This Chinese version of Shangri-la, retold by the celebrated pastoral poet Tao Yuan-ming of the Tsin Dynasty (317-419 A.D.), symbolizes refuge whenever the life of China is disturbed by war, famine or tyranny.
On January 8 of this year, 15 fishermen from the Communist—occupied Chinese mainland found their Shangri-la on Taiwan. When their boat drifted into a small fishing harbor, and they were welcomed as long-lost brothers, the weary travelers from the hungry Chinese continent could only exclaim that they had found "heaven on earth." They said it was hard to believe what they saw and felt and tasted.
After several days of life under what they called the "old government" of President Chiang Kai-shek, several of the 15 expressed a desire to stay. Lin Lu-kang, the 46-year-old skipper, said he was not going back to certain punishment. He was convinced he would be reunited with his family more quickly by working for the liberation of the mainland.
The fishermen put to sea January 3 in a 20-ton motorless vessel. After leaving Ninhai of Chekiang province, they became lost in heavy seas. Their ancient radio failed. Without navigation instruments, they drifted aimlessly for six days, the last three without food or water.
Even in such a plight, they dared not hope for a wind to carry them back to the mainland. As one of the crewmen said: "Without a catch to turn over to the commune, heavy punishment certainly would be waiting for us."
The land they spotted on the sixth day was Taiwan.
Settling Forth
Skipper Lin Lu-kang told of their setting forth.
"We knew the weather was not fit for sailing. However, on the mainland today, fishermen are not supposed to make any decisions. When the cadres say ‘go out and don't come back empty-handed,’ out the fishermen must go, regardless of the weather.
"The cadre in our commune had called me in and reproached me for our record. 'Lin,' he said, 'for several months your boat has been lagging behind. Your record shows no full load in the last couple of months. How about going out in this cold weather and bringing back something to mend your crime?'
"My crew members were all aware of the difficulties of catching fish in this season, when the sea is boiling like a kettle. They were also aware of the punishment in store if we didn't heed the cadre's demand for a 'great leap forward'.
" 'Brothers,' the cadre had said, 'do you wish to have your rations cut to half? Or would you rather be ordered to set to sea on lunar New Year's Day?'
"So we sailed that very afternoon —to comply with the cadre's order and, also in the hope of earning something for the New Year.
"The sea was rough. Experienced as we are, we couldn't catch anything in that kind of weather. After three days, some of the crew wanted to go back. With the cadre's threat still ringing in my ears, I gave the order to sail on.
"The sub-zero cold gnawed at our bones. The rags we wore were no protection. Food and water lasted only three days. On the fourth day, we were caught in a severe storm. Our boat was tossed about like a leaf. Many of the crew were seasick.
"We turned on our radio set, hoping to receive weather reports from one of the coastal stations. Their forecast was fair, with a pleasant breeze from the sea.
"The radio set failed. The compass was not aboard. We decided to haul down the sail and drift.
"Hungry, cold and hopeless, all of us lay down to wait.
Fishermen being measured for new clothes. (File photo)
"Suddenly one of us said, 'By God's will, we may even reach Taiwan.' None of us had any idea what that place was like, but we all knew President Chiang Kai-shek's 'old government' was there.
"On the sixth day, I spotted several fishing boats. We shouted and waved our hands. We hoisted sail again. Finally they saw us and signaled us to follow them into harbor. It was Taiwan."
The boat was sighted off the small fishing harbor of Aoti in northern Taiwan. When the vessel pulled alongside the dock, native fishermen were astonished at the sight of haggard men in rags.
"Where are we?" they asked. Told they were in Taiwan, they seemed to be relieved.
The Free China Relief Association dispatched food and clothing. Each crewman received two woolen blankets, winter clothes, pocket money and such necessities as toothpaste, towels, cigarettes, rice and vegetables.
The 15 were taken to Taipei for a sightseeing tour. The crowded, prosperous city made them gasp in awe.
They were overwhelmed by hospitality that is typically Chinese but that is lost to the hungry mainland. Treated by the Aoti police to a meal of rice and meat, they ate hungrily, because "we haven't tasted meat for a long time." Two days later, they found the fare too rich. After several banquets, they reneged, saying their stomachs were not used to so much meat and cooking oil.
Enough for Patches
FCRA officials took them to a clothing store. While being measured by the tailor, 50-year-old Wang Shih-jen burst into tears. "Since the Communists took over the mainland 14 years ago, I haven't had a new suit," he said. "Look at these rags! Look at these holes on my coat. These are the only clothes I have."
Trawler that carried 15 mainland fishermen to Taiwan. (File photo)
Wang said the mainland ration of cotton cloth is two and a half feet per person annually, plus one and a half ounces of cotton. "The cloth is just enough for patches," he said.
