Who Cares Wei-Ting Wu's Story (Chinese-English Bilingual Edition): 誰稀罕...烏蔚庭的故事（中英雙語版）

By Wei-Ting Wu

Epilogue/Joy Wu, February 2021

Sometime after Dad moved back to Taiwan in 2010, he told me he was going to pen an autobiography. My immediate, knee-jerk, typical daughter reply was, "Why? Who cares?" Yes, this sounds quite disrespectful. Dad and I are similar in our manner of communication. We are both frank and to the point,

• Language: English
• Publisher: EHGBooks
• Release date: May 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647843793

Book preview

A Letter in Lieu of a Preface

This book does not have a preface, because the author usually does not write his or her own preface. But I don't know any famous people who can write a preface for me. So, I replaced the preface with the following text, hence I call it In Lieu of a Preface. But when you have finished reading the following text, you will know that it is really an actual preface, not written in lieu of one.

(The following letter is included in lieu of a preface.)

This is a letter written to students who have been selected for the Wu Jian Lǜ Financial Aid Program. This is a story about how the financial aid program was established. 

About two years ago (2010), when I lived in California, I wrote an essay of about 10,000 words titled The War of Resistance Against Japan and My Student Life in response to a Call for Contributions for North American National Taiwan University Early Graduates Association (NTUEG). The essay recounted the stories of my school life from elementary school to high school graduation by which time the Anti-Japanese War was won (in 1945).  Later, friends advised me that if I had time, I should write a memoir. Although I thought about it several times, I never made up my mind to do it.

In May 2011, I decided to set up a 20-years financial aid program for students in poverty in the Nursing College of Ningbo Tianyi Vocational and Technical College (it was renamed Ningbo Health Vocational and Technical College in 2012). After I left the US in August 2010 and decided to settle in Taipei, my daily expenses have decreased and my savings in the bank have gradually increased. Some funds previously invested on the mainland had made significant returns, but because I was not good at financial management, I did not buy low and sell high promptly, resulting in financial losses, but the investments still made a small profit. I am in my early eighties now and the days ahead are countable, so I should make proper and meaningful arrangements for this money. As I’m soon to go to heaven, why should I keep money in the bank? I leave some funds and life insurance in the United States to my daughter. As for the assets in Taiwan and on the mainland, except for a small amount for my affairs after death, I will

give the rest back to the society.

Financial Aid Program Signing Ceremony

Ningbo Health Vocational College was formerly the Nursing School of Huamei Hospital, which was famous for surgery at the time. The most important unit of the College is the School of Nursing. I appreciate its scale, facilities and various other aspects. The School of Nursing enrolls 1,200 high school graduates every year and provides three years of professional education and training. Therefore, there are 3,600 nursing students in the school at any given time. Among these 1,200 freshmen, of course there will be students from poor families. I decided to help students most in need. And just like the financial aid program I set up at Ningbo University in 1986, all students who are selected in the first year do not need to apply again as long as their academic performance and conduct are above average. The financial aid will be automatically extended until graduation.

My Friend Xia Cheng (1946)

I have a special affection for Huamei Hospital, which was renamed Ningbo Second Hospital after liberation. Huamei Hospital was the only western hospital that was famous for surgery at the time. Its director Xia Yuming (夏禹銘) was an expert in obstetrics and gynecology. Several of my younger brothers were delivered by him. Dean Xia’s only son, Xia Cheng, was my best friend and classmate in high school. I remember that every time I went to their western style garden house in the hospital, his mother always treated me to longan dumpling egg soup. At that time, my family was in a difficult situation, and I thought the soup was the most delicious food on earth. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Xia Cheng took the college entrance exam in Hangzhou and was admitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering of National Taiwan University and went to Taiwan. I didn't go to university in Shanghai. I went to Taiwan alone and lived in Xia Cheng’s dormitory at the University and entered NTU later. After his freshman year, Xia Cheng returned to his hometown in Ningbo and did not return to Taiwan afterwards, mainly because his girlfriend Liu Cuiqin, whom he loved since childhood, was in Ningbo. After finishing his university education in mainland China, he has been working in a machine manufacturing factory in Tianjin. After 1978, I made special trips to Tianjin to visit Xia Cheng and his wife four or five times, and their two married daughters were also in Tianjin. Xia Cheng was very honest, and their life was harder than they should have. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003 and died in the summer of 2006.

It was due to my mother’s influence, I am content to live a frugal life. Even though I don't have much ability, I like to help people who are worse-off than myself. Even during the very difficult Anti-Japanese War period, my family still set up a tea stop on Dongda Road, Ningbo every summer, and provided tea, heatstroke medicines and antidiarrheal medicines for people to use free of charge. The first time that I helped others personally was when I was studying in the United States. Kehlin and I jointly donated a wheelchair tricycle to a primary school student suffering from polio in Nangang, Taipei. I say jointly because part of the money was earned by Kehlin. We also adopted a Taiwanese elementary school student. Unfortunately, after sending money two or three times, we found that we were deceived, so we stopped the adoption and stopped being fools.

