II. Missing of the Star Officer
May 16, 1979, it was a day of significant personal meaning to Lin. On that day, he left Taiwan and arrived in the Chinese mainland, a world totally different from Taiwan.
1. A Bold Idea
Lin read a lot about history and wanted to be a historian since childhood. Although he did not become what he wished for, he did obtain a profound understanding of Chinese history. When he first learnt about the century of humiliation China had suffered after the First Opium War (the First Anglo-Chinese War, 1840-1842) as a child, he already began to think about how to make China a prosperous and strong country. After entering the National Taiwan University, Lin, as far-sighted as many in history, had been pondering China's future and what he could do to serve the country. Holding a Master degree in Economics, Lin started to realize when he was serving the army in Kinmen that no matter how he had been touted by the mass media, no matter how much trust he had earned from senior officers, and no matter how promising the future ahead of him seemed like, he would never fulfill his ambition. Taiwan was at a crossroads in its development – long-term reliance on American aid was not a sustainable development strategy for itself. The cross-strait confrontation troubled Lin very much. He felt war was never a solution to any problem. It could never bring about a better future for Taiwan but only lead to the breakup of families and damages to the country. How should Taiwan develop? Where should Taiwan head for? What was Taiwan's way out? These questions had always rung in his ears and he was never able to get an answer.
When serving in the Mashan Company on Kinmen Island, Lin bought a transistor radio. In the still of the night, he would secretly listen to the mainland radio broadcasts. He learnt from the radio that the mainland economy was lagging far behind that of Taiwan. Mainland Chinese people's living standard was very low, but on the whole they had adequate food and clothing, which was already an outstanding achievement for such a populous country. He also got to know that the mainland had only recently ended the Cultural Revolution, turning a brand new page in history. More importantly, after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China convened in December, 1978, the policy of reform and opening up had been implemented, signifying that China had embarked on a path marked prominently by economic development. All the news filled Lin with hope. From the point of view of historical development, Lin believed that China could be rejuvenated only by reunification, to which the mainland was the key, and economic development should be the first priority to the mainland. In this sense, if he could contribute to China's economic development in any way, he would be contributing to China's reunification. Although individual contributions could vary depending on personal capabilities, he would willingly contribute his fair share. Therefore, Lin concluded that he would go to the mainland to offer his service as the hope of a prosperous and strong China could be found there. At this thought, Lin felt that he might be able to do something to change his status quo.
This idealistic aspiration of Lin was also reflected in a long letter he wrote to Li Jianxing, one of his cousins living in Tokyo, after he swam to the mainland.
"...As I am so fond of history, I have visited quite a few historic sites but I am not that impressed by the grand Great Wall and the magnificent Palace Museum. What has impressed me most is the Dujiangyan Irrigation System built in Chengdu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) by the magistrate Li Bing and his son. Thanks to the irrigation project, Sichuan has become "the land of abundance". And it still benefits the people now after over 2,000 years. When I stood by the Min River listening to the sound of the rushing water, I had such strong feelings that if I could not contribute myself to the welfare of future generations, I would be ashamed of myself."
"...As a Taiwanese, I have the deepest love for Taiwan, the place where I was born and raised. I am willing to devote my life to its prosperity and wellbeing. But as a Chinese, I think Taiwan should also contribute more to China's progress as a whole. Long-term split is harmful to both the mainland and Taiwan, and even more so to China's historical development. Thus it is the responsibility of aspiring young people like us to promote the reunification of China at an early date without injuring the interests of Taiwanese people."
However, shallow as it is, the Taiwan Strait seemed to be a wide gap that could not be bridged, separating the people of the same flesh and blood on both sides of the strait from each other. Lin felt struggled to see this. He hated bitterly this kind of cross-strait separation from the bottom of his heart, but he could only stand by helplessly, unable to change the reality.
What could he do?
A bold idea gradually emerged in his mind.