All but Skipper Lin Lu-kang were barefooted. Lin wore a pair of shoes made of rubber and canvas and bought "when the old government was still there." Each crewman received two pairs of shoes.
The fishermen were especially pleased with gifts of candy, cookies and fruit. Twenty-year-old Tu Men-fang, the youngest, admitted he had never seen such "luxuries" before.
"New Paradise" is a brand of cigarettes enjoyed by the lower middle class on Taiwan. When offered one, a crew member inhaled lustily and said, "I wonder if Mao Tse-tung himself can enjoy the likes of these. All we smoke on the mainland are cigarettes made of grass roots."
Many Discoveries
Another discovery was that people used chinaware on their dinner tables. They said mainland bowls and dishes are made of bamboo or wood.
Transistor radio, jet liners and motor cars are beyond imagination.
The fishermen were taken on a tour of the Far Eastern Textile plant near Taipei. When told it was a privately owned factory free of government control, they were surprised. "I have seen one of the textile plants in Shanghai," Lin said, "and it is not half as big as this."
Lin asked how much the workers were paid. He was told they receive an average of NT$1,600 (US$40) a month plus free uniforms and medical care. Lin was astonished. "I understand rice costs NT$3 a catty here. Do you mean each worker can buy the equivalent of more than 500 catties of rice every month?" He said the rice ration on the mainland is five ounces a day.
When the group came to the pajama department in the textile factory, their guide had a hard time explaining the use of the garments. They couldn't believe people had special clothes for bed wear.
After touring the Chung Hwa market, they rode past the Presidential building. Told it was where President Chiang works, the fishermen asked for an opportunity to pay their respects. They lined up in front of the building and bowed three times in the respectful salute of Chinese culture.
"The majority of the people on the mainland still remember our President," Lin said. "They believe that one day he will come back to liberate them."
The fishermen said Communist cadres on the mainland are deeply fearful of a counterattack from Taiwan. The Reds resorted to mass arrests when people of coastal areas spread whispered rumors of an imminent landing of government forces.
One crew member said he had heard of airdropped food parcels and leaflets. The Communists spread stories that the food was poisoned. He said the Communists had tried to smear the name of the "old government." "Radio broadcasts are full of reports that Taiwan is a rocky and barren island, that Taiwanese live on banana peels, and that most mainlanders who followed the government here have been imprisoned or starved to death. No one believe such lies," he said.
Skipper Lin expressed belief that mainland life is the world's worst, that for those enslaved, it is difficult to make comparisons. "We have endured for more than 15 years. But not until we learned how people live in Taiwan did we become aware of how really unbearable is life on the mainland."
Chen Shi-fan told a Taiwan reporter that Communist cadres had given orders that each must bring back at least 12,000 kilograms of fish on each trip. "Any extra catch can be sold by the fishermen at $0.005 in people's currency per kilogram," he said. "Money earned thus is scarcely enough for a pack of cigarettes."
Food Situation
Thirty-eight-year-old Hsi Shen-jen told of the mainland food situation. "My daily ration was nine ounces of cereal—a mixture of bran, wheat and dried potatoes," he said. "This is the ration for able-bodied workers. The ration for women is four ounces and for children 1½ ounces. Meals are served in the commune mess halls.
"Those who cannot stand the hunger eat rodents, roots and herbs. Many are swollen in face and limbs from malnutrition."
All 15 looked like porcupines; hair was long and beards wild and untrimmed. Skipper Lin said they could afford a haircut only once every three months. Asked how mainland women took care of their hair, Lin said: "No woman pays any attention to hair styles. They have to worry about keeping themselves and their families alive."
Chen Shiao-kwang, 29, wore a cotton vest 20 years old. It was given to him by his father. "To make a new suit requires the return of five persons," he said.
Tu said his father told him: "'When the old government was in power, we fishermen lived happily and peacefully. We caught our fish, sold them and used the money for ourselves. Now the Communists have taken over, and they take care of everything. We are provided with houses and food by the commune. We are no longer allowed to sell our catch. When we want to set out on a fishing trip, the cadres order us to a meeting instead."
Tu said many people of his village, especially the farmers, have run away since the village was stricken by famine two years ago.
Tu was only nine years old when the Communists occupied the mainland. "I can still remember when I was a child, it was a great pleasure to welcome the New Year. We wore new clothes, ate meat and rice and shot off firecrackers. Last New Year's eve my mother wept because there were only three catties of bran and two catties of potatoes in the house."
Government authorities have announced that the fishermen have full freedom to stay or return to their families. They will be given every possible assistance in either case. Several have joined Skipper Lin in decision to stay.
"Even if we go back, we have confidence that we will see you again soon," one fisherman said. "The old government on Taiwan has welcomed a few of us warmly and treated us well. I am sure it is even more deeply concerned about the half billion people on the mainland. You who live in a paradise will certainly extend a helping hand to your brothers who are struggling in fires of a hell on earth."