There needed to be a name for the financial aid program. The financial aid I set up in Ningbo University in 1986 was named after my late father Wu Renfu(烏人孚). In 1999, the biochemistry laboratory that I donated to Ningbo University School of Medicine was named after my late wife Chang Kehlin. The elementary school building that I donated in Guizhou early last year was named Xin Yan, using one word each from my parents’ names.  What about this financial aid program? I originally wanted to use the word Wu, but later I thought it was too general. As I thought further, the financial aid was to be established in the School of Nursing, and it was more or less intended to commemorate my late wife Chang Kehlin who graduated from the school of nursing. I later decided to name it Wu Jian Lǜ . I felt very good about this name because when I first met Kehlin, she was called Lǜ Zhi; on one occasion, due to my own blunder, I called her Jian Zhi for no good reason and later adopted this name for myself. Wouldn’t it be romantic to take one word from each of these two names?

So, I started to draft a short article to explain the name Jian Lǜ." I originally wanted to tell the reason to the students who have been awarded the financial aid, but later I wrote more and more. So, I went ahead to add more content which became a memoir of my life.

Please don't forget that in Taiwan fifty or sixty years ago, material living conditions were limited. Most people did not have a telephone and not many families had bicycles either. If they had any bicycles, most likely they were those Japanese-style carrier bicycles, heavy with thick tires. There were very few traffic lights on the street either because there were very few cars. Personal cars were like today’s private jets. They could be counted on one hand.

Postscript

After having completed the book, reading it from cover to cover, I find it quite interesting. Be it painful or happy, reading some parts makes me feel sweet and smile from my heart; other parts make me sad and tears roll down my cheeks; some parts make me blush and sigh. But these are all incidents in my life that are worth remembering or they should not be forgotten. However, who cares about this kind of mundane telling except myself? In other words, who would find it valuable? Therefore, I use these three Chinese characters 誰稀罕 (Who Cares...) as the title of the book. These three words are difficult to translate into English. If you say, I don't care..., it seems a bit condescending. If you say, It's not my business! or It has nothing to do with me, it seems cold. It's not a big deal -it's a bit self-proclaiming. If it is translated as I don't give a damn, it sounds like from a bully. Whatever would imply disdain for the other party. I think it's better to just use the loosely translated Who cares..., which everyone understands and captures the gist.