2. A Risky Jump
On May 16, 1979, after careful planning, Lin finally made a decision that would change his whole life. He decided to swim across the 2,000-meter Taiwan Strait to the mainland in pursuit of his lifelong ambition.
But it was by no means an easy decision for him. At that time, Lin already had a happy family. His wife, Chen Yunying, had also attended the National Taiwan University, where they fell in love at first sight. They got married in 1975 when Lin graduated from the Republic of China Military Academy and led a happily married life afterwards. Their first son Xiaolong was born in the next year. When Lin made his decision to go to the mainland, Xiaolong had turned into a cute and delightful 3-year-old boy, his wife was expecting their second child, and his parents were getting on in years. At that time, Lin was supposed to take care of his parents, because in the Chinese tradition, it is the filial obligation of adult children to care for their elderly parents.
However, there is a dilemma between serving one's family and serving the country, and there is an old saying that a real man is always expected to serve his country. As for Lin, an iron mind can never be changed.
According to a widely held version of the story, Lin gave a false order of military drill and curfew from the superiors. The coastal sentries received the order that no soldiers garrisoning the Mashan Broadcasting Station should go out of the barracks after the routine roll call at night; if someone was found swimming in the sea, no one was allowed to shoot at the swimmer, and no further actions were allowed even if gunshots were heard. The swimmer that night was actually nobody else but Lin himself, the commander who ordered the curfew.
Lin played basketball wearing only his shorts all that evening to kill time. He waited as time slowly passed. At around 10 p.m., he disappeared.
Those who live in the coastal area may well know that the seawater is at the lowest level around 10 p.m. when the tides are falling. When the right time came, Lin quickly put on his military uniform wearing the life jacket outside, with the compass, a military canteen, and a first-aid kit hung on his waist and his certificate for military supplies which would prove his identity in the pocket, and jumped into the sea. What he left behind on the shore was only a pair of rubber shoes printed with two characters reading "Company Commander".
Chen Yunying, Lin's wife, revealed years later that Lin is a skillful swimmer, and he can still swim as far as 2,000 meters at a time today. However, Lin's jump into the sea at that time could probably cost him his life. Although Lin had received plenty of physical training at the Republic of China Military Academy, he knew quite well when he was swimming in the cold seawater that he would face unexpected dangers. He might be attacked and bitten to death by sharks, shot by the army of Taiwan as a defector or by the sentries of the mainland as a spying "frogman", or get exploded by the landmines here and there when he reached the mainland shore. Nevertheless, the moment when he jumped into the deep strait, Lin could not afford to think things through any more, and the only thing he could do was to swim desperately to the west.
Lin's missing threw the Kinmen Island into unrest that night. All the garrisons made an inch-by-inch search for Lin in the land and waters overnight. The Company changed its operation plans immediately in case that Lin, the "defector", would leak military secrets. Two days later, the Company conducted a large-scale drill, during which the garrisons in the east and the west of the island changed their defense areas.
After several days' search, Lin remained unfound, alive or dead. Meanwhile, no news about Lin had been heard from the mainland. The Kinmen Defense Command declared Lin "missing" and wrapped up the case after hasty investigation, for fear that his defection would affect the morale in the army.
It was as if a man had evaporated in thin air and no one knew where he had gone.
On August 15, 2009, the Xiamen-Kinmen Cross-strait Swimming Race was held for the first time, which attracted a total of 100 swimmers from both mainland China and Taiwan to compete in a swim from the Yefeng Village, Xiamen to the Shuangkou beach in the island of Little Kinmen. This was the first major sports event during the 60 years' cross-strait confrontation. Only 30 years ago, swimming across the Strait from Taiwan was deemed a crime of defection, while now swimming to Taiwan across the Strait becomes a sports feat. The Taiwan Strait between Kinmen and Xiamen, which is less than 3 kilometers wide, has witnessed the progress in cross-strait relations over the past 30 years. What great changes!
