Dan Xu Liu

My grandpa was born on Jan 17 , 1940 in Hoisan, Anfen, Cheng Mu Shi. He had five siblings. His father passed away when he was young and being the oldest brother, he rose up to take on the role of a father for his siblings. Then in 1967, my grandpa married my grandma for 56 years after ten years of dating. According to my grandma, he was a romantic and caring husband who was always by my grandma’s side, in laughter or in sickness. As good as he was as a husband, he was also a great father to his two children and he always tried to provide the very best. To this day, my dad still remembers the elaborate butterfly kite that my grandpa had handcrafted for him. When his two children got married, he openly welcomed two more members into the family, treating them as his own children. My mom told me stories of how when she had just joined the family, my grandpa welcomed her by buying her most favourite breakfast foods. She still recalls the warmth she felt on that day. The family grew bigger with the addition of grandchildren, and his love as a father and as a grandfather continued to grow as well. I remember all the times he took care of me in the summers in the States. Despite the hot weather, he still always drove me to my piano lessons and to the library, never missing a day, knowing how much I loved the piano and books. His love for his family transcends generations as my uncle spoke of the way my grandpa helped him become a good father. Thus through his love for his family, we learned how to love our family.

In addition to being a loving father, my grandpa was also a very good man. He was a very generous man who was always eager to help, without expecting anything in return. When he was teaching in high school, he found out his student’s family was going through hard times financially and immediately stepped in to help. His helping hand extended beyond his family and has helped many who were fortunate to have met him in their lives.

My grandpa was a man who deeply appreciated the arts, both the literary and the musical worlds. He loved to read and do literary analysis. My aunt tells me that his literary discussions often carried to the dinner table. Under the constant conversations and my grandpa’s influence, my aunt not only learned to appreciate literature but also placed first on the Chinese exam in the entire city of Kaiping. My grandpa also loved music. He was a man of many musical talents – he played the yangqing, erhu, accordion, keyboard, and harmonica very well. He was also often found listening to Guangdong and classical music or busy putting together customised playlists for us and burning them onto CDs. These passions and talents were passed down to his children and grandchildren. Even in his absence, music continues to fill the room through my cousins who are exceptional pianists and violinists.

My grandpa’s passion for literacy came from his career as a high school literary teacher in China. In his profession, he has taught generations of students who are all over the world now and still remember him as Liu laoshi. He was a well-respected teacher and he cared a lot about the education of the next generation. This devotion subsequently led him to lead a team of teachers to reform the outdated textbooks. In line with his profession, my grandpa highly valued the importance of education, which he instilled in us all. Although he was a teacher by profession, he was also a teacher in our lives. He taught us that education can give us better opportunities and help us become better individuals. This, in turn, has changed many trajectories in our family. We are who we are and our accomplishments are because of him. He taught us many things, small or big, that we will carry with us as we continue our lives. Through the wisdom he shared with us, he continues to live through us all.

My grandpa was a man of few words but we always felt his love for us. He was always looking at us all, smiling quietly to himself. I’d like to think that he is doing that right now, always watching over us with the biggest smile across his face. Thank you for everything you gave us. We will continue with the love and wisdom you have given us and we will continue to take care of each other following your example. Rest in peace, grandpa. We love you and miss you.

给爷爷的悼词 , 刘丹旭的大孙女撰写（中文版）

我的爷爷于1940年1月17日出生在广东省台山市端芬镇上泽乡成务市。他有五个兄弟姐妹。他的父亲在他很小的时候就去世了，作为长兄，他奋起承担起做兄弟姐妹的父亲角色。在1967年，我的爷爷和奶奶在交往十年后结了婚，共度了56年。据奶奶说，爷爷是一位浪漫、贴心的丈夫，无论欢与忧，他总是陪伴在奶奶身边。爷爷不仅是一位优秀的丈夫，也是两个孩子的伟大父亲，他总是为两个孩子尽心尽力。直到今天，爸爸还记得爷爷为他亲手制作的那个精致的蝴蝶风筝。当他的两个孩子结婚后，他非常欢迎两名新成员加入家庭，将他们视为己出的孩子。我妈妈曾向我提起过，她刚加入这个家庭时，爷爷为欢迎她，买了她最喜欢的早餐，那份温暖至今长存。随着孙辈的加入，家庭逐渐扩大，爷爷作为父亲和祖父的爱随之增长。我记得在美国的一个夏天，他一直照顾我。尽管天气炎热，他仍然坚持开车送我去上钢琴课和去图书馆，从未缺席过一天，因为他知道我有多么热爱钢琴和书籍。我姑丈曾谈到我爷爷如何帮助他成为一个好父亲。他的爱跨越了几代人，而这种爱正引导着我们如何爱别人。

我的爷爷除了是一个慈爱的父亲之外，还是一个专做好事的人。他非常慷慨，总是乐于助人，不求任何回报。当他在高中教书时，发现一学生家庭有经济困难，他立即慷慨解囊。爷爷的援助之手不仅限于他的家人，还及于每个他遇见需要帮助的人。