Table of Contents

A Letter in Lieu of a Preface

Postscript

Table of Contents

1. Family fell into disarray, living a hand-to-mouth existence

2. There is love in the world. I have experienced it from a young age.

3. High school graduation and romantic feelings

4. Going to Taiwan alone, misfortunes ahead

5. Entering National Taiwan University, three diplomas in hand

6. Flowers are green, leaves are red

7. Mailang Poetry Recitation Society, Shadows of Red

8. A lonesome 20th birthday

9. Deeply homesick, stowaway attempt frustrated

10. Hospitalized for bleeding stomach ulcers

11. I was enchanted by a nursing school student

12 Losing appetite, dreaming all day

13. Lǜzhi, Lǜzhi

14. Timed letter deliveries, narrowly paced pursuits

15. Staying behind, serving in the military, no regrets

16. Long distance apart, advantages lost

17. Transferring back to Taipei, unable to reverse disadvantages

18. Exhausted, it was time to leave.

19. A lucky fellow, jumping over all hurdles

20. Boarding the ship with a light pack and mixed feelings

21. From paycheck to paycheck, crackers for meals

22. To study or to love, that’s the question

23. Bending down for bushels of rice, ready to return to Taiwan

24. Playing a double role, nothing was impossible

25. Happily Married after Many Hardships

26. A surgery on our daughter’s one-month birthday

27. Troubles of Being a Half Son

28. Overcoming all difficulties, study-abroad again

29. The Study Abroad Examination, Trouble Once Again

30. In a foreign country, connected with wife and daughter

31. Degree earned, family reunited

32. Family Reunited, a dream come true.

33. Fearless hard work

34. Our beloved daughter had a broken bone, parents heart-broken

35. A family road trip and a happy childhood

36. Advancing in life with renewed ambition

37. A car accident in the rain

38. Morning out, morning in, a hard life for my wife and daughter

39. Bold and careless, frustrated at the comprehensive examination

40. Surviving the disaster, the dead end avoided

41. The degree completed, returning to work

42. Continuing study in the world of infinite knowledge

43. Postdoctoral training completed, starting a new job again

44. Owning our own house, hosting holiday parties

45. A world-famous City, a seafood wonderland

46. Broadening career opportunities in a brave new world

47. Professional certifications

48. Never pandering to the bureaucrats at the National Taiwan University

49. Plan to return to Taiwan frustrated by factionalism

50. Gradually advancing in life with the help of noble people

51. Establishing a Chinese school, no efforts spared

52. Going home, hearts eager, roads long

53. Train to the mainland canceled, crossing the borders by bus in a typhoon

54. Reunited with my mother after a lifetime apart

55. A banquet hosted by my first girlfriend

56. Daughter had a stomach bleed, parents distraught

57. Kehlin and Yishin visiting my hometown, meeting relatives for the first time

58. Feeling the pains of others, I helped to reunite families

59. United efforts to help a sick child

60. Old mother’s tears brought about a miracle

61. A tile from the Forbidden City for Professor Tai's eightieth birthday

62. Good deeds are rewarded, evil doings are met with retribution: The World’s No. 1 Certificate of Merit

63. Climbing Huangshan mountain, a dream come true

64. The Mailang Poetry Recitation Society Reunited

65. Chinese Students’ Craze to Study Abroad

66 A teacher and a friend

67. The 1984 World Exposition

68. Our beloved stubborn daughter got married

69. Establishing a financial aid program in memory of my father

70. Building a cardboard house for my grandchildren

71. A cuckoo took over the nest without a fight

72. The Vietnamese burglar was arrested

73. Academic exchanges at Shanghai No. 2 Hospital

74. English and Russian

75. Chinese people in solidarity, blood is thicker than water

76. Being active in politics

77. Refusing to be humiliated, fighting a secret agent

78. Not a bystander in the June 4th Incident

79. Playing a role in the department’s expansion and renovation

80. Creating a handbook and convenience for everyone

81. Setting up an unofficial account for my laboratory

82. My own extra income and its limited benefits

83. Happily retiring after thirty years of service

84. Fortune Telling by the Jade Emperor's Fifth Son

85. Re-connecting with Kehlin’s relatives on the mainland

86. 40-years Reunion of Kehlin’s Nursing School Class

87. Naturally curious, I was good at stealing electricity

88. Solving emergency problems, earning friends’ praise

89. A self-sufficient farmer

90. Traveling the silk road and a family reunion in Shanghai

91. Buying apartments in my hometown, not a dream come true

92. Visiting Mount Emei and Yangtze River with my brothers and sisters

93. Unplanned, I became an interpreter again

94. A Taiwanese ship was in a deadly collision with US military crew

95. Captains drowned for no fault of their own

96. It had to be me in the mega shipwreck case

97 Unfamiliar with maritime jargon, double the effort and half the result

98. Catching the arrogant American girl in her mistakes

99. Even though the payments were high, they all went to the federal government

100. Beloved wife suffering from cancer, my world collapsing

101. Complying with my wish, holding back tears in chemotherapy

102. I secretly kept the hair that Kehlin lost

103. My tricks to alleviate Kehlin’s pain

104. Lesion almost disappeared, but cancer invaded the bone marrow

105. My world turned upside down. Why ending my hope?

106. Kehlin’s 66th Birthday

107. Quietly leaving the world when I was away

108. Saying goodbye with pain, Kehlin went to heaven like a butterfly

109. A sincere talk without regrets and complaints

110 My wife just left, I was also diagnosed with lung cancer

111. My eldest sister is a mother figure

112. Hard to be single, harder to find a partner

113. Old love re-kindled, sorrow turned into happiness

114. Farewell to Southern U.S., relocating to California

115. Enthusiastic community service, teaching and learning

116. A happy old age, traveling every year

117. Frequent travel hazards, careless yet careful

118. Daughter’s marriage came to an end, father was lost for words

119. Yellow on the outside, white on the inside, granddaughters’ first visit to China

120. Attacked by a serious illness, life hanging by a thread

121. Tired birds returning to their nest

122. Daily adjustments after returning to Taipei

123. Building a school in poor area in Guizhou

124. Was it fated? Attacked by Gastric Cancer

125. A total gastrectomy, health significantly affected

126. Intestines substituting for the stomach, noodles over rice

127. In my dreams, I’ve traveled thousands of miles. Waking up, I find myself in the same place

Appendices

The War of Resistance Against Japan and My Student Life ─ By Wu Wei-Ting

Eight Thousand Nautical Miles Through Wind and Rain: Miscellaneous Notes of a Journey to the United States ─ By Jian Zhi

