Washington D.C. – Washington Examiner, June 21, 2026
My father, Jimmy Lai, was born in mainland China to a well-to-do family shortly before the communists came to power. When they did, he and his family became the enemy of the people. His father fled to Hong Kong in search of better opportunities, leaving his family to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, my grandmother was forced to kneel on broken glass every morning in public, so that people saw what happened to the families of those who ran. My father found work as a porter in train stations from the age of 8. He grew up without a father, with no one to show him how to lead a family or be a good husband. Despite this, he became, in my eyes, the greatest father I could ask for.
My father’s hard-scrabble upbringing produced a very tough man. He escaped to Hong Kong at the age of 12, earned his way as a laborer with grit and determination, and found success as a business and media entrepreneur because of his ingenuity and integrity. Gentleness is not a trait that is often publicly associated with him. Yet, with me, he was always gentle. When I was small, my brother and cousin cut my hair, causing me to cry, and my father comforted me. Perhaps to the hairdresser’s chagrin, he promised me that the professionals could make it grow back. When I did well in my studies as a girl, he would reward me with my favorite treats — ham, cheese, or books. After my first college exams, which I failed to finish due to poor time management, he comforted me on the phone for an hour while I cried.