我的爷爷是一位非常懂得欣赏艺术的人，无论是文学还是音乐。他喜欢阅读也喜欢对文学进行鉴赏。我姑姑告诉我，他的文学探讨话题经常被带到餐桌上。在爷爷的言传身教下，姑姑不仅学会了文学赏析，而且中考语文成绩开平市名例前茅。我的爷爷热衷音乐，他多才多艺，善长扬琴、二胡、手风琴、键盘、口琴。爷爷特别喜爱听广东音乐和古典音乐，有时甚至把定制音乐刻录到 CD 上与我们分享。他把这份热情与才华传承给了他的子孙。即使他不在，美妙的旋律随着我那在音乐具有造诣的两位表妹的演奏，萦绕在这个空间。

我爷爷对文学的热情来自于他在中国担任高中文学老师的职业生涯。在他的职业生涯中，他育出了一代又一代的学生。如今这些学生遍布世界各地，他们仍然记得他是“刘老师”。他是一位受人尊敬的老师，非常关心下一代的教育。这种奉献精神使他带领教师团队对过时的教科书进行了改革。爷爷高度重视教育，并将其灌输给我们所有人，他更是我们生活中的良师。他告诉我们，教育为我们提供更好的机会，让我们成为更好的人。这种观念直接影响了我们家的人生轨迹。我们之所以成为现在的我们，我们的有所成，都是因为他。他教会了我们很多东西，或大或小都一直伴随着我们的生活，他永远活在我们的心中。

爷爷是一个不多言的人，但我们始终感受到他对我们的爱。他总是望着我们，默默地微笑着。我相信他现在也正在这样做，脸上带着灿烂的笑容看着我们。感谢您给予我们的一切。我们将继续发扬您给予我们的爱和智慧，并以您为榜样，继续互相扶持。安息吧，爷爷，我们爱你并想念你。

From Dan’s brother:

我在此沉痛哀悼我哥哥子恩，亦代表四个妹妹沉痛哀悼我们亲爱的哥哥。

子恩哥作为长兄，对弟妹关怀备至。特别父亲早逝，长子为父，子恩哥承担了更多的义务。

子恩哥是一个有才华之人，对文学、音乐有特长，文学造诣颇深，曾在“萌芽”杂志发表文章。可惜受家庭经济状况所限，初中毕业后就读长沙师范学校，可以免学费和伙食费，否则他直上高中，就可以考上大学读文科。

子恩哥是位好老师，一生专心教学，诲人不倦，待人诚恳，被学生称为“亦师亦友”，他桃李满天下，实在是他的荣耀。

我小时候调皮，常骑在他的肩膀上玩，记得我七岁时全家从台山搬到开平，我还追着哥哥打，但他从不介意，对我爱护有加。

人生总有终点，子思哥能享高寿安详辞世，我们于悲痛中亦有所慰。

愿子恩哥在天之灵安息！

From Dan’s students:

由伍雄丽执笔，代表开平开侨中学82届初中1、2两班同学的心声：

惊悉敬爱的刘老师与世长辞，悲恸不已！斯人已去，风范犹存！刘丹旭老师是我们成长阶段的恩师，也是我们早期人生的领路人，多年来教书育人，桃李满天下。他不但教我们语文，作为班主任的他，更教给我们很多生活的哲理和智慧。刘老师风趣幽默，笑容可亲，待人真挚诚恳，对学生循循诱教，一贯亦师亦友。老师赠的唐宋词格律和唐宋词赏析，伴我闯荡海外三十载，教我未敢忘记故国故乡的文化和传统。

大家曾记否, 当年刘老师常常带领我们＂搞搞新意思＂。印象深刻的一次是去看守所慰问武警。在那里，第一次有男女同学合作做司仪。走在乡间的小路上，外婆的澎湖湾，年轻的朋友来相会…… 校园歌曲和脍炙人口的80年代名曲, 混合飞扬在一个不寻常的地方，更不寻常的是，发现好多同学原来有出凡脱俗的歌艺才华。

另一次刘老师带领的活动，堪称前卫的冒险之旅，突破了那个年代社会和教育工作者的思维极限，竟让开侨与台山一中拘谨含羞的少男少女，手拉手跳起了青春园舞曲，让我们有机会在那个年代浅尝到人性里最自然最纯洁的友谊、和谐和美好，同时提高了各位男同学和女同学的自信和人文关怀意识，之后开侨之子更以初生之犊不怕虎的勇气大胆写信给广州某报馆揭露纸厂对秀丽潭江的环境污染，引起领导与社区的广泛注意，顺带也招来不少批评和训斥。然而，有刘老师撑着伞，年少轻狂的我们何惧风风雨雨，只是一笑置之…… 一切的一切让我们永远铭记于心，愿老师一路走好！安息于天堂极乐。

最后借一首短诗，以表学子心意：

良言久听，记矣心中，化雨长沾，既往哪堪承厚爱；

噩耗遥闻，潸然泪下，师恩未报，从今何处觅尊容。