Tranquility that came too late ─ By Kaxi

Four Hours on the Weekend

Bitterness and Joy on the Sabbath  ─ By Kaxi

The First Swim of the Season  ─ By Kaxi

Sibling Affection with the Same Nursing Mother  ─ By Wu Tong-Xun

Epilogue後記

Chinese Edition中文版

代序

後記

目錄

事1 家道中落 三餐難繼

烏蔚庭的故事

2 人間有情 我早已經

3 高中畢業 情竇早開

4 單身闖臺 遇險活該

5 文憑三張 邁進臺大

6 花綠葉紅 玩伴眾多

7 麥浪歌詠 赤影幢幢

8 孤苦零仃 弱冠而立

9 鄉愁難解 偷渡受挫

10 胃瘍出血 送院求醫

11 護校學生 令我迷戀

12 茶飯不思 終日夢痴

13 律之健之 你挑我選

14 限時信件 攻心密集

15 留班服役 一無怨言

16 遠距相隔 優勢儘失

17 調回臺北 劣勢難挽

18 精疲力盡 不如離去

19吉人天相 過關斬將

20 簡裝登船 百感交集

21 發薪有待 餅乾當飯

22 學業愛情 孰重孰輕

23 五斗折腰 就緒回臺

24 演唱雙簧 凡事不難

25 歷經艱難 終成眷屬

26 愛女滿月 父動手術

27 半子之靠 幾多煩惱

28 克服萬難 再度留洋

29 留學考試 再添麻煩

30身處異國 心繫妻女

31 獲得學位 眷屬迅來

32 美夢成真 闔家團聚

33 同心協力 無畏辛勞

34 愛女骨裂 父母心傷

35 海灘戲水 勝地觀光

36 雄心未死 往高再攀

37 雨中車禍 心驚肉跳

38晨出晨歸 妻女受累

39 膽大心粗 考試受阻

40 死裡求生 天無絕路

41 完成學位 回原單位

42 學無止境 繼續探深

43 博後完成 走馬上任

44 首購自宅 誠宴同事

45 國際名城 海鮮超市

46 擴充專業 耳目全新

47 專業考試 繼續進取

48 絕不姑息 臺大八股

49 派系有别 回臺受挫

50 貴人相助 漸入佳境

51 建辦華校 不遺餘力

52 思親心切 回鄉路崎

53 火車停駛 冒颱入境

54 母子重逢 宛如隔世

55 初戀女友 盛宴表意

56 女兒胃血 父母不捨

57 闔家回鄉 首唔親人

58 痛人之痛 助人覓親

59 突來病童 助其脱困

60 思兒淚竭 突現奇蹟

61 碎瓦琉璃 八十壽禮

62 善惡各報 天字一號

63 完成心願 攀登黃山

64 臺聲牽線 麥浪重聚

65 中國學生 留學成風

66 亦師亦友 出人頭地

67 世博盛會 有幸參與

68 固執己見 愛女自嫁

69 緬懷父恩 助學貧生

70 紙房非屋 引孫入殼

71 鳩鶉雀巢 罕有爭吵

72 越裔智竊 終於被抓

73 學術交流 二醫為首

74 英俄二語 互通有無

75 華人聚會 血濃於水

76 不涉政治 永為人侮

77 堅拒辱誣 勇鬥「特務」

78 六四事件 不甘袖手

79 系務擴展 協導改建

80 主編手册 人人稱便

81 私設金庫 為眾服務

82 個人外快 實惠有限

83 服務卅年 歡心退休

84 玉皇五子 為我卜卦

85 岳家至親 兩岸相認

86 首屆護生  40年大聚

87 天生好奇 高技偷電

88 水來土掩 眾人讚奇

89 嘗為農民 菜豆瓜齊

90 絲綢出發 滬城大聚

91 家鄉購房 不克圓夢

92 三四五六 峨眉長江

93 無心插柳 再任譯員

94 臺輪肇禍 美軍喪生

95 無妄之災 船長陪溺

96 超大船禍 非我不可

97 不曉術語 事倍功半

98 洋妞自傲 辮被我抓

99 待遇雖高 皆送聯邦

100 愛妻患癌 山崩地陷

101 吾妻順我 忍淚化療

102 秀髮齊掉 我偷集藏

103 為緩痛楚 我出秘招

104 病灶幾消 癌却襲髓

105 天翻地覆 為何絕我

106 六六生日 我有記錄

107 趁我不在 悄然離開

108 忍痛告別 輕煙化蝶

109 真情懇談 無怨無悔

110 愛妻剛離 我亦肺癌

111 長姐如母 返滬休養

112 形單難耐 覓侶不易

113 舊情重燃 破涕為笑

114 告別美南 西遷加州

115 熱心社區 教學相長

116 欣度晚年 每年旅遊

117 旅程頻險 粗中有细

118 女兒婚變 父已無語

119 外黄內白 初遊神州

120 重症突襲 命在旦夕

121 為離煩苦 倦鳥返巢

122 重回臺北 日常改調

123 貴州窮邑 捐樓助學

124 命耶運耶 胃癌奇襲

125 住院切胃 元氣大傷

126 腸代胃職 麵當飯食

127 夢行千里 醒仍原地

附錄

抗日戰爭與我的學生生涯

風雨同舟八千浬 -- 乘海菲輪赴美旅程雜記

來晚了的寧靜

周末四小時

苦樂在安息日

初泳

乳姊弟情

1. Family fell into disarray, living a hand-to-mouth existence

I was six years old

My name is Wu Wei-Ting (烏蔚庭), but my earliest name was Wu Tong-Yang (烏統暘). There is a reason for this name change (please refer to the appendix The Anti-Japanese War and My Student life). I was born on March 23rd of the lunar calendar (May 2nd of Gregorian calendar) in the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929).  The hour of my birth was between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. (丑時).  I was born in Ningbo (寧波) in the old urban area. When I returned to Ningbo from the United States in 1999 to visit relatives, I spent a good portion of the day with my third elder sister and my cousin Yan Renlie (嚴仁烈) to locate the Wu family's ancestral hall in Wu'ai Village (烏隘村) in the northeast of Ningbo, which had been used as a tractor warehouse. My family had a genealogy book which unfortunately was burned for fear of persecution in the Cultural Revolution. We visited Tianyi Pavilion (天一閣) three times, which housed a rich collection of books and genealogy records. But every time when we went there, we were told that there was no record. As luck would have it, recently my fifth younger brother's granddaughter accidentally discovered that the Wu family's genealogy was posted on the newly established family tree network of Tianyi Pavilion. Overjoyed, I immediately downloaded the family record.  The family genealogy began in the fourteenth year of Guangxu Emperor (光绪十四年, 1888), amended in the fourth year of the Republic of China (民國四年, 1915). The names of the generations of my father's and my grandfather's are all listed in detail. This Family Tree of the Qianyin Wu Family Shengfang Branch(遷鄞烏氏盛房支譜) contains an Ordering and Ranking Poem (行第詩) that I didn't understand. It reads such: Yī míng guān shì xù, èr fǎxiǎn rén tǒng, chuánjiā wéi xiàoyǒu, bǎo guó jí wénzhāng  (see translator’s notes 1).

