As a child, Michael Wu listened to stories of his mother's traumatic past and says he was inspired "to always do the right thing" and "pay it forward."

A century ago, Wu's grandparents were wealthy landlords in China who owned thousands of acres of land, factories and even their own militia. During the Chinese Communist Revolution, when his mother was 9, her two uncles used her to escape by posing as her servant while her parents and sister remained in China. They subsequently moved to Taiwan, leaving her behind as a homeless orphan.