APRIL 3 was a special day for Longgang resident Zhang Amei, 67 she finally met her 80-year-old sister Chen Jilai after they were separated 57 years ago.
The sisters were born in Indonesia with six brothers and sisters. When Zhang was 10 years old, her Cantonese father and Indonesian mother asked one of their Cantonese friends to adopt her to ease living expenses, a Daily Sunshine report said yesterday. Zhang was then taken to Jiexi in Guangdong Province.
Zhang married a local man and gave birth to two boys and two girls. At the beginning, Zhang was able to keep in touch with her family by mail. But the connection was cut in the 1970s when overseas relationships were forbidden by the government. Zhang later moved to Shenzhen.
Her son, Zhuang Ruicheng, had tried to find her mother s relatives in Indonesia and last year, he encouraged Zhang to ask Zhuang and the Yan Clan World Association for help. Her information was then sent to the Zhang Clan Association.
The clans found Zhang s sister Chen in Hong Kong after one month and Chen immediately set out to meet her.
I was overwhelmed with joy, Chen said. Three of our brothers and sisters had passed away, two are in Singapore and Yunnan Province and the other relatives are still in Indonesia.
When Zhang learned Chen was in Hong Kong, she was so excited that she could not sleep. She is now in high spirits and sleeps well, her son Zhuang said.
Zhang and Chen are half sisters as they have different fathers, but they had been very close since they were young.
The sisters are planning to reunite with their brother and sister in Singapore and Yunnan and return to Indonesia to sweep the tombs of their parents in July or August.
(Jane Lai)