I was in high school, standing next to the tallest built structure in Ningbo

(the water tower of my grandfather’s water company)

The  tǒng (統) generation is the 10th generation (see translator’s notes 2). The genealogy book began in the 10th generation. There is no record of the previous nine generations. According to certain other records, the Wu name originated from the time of the Yellow Emperor who had the surname Ji (姬). It is also said that the Wu family's ancestors first moved from Mongolia (蒙古) to Yingzhou, Henan (河南穎州). My previous understanding was that my ancestors were Hun Turks (匈奴突厥). Any one of these four Chinese characters looked fierce and intimidating to me. The genealogy book I found this time only said that my family moved to Wu'ai, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province without specifying where they were originally from. At that time, the two brothers of the 10th generation, Master Sheng Kai (聖開公) and Master Sheng Quan (聖全公) lived apart in adjacent villages and were named the East Wu and West Wu branches. My immediate family belongs to the West Wu branch.  There is a stone bridge on a small river near the Wu'ai ancestral hall, with the three characters Wu'ai Bridge (烏隘橋) engraved on it. The bridge was built by the people of Wu in the second year of Xianfeng Emperor (咸豐, 1852). Therefore, the Wu family has settled in Wu'ai at least since 160 years ago.

At the beginning of 2001, my family’s ancestral house, which was originally No. 86 East Back Street (東後街),  was demolished along with thousands of other old residential houses in the area, making way for the first entrance gate to the now very prosperous Tianyi Square (天一廣場) in the city center. My family used to be an important family in Ningbo. My great grandfather, Wu Fayao (烏法垚), was a wealthy gentleman who was kind to others. The ancestral hall, which he restored, was destroyed.  In the era of my grandfather Wu Xianyuan(烏顯元), whose school name was Ziying(子英), the family's business and wealth included all the five elements, namely, gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. There was Fengbao Silver and Jewelries (銀樓) at the east gate of Ningbo (now Sanjiangkou三江口). There was the Evergrande Lumber Yard (恒大木行)near Sanjiangkou, which changed to Hande Lumber Yard (涵德木行) in 1913. Every household in Ningbo used to reserve rainwater in large pots for food and drinking. In case of a drought, there was often no water available. In 1914, my charitable grandfather and his in-law Mr. Cai Liangchu (蔡良初) jointly founded the first water company in Ningbo on Dongda Road (東大路), now Zhongshandong Road (中山東路). The pump room, the underground reservoir, and the large round water tower on top of the five-story company building were across the street from the front gate of the old family house. As for fire, the family owned many shares of Yongyao Power Company (永耀電力公司), the only company that supplied Ningbo’s electricity. As for earth, the family owned many lands located in the Dongqianhu District, Dongxiang (東鄉東錢湖區). So, it can be said that my grandfather was a wealthy gentleman. But later, because of poor management, or bullying from competitors, or suffering from the War of Resistance Against Japan, the family fell into disarray.

