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In 1954, a man living in Keelung 基隆 asked himself, “Could an old-fashioned Chinese junk beat modern yachts in a race on the high seas?” The answer? -- An almost unbelievable tale involving a boat that would become world-famous: the “Free China” junk (自由中國號) This week, John Ross and Chris Stowers (Stowers was part of a crew that also sailed on a wind-powered junk-like ship), tell the first part of this incredible story of bravery, perseverance, and a more than a little luck.
Cover image via AFP: The Collection of the Reno Chen Family/Chinese Junk Preservation.
Below: Photo via Sail-world. The crew of the Free China junk (not in order): Paul Chou (周傳鈞), Hu Loo-chi (胡露奇), Marco Yu-lin Chung (种玉麟), Reno Chia-lin Chen (陳家琳), Benny Chia-cheng Hsu (徐家政) and Calvin Mehlert.
According to Wikipedia, the English word “junk” comes via Portuguese junco, Dutch jonk, and Spanish, junco. It's been used for centuries to to refer to any medium-to large-sized ships of the Austronesian cultures. Other examples not from China, include the Indonesian and Malaysian jong, the Philippine karakoa and lanong, and the Maluku kora kora.
Below: The cover of Chris Stowers' book Bugis Nights.
Chris Stowers hosted a recent documentary called “Secrets of Matsu,” which is currently streaming on TaiwanPlus channel, and also available on YouTube.
Below: Wikimedia Commons images of junks.
1. Junks near Guangzhou (1880)
2. A 19th century illustration of a kai-sen, a type of junk used in Ryukyu (now Okinawa Prefecture, Japan).
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Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
