Daughter wins China Airlines business class prize; 30 family and friends help 86-year-old father chase his dream

Reported by You Ru / Taipei




▲ Pu Hsueh-liang, Mother Chung, Father Chung, winner Ms. Chung, China Airlines Deputy Vice President of Passenger Marketing Department Tsao Chih-fen, and China Airlines Taiwan Branch Chief Director Tung Kuo-liang. (Photo / Provided by China Airlines)

Mr. Chung, 86, was born in Tokyo where his family ran a Chinese restaurant called "Hong Lai Xuan." However, at the age of 7, due to the war, he returned to his ancestral home in Shanghai and eventually settled in Taiwan. Although he had tried to find the places of his childhood in Japan with relatives when he was older, he couldn't locate them due to lack of information. Last year, an old photo of a Japanese street scene over 20 years old was unexpectedly found at home.

Ms. Chung won the business class grand prize by participating in the “Party In The Air！ Business Class Is On Me, Party’s On You” campaign. She decided to use this opportunity to bring 30 family members and friends together to fly with China Airlines to Tokyo and help her elderly father fulfill his dream of retracing his roots.

Upon learning about Mr. Chung’s heartwarming story, China Airlines held a press conference today (12th). They specially invited Pu Hsueh-liang, known as the “Super Search Team Leader” from the popular show Super Task, to be the mystery guest. China Airlines flight attendants also prepared a special video to share strategies and cheer for this dream journey.

Leader A-Liang summarized seven key clues based on his own experience — the Chinese restaurant “Hong Lai Xuan”; the “Chinese School” he attended; nearby spots like the “tofu shop,” “Takashimaya Department Store,” “public bathhouse”; his childhood friends from the “light bulb factory”; and the “old photo.” He hopes to successfully trace these leads to find the scenes of the past and fulfill the wish. He also gifted a motivational backpack, symbolizing the passing on of the Super Search Team’s mission and representing his heartfelt wishes for Mr. Chung.