The Water Company’s engine room was right across the street from the Wu Residence

When I was very young, my grandfather taught us brothers to recite Liu Zongyuan's Snake Catcher (柳宗元的 《捕蛇者說》） in The Classical View of the Ancients  (《古文觀止》). But I still couldn't understand the meaning of this piece after reciting it for many times. Grandfather was ill for a long time before he passed away. He asked my second uncle to order a thin wooden coffin, which was painted black and placed in his room. Grandfather said that he would be placed in this coffin after his death. But this wish did not come true. Grandfather passed the imperial examination at the county level in the Qing dynasty. He recited poems, and wrote several books of poetry of his own, but I don't know where these books went. My father originally studied at Shanghai St. John's University (上海聖约翰大學). He had to drop out of school to pursue business on my grandfather's order. Consequently, when my grandfather went bankrupt, my father was inevitably subjected to many ups and downs due to his limited education. In addition, because my father had many children, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, life was very difficult. He frequently had to sell the family's land and houses to feed the family and support the children's education.  On the eve of the winning the Anti-Japanese War, the Wu family consisted of the parents, eight children, and a maid called Ah Shao. Ah Shao was a widow. Although my family lived a hand-to-mouth existence, Ah Shao was always loyal to us. She never left us. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese war, we finally got timely assistance from two elder brothers and an elder sister who lived in the inland area, which saved the family from the plight of starvation.

Translator's Notes:

1. The ranking poem was not translated literally because each character in the poem indexes a specific generation by its pronunciation; each male offspring of that generation must use this character as the first character in their given name. Therefore, the poem is rendered in terms of how the characters sound like.

2. In the Chinese text, the author wrote the 16th generation/第十六代. Based on the context of this detail, this 16th generation is likely a typo. Tong is the 10th character in the ranking poem marking the 10th generation, rather than the 16th generation.

2. There is love in the world. I have experienced it from a young age.

During the War of Resistance against Japan, my family once took refuge in the old house of the grandfather of a Cai family in a small town called Gaolangqiao (高朗橋) in Nanxiang (南鄉), Ningbo. At that time, I enrolled in the second semester of the fourth grade of Heyi Elementary school (和義小學), the only local elementary school. In order to support the Anti-Japanese War efforts, the school organized a costume show. In addition to singing a solo of the song Lotus Falls, I also played the lead role in a short drama. In the play I threw a grenade at the Japanese invaders and was injured. I didn't want to act the role anymore following a dispute with the director about the plot. Huang Hanfang (黃含芳), a classmate who played the heroine, said, If Wu Tongyang (my school name at that time) would not act, I would not, either. Her words forced the director to adopt my opinion. I fell for her instantly for her unequivocal support of me. This is really the first time that I liked a girl before I knew anything about romantic feelings. Of course, such a liking was laughable. However, I have never forgotten it.

When I was in the first grade of high school (1943), I had turned 14 years old. By then, Ningbo was occupied by Japanese invaders. At the entrance of Dongmen Street (東門大街), there was a Japanese-owned department store. I once went in with my friend and classmate Zhou Zhichao (周之錟) and was suddenly struck by the beauty of a Chinese salesgirl in the store.  Later, we would go in the store many times. I didn't have much money, but couldn't just go in without buying anything, so each time I would buy a small round container of tooth grinder (tooth powder). What was even funnier was that we followed her home after work many times. The young lady's name was Ge Yuelian (葛月蓮). Later we heard that she was raped by the Japanese. I was very upset for a long time.

Chen Zhong

Ge had a colleague in the department store called Chen Zhong (陳重). Somehow, he misunderstood and thought that I was interested in Ge. Eleven years later, in 1954, I was serving in the Marine Corps. In Zuoying, Taiwan. On one evening, Chen Zhong somehow came to visit my home in Ningbo. He left a two-inch photo for my family to transfer to me. On the back of the photo he wrote: Wei-Ting, she is waiting for you!!! Chen Zhong  January 17, 1954.

My family sent the picture to me in Taiwan. I was greatly surprised because I never attempted to pursue the girl, nor did I have any contact or communication with her then or afterwards. At that time, I thought that I should write a letter to explain the affairs, but I was busy preparing for study abroad, so I didn't do anything. Now as I think of it, although I can't be blamed for this matter, I had really disappointed her on a moral level. 

