WuKong Education “Tell Us Your ABC Story” Award-Winning Story: A Musical Journey Through Memories

Welcome to Our ABC Stories!

In 2023, WuKong Education’s “Tell Us Your ABC Story” Global Story Contest invited Chinese families worldwide to share their tales. Actor Daniel Wu and author Vincent Yee, along with the WuKong Judge Team, carefully selected 21 finalists from a myriad of touching submissions. “Fleeting Memory Lasting Love” by Enya Yu, aged 10, has been honored with the “Future Writer Award.” Enya’s narrative invites us into the world of her memories, capturing the essence of fleeting moments and enduring love. Take a moment to be inspired by her incredible story, offering a glimpse into global Chinese experiences.

Music have always been a part of my life, from when I was a little kid in suburban Chicago playing a basic song on the piano, to an elementary-school kid wheezing on a cheap recorder, to strumming a chord on a guitar for the first time and becoming the instrument-wielding band kid I am today.

I  remember  a  memory  whose  significance  is  beyond  description.  It  isn’t  my  fondest memory, nor my earliest, but it’s the type of memory that just resonates with you, stays with you for years, and the type that you can never forget but you cannot explain. It is a Chinese lullaby. Under the cold air of the spring night and the silvery light of the moon, a low and clear melody cuts through the chirping of cicadas.

“让我们荡起双桨，小船儿推开波浪，

水面倒影着美丽的白塔，四周环绕着绿树红墙。”

It was a song I got lost in, and I could feel every aspect of the memory when I heard it,   whenever my dad sang me to sleep after along daywhen I was a child. It wasn’t just notes, it wasn’t just about a little rowboat on a lake, surrounded by beauty, trees, and walls and that white tower reflected in the crystal-clearwater. It meant memories. It meant safety, a time of calmness after along tempest. It meant the sky, the stars and a warm embrace.

One night, so many days, months, and years, after that beautiful memory, it wasn’t nearly as peaceful as it was that day with the cold air, clear sky, and full moon. It was stiflingly hot in such a sunless summer with clouds blocking out all the stars I had always longed to reach. The world was silent except for sobs and the ringing of texts on my phone.

Once again, I had quarreled with my friends—and this one seemed worse than all the petty debates about instruments, pets, the relentless game of he-said-she said, and the blame always being passed around; no, this one had resorted to genuine anger, to caps-lock yelling and cold, icy rage.

I stepped outside onto the driveway, into the night air, hoping it would help me think, and found myself staring at that same night sky—years had passed, yet there were still the same stars, like tiny little beacons against the unwelcoming black silk of sky.

I wondered what the point was … just fighting this battle I would never win, against my friends, and against myself. What was the end goal, if eventually, I would lose everyone? Why did I still try, if it wasn’t worth it in the end, when I would still lose friends, gain enemies, and when life was a downward spiral to negativity?

I took a breath, looked up at those stars and the half-moon hanging heavily in the distance, and listened to the silence and the occasional car whizzing past the warm night airon the cracked asphalt roads.

Feeling the serenity of the moment and the calm breaking through the shattering sense of self-doubt, of doubt in general, I looked towards the sky, and I began to sing …

And I lost myself in the peace of that Chinese lullaby.

Summary

Thank you for immersing yourself in “Fleeting Memory Lasting Love,” a poignant exploration of memories and enduring love by the talented 10-year-old writer, Enya Yu. Enya has received the Future Writer Award for her remarkable storytelling.

Enya’s story adds a charming chapter to the collection of global Chinese experiences. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Enya for sharing her unique narrative and contributing to the rich tapestry of global Chinese stories. May we continue to cherish and celebrate the diverse narratives that make our cultural heritage so vibrant.