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Let us recall the patriotic deeds of the generation of Taiwanese compatriots
Article 2
Zhang Guizhu: Taiwan, mainland China, are all hometown
Zhang Guizhu: Retired cadre of Xiamen Taiwan Compatriots Association, formerly represented the National People's Congress , member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, etc.
Go home and return home is a path that no one who has left home in ancient and modern times cannot bypass. For Taiwanese compatriot Zhang Guizhu, the word "going home" is too heavy, too heavy.
In the summer of 1949, 7-year-old Xiao Guizhu left Taiwan, left her parents, and followed her grandfather to Xiamen to play. She didn't know that it would be the last farewell with her parents. On October 17, 1949, Xiamen was liberated, and the Kuomintang regime retreated to Taiwan. From then on, it was isolated from the water and was far away.
A shallow strait can cut off the blood-heavy family affection between the two sides of the strait. Every New Year's Eve, a father far away in Taiwan always puts more bowls and chopsticks. His grandmother in Xiamen always asks her to memorize the address of her hometown in Keelung, Taiwan and the name of her parents. After waiting for half a century, after 53 years, the retired Zhang Guizhu finally returned to the "Eight Bands of Tianliao Port, Keelung City" that he had recited thousands of times, and finally could sing a stick of incense in front of his parents' graves. Such a scene of eternal separation between heaven and man has become an eternal regret in Zhang Guizhu's heart. During the interview, Zhang Guizhu's eyes were roaring in tears several times.
7 years old and came to Xiamen with my grandfather from Keelung
I am the first generation of Taiwanese living in Xiamen. I was born in Keelung, Taiwan in 1943 and ranked second at home. In 1949, my grandfather (we call him grandfather) who lives in Xiamen came to my home in Keelung as a guest. All of us sisters wanted to follow our grandfather to go to Xiamen to play.
It turned out that I was going to take my sister, and my sister was going to school, and my father went to work again. Under my noise, my mother agreed to let me go. At that time, I left Taiwan and came to Xiamen, and I had to apply for a certificate and take photos. My mother said, if it was too late, you should not go.
After getting the ID, my mother held me with her 2-year-old brother in her back and came to the beach with her rickshaw . Because it was a temporary idea, my mother simply helped me pack a few summer clothes. Along the way, my mother carefully told me that when I arrived in Xiamen, you should be obedient and listen to grandma (that is, grandma).
Zhang Guizhu (middle) took a photo with her parents, sister and aunt when she was a child
Until now, I still clearly remember that that afternoon, when we arrived at the beach, my grandfather had already boarded the boat to Xiamen. The boat was very big and was about to drive, but we couldn't find grandpa. Just when my mother was about to take me home, I suddenly saw grandpa. Later, I often said that my destiny was to come to the mainland.
Grandpa stretched out his head and told me to hurry up (get on the boat). In this way, one person passed by another, and I was carried to a big wooden boat. I was very happy when I got on the boat. I leaned out of the window and waved goodbye to my mother. I was very happy at that time and didn't know what it felt like to leave my mother.
The ignorant little girl, wearing a skirt and little red shoes, and laughing, caught up with the last ship from Taiwan to Xiamen. That wave of hand became my last memory of my mother. This year, I was 7 years old.
Grandpa is from Zhejiang and grandma is from Taiwanese. The two settled in Jiangtou, Xiamen, which is today's Taiwan Street area. The boat from Keelung to Xiamen drove all night and I felt a little seasick. I woke up again and arrived in Xiamen.
When I first arrived in Xiamen, I had no playmates, so I could only sit obediently on the bench at the door of my house every day. Many adults and children from the neighbors ran over to watch the fun, wanting to see what this little girl from Taiwan looks like.
Because I was the only granddaughter by my side, my grandmother loved me more. At that time, I had whatever I wanted, and I didn’t have to worry about food and clothing. I lived a good life and couldn’t be happy. When I got old, I started to go to school. My grandfather helped me rename it, Zhang Guizhu, and no longer used the name "Zhulu" when I was in Taiwan.
The elderly grandma is in poor health. Every time she gets sick, she holds my hand and tells me to memorize the address of her hometown in Keelung. Grandma said, I can’t go back to Taiwan now, and I may not see your mother. You have to recite your house number well. What is the house number in your house number? I always keep reading, and my address is Baban, Keelung Port, Taiwan Province.
She said, you must remember that your mother is Zhang Fu and your father is Zhang Shizhu. She asked me to save the pair of red leather shoes I wore from Taiwan in a small suitcase so that one day I can see my relatives in Taiwan so that I can have a recognition evidence.
When I was young, Zhang Guizhu
In 1973, I worked as a female worker at the Second Weaving Factory in Xiamen. One day, my superiors notified me to go to Beijing for a meeting and said that I would organize a delegation from Taiwan Province. I was one of the people in Fujian Province. At that time, I never dreamed that I would become a NPC representative. In 1975, at the first session of the Fourth National People's Congress of held in Beijing, 12 representatives of Taiwanese compatriots attended the conference, including 4 women's representatives, and I am one of them.
That day, taking advantage of the gap before the meeting, Premier Zhou Enlai came to the conference hall to visit the Taiwan representatives. I still remember the scene at that time. Seeing Premier Zhou coming from afar, I quickly stood up from my seat and was very excited!
A letter from Swiss to seek close friends
Back to Xiamen from Beijing, while I insisted on production, I used my time after get off work to visit my compatriots in Xiamen.