3. High school graduation and romantic feelings

wu comb 4a-3

When the Anti-Japanese was won in 1945, I graduated from the Collaborationist Yinxian County High School (「僞」鄞縣縣立中學). In the winter of that year, prospects were bleak, and I did not know what to do with my future. A classmate told me that the Ministry of Education had organized a youth education and employment training class in Hangzhou (杭州), which not only did not charge any fees, but also provided lodging and three meals a day. So, I went to participate in it with my friend Li Shixin (李時新) and others. The class put us in the third grade of high school. We participated in very little content every day and ate dried preserved vegetables without any meat. There were about 150 students in the training class, a dozen from Ningbo. There were white steamed buns every day made of flour from the War Aftermath Relief Administration (善後救濟總署) officially supported by the United States. Since then, I have liked flour-based foods. What is most unforgettable to me about this place, nicknamed to be a place made in heaven, is that  I fell in love with Zhushou (竹壽), the younger of the two Wei sisters who were also from Ningbo. The Wei family was a prestigious family in Ningbo that had raised four daughters with the names Lanshou (蘭壽), Meishou (梅壽), Jushou (菊壽) and Zhushou (竹壽), and three sons.

Zhushou was one year older than me. Her cheerful personality fascinated me, and her deep beauty enchanted me. The two of us fell in love for the first time. We went on foot to every scenic spot in Hangzhou.  The Suti causeway (蘇堤) on West Lake (西湖) was particularly unforgettable where we walked countless times. In our numerous expeditions on foot, we almost always only ate the cheapest Yangchun noodles  (陽春麵) and the thick gun cake (槍餅) unique to Hangzhou. We also often bought fried peanuts to accompany white rice, which could be eaten without soup or water. The training class was located in Liutong Temple  (六通寺) at the foot of South Gaofeng Mountain (南高峯山). Two other large temples were nearby, one of which was home to the shrine of an important Buddhist monk.  We often rested in the small pavilion at mid-level of the mountain. We snuggled together in sweet reverie of the impossible and happy future. The training class ended after about half a year.  The two sisters and I returned to Shanghai. They lived in their third elder brother's residence on Hailun Road in Hongkou (虹口海倫路), while I lived in my second elder brother's house in Sigaotuo Road (司高脱路). These two places were very close, so I could walk over to her place to chat almost every day after lunch. When I went there, the younger Jushou would always find an excuse to leave us alone. So, the small loft area became a love nest for us. It's a pity that I can't remember the sweet dreams we dreamt up out of our endless love that time.

One day when I went to see her, she was washing clothes. I found her countenance unusual. She told me that our relationship could no longer continue. She calmly handed me a letter that she wrote earlier, which said, First love does not necessarily have to be for marriage. She didn't want to explain why her affection changed all of a sudden, but with tears in her eyes, she insisted very firmly that her decision to break up was irreversible. Of course, I could do nothing but respect her wish. I went home heart broken. I didn't know until many years later that her third elder brother was too overburdened that he had to send Jushou to live with their eldest sister in Taipei. He also introduced Zhushou to a colleague who was more than ten years her senior, and they planned to get married soon.

It is only to be expected that young love would not come to fruition, but this was truly an unforgettable past.  When we saw each other in Shanghai more than thirty years later, we both were married and had our respective family.

4. Going to Taiwan alone, misfortunes ahead

The following year (1946, the 35th years of the Republic of China), I applied for several universities in Shanghai, but unfortunately I was not accepted by any of them. The problem with the individual enrollment system was that stronger students were admitted by all the universities they applied for. One strong student would thus occupy many quotas among which they could only choose one. Students who did not have a strong record could not be selected by any of the universities, not even a chance to be on the waiting list. Facing the inevitable predicament of being out of school and the unbearable pains of falling out of love, I really wanted to jump into the Huangpu River to end my life. Later, because several former classmates had already gone to the National Taiwan University, I too wanted to leave Shanghai where I only had sorrow left.  With the reluctant consent of my parents, I went to Taiwan by boat alone with the plan to apply for National Taiwan University. I can’t remember how I got the Taiwan Entry Permit, but I remember my eldest brother and eldest sister took me to the pier. A small boat shuttled me to a large ship moored in the middle of the Huangpu River. I climbed a rope ladder to board the deck. It was a cargo ship with many wooden bunk beds in the cabin. It seemed to be only the next day or the third day that the ship arrived at Keelung Port. Xia Cheng (夏成), a senior high school classmate who was already attending the pre-university class at National Taiwan University, greeted me at the dock with a bunch of bananas. The whole bunch of bananas startled me because bananas were sold in singles in Shanghai. In Taipei, I lived with Xia Cheng and another old classmate Hu Deyou (胡德祐) in the dormitory assigned to them by the University. It was a Japanese-style house with two bedrooms, one kitchen and one bathroom, located in Suidaoting (水道町, near today's Lane 333, Section 3, Roosevelt Road). Hu Deyou later graduated from the medical school and became an ophthalmologist. Before I went abroad to the United States in 1955, he treated trachoma for me. He had been the Dean of the Provincial Keelung Hospital (省立基隆醫院) for many years until his retirement. After retirement, he moved to the United States. He passed away around 2010. The three of us slept on the floor of the room that was the size of eight tatami-mats. It was a lively and interesting time. There was also a senior high school classmate named Wang Shiyan (王士彦) who lived in the dormitory opposite to ours. By the time when I arrived in Taiwan, I had missed the date of National Taiwan University’s admission test. In order to not let my academic skills become rusty, I asked the Department of Education to send me to Taipei's most prestigious high school, Jianguo High School (建國中學), to review the high school curriculum with the senior class there. There were girls in Jianguo High School at that time, 17 girls in the class of 40. The class chairperson was a girl by the name of Meng Donghe (孟東荷). We have kept in touch since our years in Jianguo High School. When I moved to Rowland Heights, California in 1999, it was Meng Donghe who helped in my housing search because she lived there. We kept in touch with each other for more than sixty years until her death in 2010.

