewhere dark and left to die. Mary was a fighter, and her
mother wanted to give her every chance she could to survive.
"At last, fate held out a helping hand. Father
Edward Collins, a young Catholic priest from Ireland, discovered her
on the family junk in Aberdeen harbour, and resolved to help.
"This was the beginning of a formidable friendship
that was to last until Mary's death in September 2000.
"Father Collins arranged medical treatment for Mary,
and stayed by her side at the hospital. She became a pupil at
Honeyville Convent Primary School for blind children in 1959, and
eight years later, was one of the few blind students to gain a place
at St Francis' Canossian School, one of Hong Kong's most prestigious
grammar schools.
"Mary tells her own story in the wonderful Egg
Woman's Daughter, revealing all her humour, optimism and love of
life.
"Despite her disabilities,
Mary never felt sorry for herself. She met astonishing people and
experienced amazing things in her life, and these somehow cancelled
out the misery and hopelessness that could so easily have driven her
life."
John Millen
Young Post
South China Morning Post
Readers Comments
Extract
Copyright © Mary Chan
Ma-lai
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