Rubén Tang's father (third right, back row) and family members.

Peru and China are both ancient countries with rich histories and cultures. Chinese immigration to Peru is the most significant in Latin America. The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Peru in 1849 to seek a new future in these distant lands. They initially worked in the fields and later established successful businesses, making important contributions to the country's development across various sectors.

This immigration brought two ancient civilizations into contact and marked the beginning of an exchange that particularly enriched the Peruvian cultural heritage in its various forms. Later, as Chinese immigrants integrated with the local population or as their families were authorized to join them, an interesting process of social and cultural assimilation began, bridging distances and fostering mutual understanding between the two nations.

My Chinese grandparents on my father's side came to Peru in the 1930s to build a better future from Heshan, a county-level city of Jiangmen City in the southern part of Guangdong Province. They had six children, all born in Peru, and they devoted themselves to commerce, establishing several highly successful Chinese food restaurants. 

Being of Hakka origin, they only spoke their dialect with their children at home and did not know how to speak Mandarin. The Hakka are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people, mainly residing in southern China, with ancestors often said to have migrated from northern or central China centuries ago.