编辑文：
Family assistance work
This time, after we started running away, my family was anxiously waiting to receive the pre arranged message from Hong Kong: "XX is discharged". Several times later, in the next few days, they realized that something had gone wrong and instead worried about our safety: Would the strong southern wind make the ship crash that night? In those days, it was not uncommon for news of capsizing and burial to escape to Hong Kong. Fortunately, the family soon received news that my sister's accomplice had been released earlier, knowing that we were in detention. We're still alive! My sister is an educated youth. Her registered permanent residence is in a commune in Xinxing County. They went to the county with the other two detainees and released them. They returned to Guangzhou immediately. My sister made a lot of friends in the detention house. Back in Guangzhou, she and her family soon began to try to rescue me. After many efforts, she finally met a supervisor who took the detainees to the workplace.  My family and supervisor made a plan: first, instruct me to forge an address. Second, I will be transferred to the dispatch department through inquiry, and then apply for going out to work under friendly supervision. Third, the supervisor will find a chance for me to escape. The morning before dinner, a supervisor came to the window of Guangzhou cell and called: "Zhou Zhicheng (pseudonym), I'll give you a letter." He gave me the letter but didn't leave at once. I took the letter out of the open envelope. It was my mother's handwriting: "A Cheng, you can go back to Hongxing farm, Qingyuan County. You've left


原文：
Family Rescue Efforts
This time, after we started fleeing, my family anxiously waited each day to receive a telegram
from Hong Kong – the prearranged code message: "XX discharged from the hospital”. After a few
days, realizing things had gone wrong, they turned to fearing for our safety: Would the strong south
wind that night cause the boat to be wrecked? In those days, news of capsizing and burial at sea for
those fleeing to Hong Kong was not rare.
Fortunately, the family soon received a message from my sister’s fellow detainee who was
released earlier and knew we were at the detention center. We were still alive! My sister was a zhiqing,
her registered residence in a commune of Xinxing County. Along with two other detainees, they were
released after arriving in the county, and they immediately came back to Guangzhou.
My sister made many friends in the detention center. Coming back to Guangzhou, she and the
family quickly began attempts to rescue me. After many efforts she finally got to know a supervisor
who led detainees out to labor.
My family and the supervisor drew up a plan: First, instruct me to fake an address. Second, after
passing the inquiry, I would be transferred to the Sending Section, then apply for going out to labor
under the friendly supervisor. Third, the supervisor would find an opportunity to let me run away.
One morning before the meal, a supervisor came to the window of Guangzhou cell and called:
"Zhou Zhicheng (my pseudonym), a letter for you." He gave me the letter but didn't leave immediately.
I took the letter from the opened envelope; it was my mother's handwriting: "A Cheng, you can go back
to Hongxing farm of Qingyuan County. You have left the farm for several years, the registered
residence was canceled. We have talked with the farm and they agree to accept you back. Mom".
However, at the end of the letter there was a few words in pencil: "I will help you" which were not my
mother's handwriting, apparently added later.
I was puzzled and looked at the supervisor. He smiled slyly and walked away.
I secretly erased the penciled words and tried to find out what they might mean. Although I did
not understand the whole plan, I knew this much: My family was trying to rescue, and a supervisor
would help me. My depression and anxiety began to relieve. Good! Finally the long suffering turned to
hope. Three liang rice in the evening meal tasted great, and sleep at that night was comfortable and
with pleasant dreams.
Panic Stricken
The next morning after assembly, I just wanted to request an inquiry to report my “real” address,
but saw through the window the supervisor who handed me the letter yesterday walking on the large
square. A policeman approached and quickly handcuffed him.
I gasped and paled, watching the police to escort the supervisor away.
Suddenly my mind was in turmoil and my heart raced. Was yesterday’s secret revealed? Would
the next one handcuffed be me? Would all be lost?
Time elapsed in seconds, minutes, hours, as my heart stretched tightly like a bowstring. Even a
trifling noise outside the window would make me jump with alarm. I feared that my name would be
suddenly called, the door opened, and handcuffs slapped on!
However, nothing happened and I didn't know why. The supervisor’s arrest must have been
because of other matters, and he didn't reveal me.
My heart grew heavy and the old frustration seized me again; the chance of rescue was gone.
Of course, I dared not request an inquiry to report to XX farm of Qingyuan County as my
mother's letter said. Just a few minutes could have made the difference! If only I had gone a few
minutes earlier to report, and then been escorted to Qingyuan, what would have happened?
