A small red luck charm has always been tucked safely in my backpack. It is a braided red 
tassel with glass persimmon-shaped pendants and small polished beads attached to it. 
Persimmons symbolize abundance and good fortune, and red in general represents luck 
in the Chinese culture. My family has always tucked a small lucky charm in my backpack
and suitcase wherever I go. This luck charm specifically was given by my mom the night 
before I was leaving Beijing to Boston. 

Yet this is just one of many lucky charms I’ve carried throughout my life. My family first 
moved from Beijing to Houston about 15 years ago, and after I was born, we returned to 
Beijing when I was four. I still remember standing in the airport when my parents handed 
me a lucky charm, which was a keychain engraved with my Chinese zodiac animal, the 
dog. These moments of change have always been commemorated and recorded from 
the lucky charms that were given to me.

For me, these have come to represent far more, it means home, a love, and the invisible 
thread that still connects me to my culture. The charms carry not only a wish for safety 
or luck, but also the tradition in Chinese culture, where culture and love are expressed 
through everyday rituals. It remains as a reminder that even I am far from home my 
identity remains grounded from where I came from.

– Annie Lu

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant