"Aim High" Family Pendants
October 2025
Sterling silver
A client came to me to make pendants for himself and his sons, one of whom was heading off to college, so that they would have a shared piece that unites them and their ancestors. The front of the pendant boldly displays their family name 胡 (pronounced "Woo" in Cantonese) in a flowing grass script. The back bears an inscription steeped in family and world history.
My client’s great grandfather, one of Hawaiʻi’s earliest aviators, was recruited by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen to join the Chinese revolution and eventually came to be remembered as the “Father of the Chinese Air Force”. The slogan 天沖在志 (tin ts'ung tsoi tsi)*, or “aim high to reach the heavens” was written in giant calligraphy by Sun in his honor. This calligraphy now hangs in a museum in China and and his motto now hangs around the necks of his great- and great-great-grandsons, uniting them with each other, their ancestor, and with history.