Looking for my grandfather: Emperor of Chinese Cinema, Jin Yan

Author: Park Gyuyeon (Korean)
Publisher:
Publish Date: Not Available
Features: Ten years ago, I had the rare opportunity to visit my parents' house with my husband. Coincidentally, my sister and her husband were also at home, and we spent a precious time together. It's not easy for the whole family to gather like this. After lunch, the family gathered to chat and catch up on each other's lives, discussing the children. At this moment, my mother suddenly said in a very serious tone, "Children, since we're rare to gather like this, I want to tell you some things I've long wanted to say."
"What kind of things?" Her expression showed a certain seriousness, different from the cheerful conversation we had earlier. Although I haven't been back to my parents' house often since getting married, I am, after all, the eldest daughter. "Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but I've been thinking about the elders of your grandfather's family lately."
"The elders of your grandfather's family?" "Yes. Your grandfather's family has produced many outstanding individuals. A single family having five Independent Heroes is no easy feat. Although I can't be certain, I believe it should be unique in our country as well. They were rarely known to the world because of their humble and unassuming nature and their indifference to fame and fortune."
Although my mother spoke with great seriousness, I only remember having heard the names of those elders mentioned a few times and recalling that they had received medals as Independent Heroes. Among them were Dr. Kim Kwisik, who once served as the Vice President of the Temporary Government of Chongqing, as well as Kim Chuna, Kim Maria, Seo Byeongho, and Seo Jaehyun.
"However, aside from these five Independent Heroes, there was actually one more hero." I had never heard this before. Not only my sisters but also my husband and my sister's husband, sitting beside me, listened intently to my mother's words with very serious expressions.
"Who is it?" I asked, still being the eldest daughter. "That is your great-grandfather, Kim Byeokchun. He was a graduate of the first class of Seoulsul France and one of the earliest people in our country to practice Western medicine. Moreover, those Independent Heroes who received the title were also influenced by him to join the independence movement."
"Why was such a person forgotten?" We turned our attention back to my mother's face. Since getting married, I hadn't paid much attention to my parents' house. I had focused all my energy on taking care of my husband and children. Even when I spoke about it at home, I had never shown this level of concern before.
Later, I learned that before the "June 25th" War, relevant national authorities had compiled records of his heroic deeds, but unfortunately, these records were completely lost in the war. Due to the lack of materials, the matter was left unresolved, and since it was the early 20th century, the individuals who could verify his activities had all passed away. So it has been postponed until now. In fact, he was the earliest member of our family to participate in the independence movement and also its core figure."
If that were the case, we should have heard about him at least a few times. But at the age of over forty, I had never heard that he was a graduate of the first class of Seoulsul France or one of the earliest people in our country to practice Western medicine.
"I’m saying this not to add any glory to the family, but as I grow older, I feel it’s important to have a true record of what he did, so I wanted to share it with you. Especially while I’m still not too old and still have some memory." It seemed that my mother had already thought everything through before we arrived and even suggested telling the story of our family's elders to a television station. P3-4