1979's " Letter to Taiwan Compatriots " expressed the desire of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to achieve navigation, postal, communication, and visit relatives and friends as soon as possible
1985, a letter sent from Switzerland broke the peaceful life. It turned out that my cousin in Taiwan heard my story while listening to mainland radio. My cousin was two years older than me and was my aunt's daughter. She settled in Switzerland at that time.
My cousin said in the letter: You have to go back and see your mother quickly, your mother is almost ineffective.
That night, I cried very hard, and I looked through the letter repeatedly, crying and thinking, does it mean that my cousin can find me, can I contact my parents soon?
In 1985, a letter from my Swiss cousin built a bridge to find a relative. Every time I see this long-lost letter, Zhang Guizhu's eyes will be wet
My cousin and I started to communicate and made an appointment to meet in Hong Kong. In 1986, after 37 years apart, we met our relatives in Taiwan for the first time. My cousin just shouted "Zhulu" and we couldn't help but hold our heads and cry. Since my cousin transferred from Hong Kong to Taiwan, she could only stay in Hong Kong for one day according to regulations.
That night, we chatted for a long time and pieced together my memories of my absence in this family. Before leaving, my cousin and I made an agreement to let her go to Taiwan and told her that I would wait for their phone number in Hong Kong.
Unexpectedly, my cousin's departure was gone. I spent more than two months waiting and looking forward. I looked forward to it in the morning and evening. I saw that my visa was about to expire, and just as I almost gave up waiting, the phone finally rang.
As soon as I heard the voice of my relatives, I was so excited that I cried, and I cried for more than half an hour. On the other end of the phone is my sister, younger brother, and younger sister. After I left Taiwan, my mother gave birth to three more sisters. At this time, my mother was seriously ill and was unable to hear her voice, which became a great regret for me.
In 1987, mainland veterans who went to Taiwan strongly demanded the opening of returning home to visit relatives. Under such a general trend, Chiang Ching-kuo ordered the lifting of the 38-year "martial law order". Cross-strait exchanges have turned from secret to light, and Taiwan has set off a wave of landing to visit relatives, and a group of relatives from the other side of the strait have been welcomed at the Peace Pier of Xiamen Port.
Both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been opened, and I want to go back too. At that time, I had served as the deputy secretary-general of the Xiamen Taiwan Federation. I often received Taiwanese guests. I felt in love with the scenery and could not help but think of my relatives far away in Taiwan.
Finally, I can put an incense stick in front of my parents' grave
However, the trip home is far away. Because I have actively participated in mainland China's work on Taiwan since I was young, and later went to politics and became the object of rejection for the Taiwanese authorities to return to Taiwan to visit relatives.
Later, I learned that after my father passed away, my younger brother followed my mother to do business. Because my identity was too special, I was afraid, my younger brother cancelled my household registration in Taiwan in 1974 on the grounds of "announcing death".
It was not until before the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2002 that my wish for many years finally came true. At this time, I had retired and left Taiwan for 53 years. "HTML from July to Mid-Autumn Festival, is particularly bright." The day I returned to Taiwan was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Due to my mother's health, my family moved from Keelung, which was relatively cold to Tainan .
Looking at the bed where my mother slept, the Buddha silhouette where my mother burned incense during her lifetime, the courtyard where my mother stayed... I couldn't help crying again. If I could come back a few years earlier, I might have been able to meet my mother.
Neighbor said that my mother missed me the most during her lifetime. She sat at the door and muttered all day long when she was sick. My younger brother told me that every New Year’s Eve reunion dinner, my father always puts more dishes, as if I was still by their side.
My wife and I went to my parents’ grave to sing a stick of incense together. I could go back to the place where I was born and to burn incense at my parents’ grave, so I fulfilled my wish. Later, I also went to Keelung specifically. The hometown in front of me was both familiar and ancient, strange and fresh.
During the days separated from my relatives in Taiwan, I couldn’t even figure out my date of birth. Later, my brother found a photocopy of my household registration at that time. It turned out that my birthday was June 13th. My grandma in Xiamen doesn’t know when I was born, so she just reports her day when she registers for a household registration - January 21st. When I was 66 years old, my brother's family was connected remotely and celebrated my real birthday online.
In 2002, Zhang Guizhu (second from left) finally set foot on the land of her hometown. The picture shows her younger brothers and sisters who specially made up for her birthday
Looking back on the past, mixed emotions. I have a son and a daughter. My daughter works in Hong Kong. My son just retired in June this year. I still have two grandchildren, one working in Hong Kong and the other just passed the postgraduate entrance examination this year.
I lived a comfortable life in my old age and often contacted relatives and friends in Taiwan. The one I contacted most often was my sister. She said, "My mother passed away and my eldest sister passed away, so I will treat you as my mother."
" Gulangyu is vast and the sea water bulged with waves. Gulangyu is far away facing Taiwan Island , Taiwan is my hometown..." Whenever the melody of " Gulangyu " sounded, I often hummed. There is a sentence in the lyrics, "I long, I long to see you quickly, beautiful Keelung Port !" I listened to "Gulangyu wavy" and missed my parents and Taiwan even more.
symbiotically coexist with the same roots and spirits. I just hope that my story will always become history and that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will be reunited.
Source: Xiamen Taiwan Union Taiwan Strait Magazine
Planning: Zhang Fan Chen Guosheng Ye Hong
Recording interview: Xie Wenjing
Broadcasting: Yu Haiyan Wang Zilong
WeChat editor: Xie Wenjing
Editor: Ye Hong Zhong Huaping Chen Guosheng
Editor: Zhang Yao
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