image10.jpg

Xia Cheng and I (around 2000 in Tianjin)

In less than a year after I first arrived in Taiwan, I experienced the terror of the February 28th Incident. I remember clearly that it was a Friday, and it was just past three in the afternoon after class. Several classmates, including  Lu Tongjiu (陸同九), the daughter of  the President of National Taiwan University Lu Zhihong (陸志鴻) -Lu Tongjiu and I met again in Shanghai in 2004-, and a pretty girl named Shu Guoying (舒國瑩), who was also from Ningbo and later graduated from the Department of Horticulture at the National Taiwan University, were playing table tennis in a room in the botanical garden located on the right side of the university. A classmate from a lower grade, who was an islander, came to tell us the news that islanders were randomly beating and killing mainlanders on the street. At the time, everyone was at a loss what to do, and had no choice but to walk over to Lu Tongjiu's home nearby on Fuzhou Street for a temporary safe place to hide and abide our time.  Looking out from the window of the house, we witnessed a forty-year-old mainlander being beaten and kicked by several locals wearing Japanese military boots at the entrance of the business place of Taiwan Electric Power Company's Taipei office.  He was wounded and in horror. He ran to the front door of the Lu's residence. We opened the door to let him into the hallway to catch his breath. That day, we didn't leave until dark and returned to our respective homes through alleyways. I went with a classmate whose elder brother worked in the police station and stayed with him for one night. I didn't return to the dormitory at Shuidaoting until the following day. On the street outside the dormitory, I saw Mao Xiusheng (茅秀生), a teaching assistant in the Department of Agricultural Chemistry of National Taiwan University, who was bunking with us, riding his bicycle headed toward the city area. I desperately called out to him trying to stop him. But it was too late. He was going to visit Miss Wei Jushou (my first love Wei Zhushou's sister) who was hospitalized at the National Taiwan University Hospital. Mao was pursuing her enthusiastically. If I had stopped him in time, he would have avoided the sad fate of being beaten twice, first at the side entrance of the Taipei New Park and then at the entrance of the National Taiwan University Hospital, which left him with many chronic health problems.

The situation looked very unfavorable to us who didn't speak Taiwanese. The rice vendor refused to sell us rice. Fortunately, the little girl we employed brought us sweet potatoes from her home to feed us. The university authorities did not provide any assistance at all. One day it was rumored that the Gaoshan indigenous tribe were going to come out of the mountain to seek revenge. The students from the mainland were really terrified. With two of my roommates Xia and Hu, we planned to hide inside the ceiling area. The ceiling of a Japanese-style house was composed of very thin wood pieces overlain on thin wooden frames. Your feet should only fall on a few specific places, otherwise the thin wooden frames would break, and your feet would have no place to land, which was very dangerous. So we carefully practiced hiding in the ceiling two or three times. As such, we waited in fear, counting the minutes and the seconds. We couldn't breathe until finally the Central Army arrived in Taiwan. Only then did we dare to go out to search the hospitals for the whereabouts of Mao Xiusheng. We finally found him. It turned out that after being beaten at the entrance of the National Taiwan University Hospital, he walked back through the New Park. A small private surgical hospital on that street took him in.  (At that time, there were many small hospitals in Taiwan named after the doctor's surname, for example, Huang Surgical Hospital). Later, a ronin came to search the hospital. A nurse hid Mao Xiusheng in a horizontal cabinet under the bed which saved him. When we finally found him, he had injuries all over his body, his dark gray suit covered in blood. But he was one of the lucky ones.  Lin Jinzhang (林錦章), who was in the same grade with me in Jianguo High School and an islander, went out to learn about the situation in the midst of the February 28 incident.  Unfortunately, soon afterwards, he was shot dead by the Nationalist Army accidentally. The whole class mourned for him.

5. Entering National Taiwan University, three diplomas in hand

In June of that year (1947), I received my high school diploma from Jianguo High School. This was my