A Line of Eldest Sons Down to the 4th Generation

Somewhere in the concrete jungle of Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, lives a little kid who, because of his family lineage, gets the same sort of attention as a pink panda of China or a hybrid orchid of Singapore. And being only two years old, he doesn’t know it, of course.

But first, a little family history. My late father was the eldest son of his father. I am my father’s eldest son, so that makes me my late grandfather’s eldest son’s eldest son. According to Chinese traditions, I was entitled to an equal share of my late grandfather’s inheritance as my father and uncles. Unfortunately, although my grandfather was in a lucrative wine business in Singapore, he was just a sleeping partner and over-trusted his active partners who cheated him of his money. Except for some old teak furniture, nobody inherited anything when he died. But I digress.

My son is technically my eldest son, since he is the only child. That then makes him my grandfather’s eldest son’s eldest son’s eldest son.

Now this little kid referred to earlier is his eldest son. Oh my word, what does that make him now? That makes him my grandfather’s eldest son’s (my father’s) eldest son’s (that’s me) eldest son’s (my son’s) eldest son. That little kid is a 4th generation eldest son!

In the days of the imperial Chinese dynasties, an eunuch and at least two army generals would be given the sole task of ensuring that no harm befell this little fellow, and a team of the finest imperial physicians would be commissioned to ensure that, when the time came, he produced at least one male to continue the line of Eldest Sons.

Well, we’ll see what happens in about 25 years’ time. The worst he can do (to break that line) is to become a monk.