Another concern was being asked why I didn't report the “real” address as stated in the letter,
because the letter had been opened and checked first.
Fortunately I wasn’t asked. So many detainees came in and out every day, perhaps they didn't care
what my mother's letter said, giving me the tacit message: You didn't want to report, let you suffer
"three liang" rice, see how long could you stand?
God Blessed and People Helped
My family being in a quandary, a friend suggested that I report my address as being back in
Xingning. My mother again contacted my Fourth Aunt. Stunned, Fourth Aunt found the situation
difficult to comprehend. She recalled that Yong An and the brigade security agent Li Fu had already
rescued me once but, due to Yong An carelessly leaking it, Li Fu almost got into trouble. Obviously,
Fourth Aunt could no longer request their help. Who else might help? Fourth Aunt was baffled about
what to do if I were sent back.
Fourth Aunt had stomach disease. Her condition now was aggravated by worrying about this
difficulty. She went to buy Weishuping, a stomachache reliever, and unexpectedly met a friend Hong
Jin. She remembered that his son Qingxiang was working at the County grain and oil section, so she
asked Hong Jin for help.
Twenty years before, my father had saved Qingxiang’s life. That winter, there had been a
meningitis epidemic in the Xingning area. Meningitis was a even more serious infectious disease then
as now. Five-year-old Qingxiang was infected. Hong Jin had no money for treatment and waited with
resignation for his son’s death.
One Sunday, Hong Jin went to the church as usual to sell cooked pig blood and snails. When he
saw my grandfather coming in, he spoke tearfully to him of his son’s condition. My grandfather helped
Hong Jin have Qingxiang admitted to the County Public Hospital where my father was the dean.
My father did his best in treatment and finally snatched Qingxiang from the jaws of death. My
father waived a portion of the medical expenses and my grandfather contributed an additional sum.
Hong Jin was deeply moved and later became a Catholic.
So when Fourth Aunt talked with Hong Jin, Hong Jin immediately agreed to talk with Qingxiang.
Unfortunately, Qingxiang said he knew nobody in my detention center and to ask favors there could
cause trouble. But next day Hong Jin told Fourth Aunt that Qingxiang had asked a friend to contact
supervisor Cheng who had helped me the last time.
Cheng said the new head was very hard to deal with, so the path ahead remained difficult. Fourth
Aunt had only this life-saving straw, so she begged Qingxiang to lobby Cheng, promising a handsome
reward. Cheng agreed to keep an eye open for opportunity. Fourth Aunt informed my mother
immediately.
One day, a supervisor handed me a checked parcel containing a bottle of vitamins, towel,
toothbrush, toothpaste, and bar of soap, but no letter. Having heard that toothpaste or soap was
sometimes used to deliver messages to detainees, I guessed there might be a note in the toothpaste or
soap, but the end of the toothpaste tube was sealed. I waited patiently until meal time. Amid the noisy
disorder, I inserted a chopstick into the soap, and felt something inside. I widened the hole and pulled
out a small piece of paper that read: Qing Hui, report back to the hometown.
I crumbled the note and swallowed it immediately. I was in two states of mind: The first was
happy, finally there was a turning point; but second was worry that last time in Xingning Detention
Center, I was released as Zeng Qing Hui; now to report Zeng Qing Hui again could arouse suspicion.
However, already at wits end, I brushed this new fear aside.
Next morning after assembly, I asked for inquiry. The supervisor glanced at me, "Hmm,” he said:
"so finally you have thought it through? Continuing to conceal your name is impossible.” This told me
that the military propaganda team had taken over the detention center.
As factional fighting during the Cultural Revolution intensified, the "Supreme Commander" Mao
seeing the situation was out of control, ordered the army to take over organizations and units
nationwide in the name of "propagandizing Mao Zedong thought”. Most of the soldiers sent to the
detention center were from inland provinces who could not speak Cantonese, were not highly educated
and had been indoctrinated with the "revolutionary" education since childhood. They regarded fleeing
to Hong Kong as "treason” although due to the policy deeming it merely a "violation of the border
regulations" they could not do much, but often beat and scolded detainees. Those who didn’t report real
addresses, they beat or tied hands across their backs and hung them on trees until they yielded.
