Classic must-read inspirational childhood stories of celebrities - Fok Ying-tung: A Childhood of Misery
Fok Ying-tung was originally from Panyu County, Guangdong Province. He was born on May 10, 1923, in a floating family in Hong Kong. Grandfather Huo Dachao once owned a large sailing ship and traveled between the province, Hong Kong and Macao, and was engaged in the freight business. But when Huo Yingdong came to this world, his family was already in a very difficult situation. He relied on his father to rent a boat to transport goods. Their income was not much and their life was difficult. Their family was so poor that they could not even wear shoes. It was walking barefoot. Once during the Lunar New Year, his father wore a new pair of shoes and went out on the street for the first time. He took off his shoes at a small stall, squatted on a stool to eat rice noodles, and walked away with his feet on the ground after eating. When I got back to the boat, I realized that I had not put my shoes back on because I had never been in the habit of wearing shoes.
At that time, there was no weather forecast, and the lives of people on the water were not guaranteed. Huo Yingdong's two brothers died in a shipwreck in a typhoon, one was 5 years old and the other was 7 years old. Fortunately, his mother was rescued by his uncle, but soon his uncle also capsized and drowned in the storm. About when Huo Yingdong was 7 years old, his father fell ill and unfortunately passed away. He was only in his 40s. Because I had been sick for a long time, I used Chinese herbal medicine to treat me every day, and I spent all my limited money. After my death, I was buried hastily on Tsing Yi Island.
After his father passed away, life for Huo Yingdong’s family became even more difficult. At that time, he had a 9-year-old sister and a 5-year-old sister. The burden of life fell entirely on his mother.
My mother is a tenacious, hard-working and diligent person. During those troubled days, she was not overwhelmed by the pressure of life. Instead, she straightened her back, worked hard, and took care of her husband. The remaining lighterage business continues to operate. This lightering business involves contacting freighters in the open sea and transporting goods to the shore in small sampans on their behalf. The main cargo transported at that time was coal. The Huo family did not own barges, so they took over the business from ship cargo owners and then distributed it to sampans for barge transportation, earning a small commission from it. Because Huo Yingdong's father was very popular when he was alive and his mother was open-minded and decent, most cargo owners and sampan passengers sympathized with the orphaned and widowed family, and they could barely survive.
Although Huo Yingdong’s mother was illiterate herself, she hoped that her children would be knowledgeable. When Huo Yingdong was about 6 years old, he was carried by others to become an apprentice. Then he enrolled in a sailing school, which was free. His family lived on a boat and wandered around. Classes were very irregular, and sometimes it was hard to even find the boat after school. In the third class, he transferred to Dunmei Primary School. This elementary school charges fees, but there is a free class, but it only enrolls 30 people. Students had to write an essay to take the exam, but Huo Yingdong still passed the exam, and he was the first among the admitted names. Later, he transferred to Huangren Academy. The academic system of the academy is reversed and starts from Class 8, which is equivalent to the first grade of junior high school. At that time, Class 8 of the academy had three classes with 30 students in each class. However, most of them were introduced through teachers, parents and various connections, and less than 10 people were actually admitted through the examination. They were also required to write an essay when taking the exam, and Huo Yingdong was the first to be admitted.
Classic must-read celebrity childhood inspirational stories - Robin Li: A Free Childhood
Robin Li, who was born in Yangquan, Shanxi, did not feel that he had great ambitions when he was a child. Like wild children, they seem to be busy every day, but they are just "following the crowd". Robin Li's parents work in Jindong Chemical Factory, and their family background is very ordinary. Robin Li has three older sisters and one younger sister. His shyness and gentleness may be related to the favor of his sisters.
His father often took Robin Li to watch opera movies, and he became obsessed with opera for a time. His stage is very small, just the bed at home. He often tied a sheet around his waist to make a war skirt, used a stick as a gun, and appeared alone. When Shanxi Yangquan Jin Opera Troupe was recruiting students, he went there. The theater teacher saw a kind of aura in every move and decided to admit him.
But Robin Li’s interest in opera soon faded. Robin Li's eldest sister was admitted to university the year the college entrance examination was just resumed, attracting the envy of her neighbors. Compared to studying drama, going to school is more attractive because of its orthodoxy.
Another interpretation can be made about Robin Li's study of opera. In fact, what he really likes is not opera, but the stage. Only on the stage can you show your talents step by step and infect more people. This is in line with Baidu’s current philosophy of “changing lives with technology”.
Classic must-read inspirational childhood stories of celebrities - Li Ka-shing: Bitter Childhood
In June 1939, the iron hoof of Japanese imperialism began to trample on this peaceful land. All day and night, Japanese planes bombed the Chaozhou area indiscriminately, turning the peaceful and beautiful Chaozhou city into ruins. The Li family risked being killed at any time, dodged stray bullets that came from time to time, climbed over blockades, walked for more than ten days, slept and ate in the open air, and went through countless hardships to reach Hong Kong. The family stayed at the home of his uncle Zhuang Jing'an. Misfortunes never come singly. At this time, Li Ka-shing's father Li Yunjing unfortunately contracted lung disease due to overwork. As the eldest son, Li Ka-shing took care of his father while studying hard for his homework. He knew that his father was sick, so he hoped to study hard to achieve good results so that his sick father could get spiritual comfort.
In order to treat his father’s illness, Li Ka-shing’s family lived in poverty. Two meals of porridge, plus the vegetable leaves my mother collected from the market, was a day's "delicious food". The whole family's hopes are pinned on Li Ka-shing's father, hoping that he can recover from his illness as soon as possible so that the whole family can overcome this difficulty. My father failed to survive that winter and passed away. As the eldest son, Li Ka-shing had no choice but to end his studies with tears in his eyes and go out to work to support his family. After his father's death, 14-year-old Li Ka-shing was forced to leave his beloved school and use his still young shoulders to resolutely shoulder the burden of supporting his loving mother and raising his younger siblings.
Li Ka-shing first worked as a tea-making and sweeping apprentice at his uncle Zhuang Jing'an's Zhongnan Watch Company. After Li Ka-shing arrived here, the first skill he learned was to observe words and emotions and act according to the opportunity. He is always the first to arrive at the company and the last to leave the company every day.
Three hard and difficult years have passed, and the 14-year-old boy has grown into a lean but strong and heroic young man. At the age of 17, Li Ka-shing worked as a salesman in a hardware manufacturing factory and a plastic belt manufacturing company, and began his sales career as a "street boy" as Hong Kong people call him.