That afternoon I reported as "Zeng Qing Hui, Xingning County, Xinning Commune XX brigade
XX production team" and was transferred to the Sending Section. More then ten days later, I was taken
with fellow detainees by car back to Xingning Detention Center.
The newly promoted head was an ex-service man who stared when he saw me and remarked,
"Hmm, come again!" Apparently he had heard rumors about me, and immediately announced that he
would personally send me to the commune the next day. I caught a glimpse of supervisor Cheng at his
side who seemed somewhat amazed.
That night I tossed and turned for hours, considering various possible scenarios after I was sent
back to the commune: They might ask me about the production team and I might give a suspicious
answer; then they could ask the production brigade to identify me; if found out, they would beat me
and force me to kneel on broken glass; finally, they would escort me back to Kunming and all would be
over!
The next morning, the head really did personally send me to the commune. I had heard that the
location of the commune committee was in the former Catholic Church. Along the way, I kept praying
in my heart: "God, I am coming back today, please help me."
At the commune committee there was just one person on duty. He did not know "Zeng Qing Hui"
because Zeng Qing Hui had no previous record; nor was Zeng Qing Hui a well-known person. Without
saying anything, the person on duty simply accepted my paper and signed it. The head of the detention
center had no reason to doubt and he left.
The man on duty spoke a few words of bureaucratic routine, ordered me to write a self criticism,
and then went to an inner room. I spent more than 10 minutes trying to imitate the handwriting of the
poorly educated and handed it to the person on duty. He gave it a brief glance, carelessly tossed it on
the table and shouted: "Go back! Next time you are caught back again I’ll peel your skin." I kept on
replying, "Yes, yes." but thought: My goodness! Would I have such bad luck as to be caught yet again?
I quickly walked out of the commune committee.
On the road, my cousin Qing Yi saw I was free and, greatly relieved, quickly ran over to meet me.
He anxiously asked," Why so long? I am afraid of things you might have divulged.” I said I only was
required to write a self criticism. My cousin led me away quickly and we continued our conversation.
Away from the commune committee, Qing Yi told me that supervisor Cheng had notified Fourth
Aunt the night before that Zeng Qing Hui was sent back to the detention center, and the new head
wanted to personally deliver him to Xinning Commune the following morning. So my cousin Qing Yi
came early to wait for me near the commune committee. Watching me taken in, he anxiously walked
around the area. He began worrying when I did not soon come out. Finally, when he saw me leave, he
thanked God (Qing Yi was also a devout Catholic).
After more than four months of panic and torments, in less than half an hour all my troubles
disappeared like a smoke, almost as easy as blowing off dust. Now breathing free air at last, I still
wondered if it was real or only a dream.
I certainly was grateful, yet a series of "ifs" crossed my mind: If there had been others there
besides the man on duty at that time; if the man on duty had asked me a few questions about the
commune or the brigade; if he had called the brigade or the production team to identify me; or if he had
called the Red Guards to beat me and then sent me to the production team. If any of that had happened,
where would I be now?
Fourth Aunt arranged for me to stay at a friend's home in the town that night. Qing Yi bought a
bus ticket with a fake certificate. He was careful the next day. To prevent my being seen unnecessarily
by anyone at the bus station, he borrowed a bicycle and took me for a ride to the suburbs until the bus
came and I could board. That afternoon, I returned home to Guangzhou safely.
My mother, brother and sisters were relieved and joyful at my return but sad to me so emaciated.
After listening to the story of my escape and a series of "ifs,” they were much amazed but still had a
lingering fear. My mother said they had tried every effort to rescue in vain, unexpectedly seeing my
danger change to safety in an instant. It was more than a miracle. Man proposes, God disposes, things
are under destiny. The whole family thanked and praised God.
The second sister went to tell Aunt Yin and they returned with little Meng quickly. Two-year-old
little Meng happily rushed to her father. I hugged her tightly, thinking that I might have never seen her
again. I could not help but burst into tears. Dad came back on the weekend. Opening the door and
seeing me, he exclaimed "Oh!" and hugged me crying.
I would not forget to reward the relatives and friends who had lent a helping hand. They were
sincerely delighted at my miraculous escape. Once again I deeply realized that it was fathers’ and
ancestors’ virtuous deeds which favored descendants, so there were so many who helped.
By this time I had been in and out of detention centers five times over a period of four and a half
months. That I did not die of starvation or illness and had not been sent back to Kunming was more
than good luck!