Interview With Ruan Ya Ying

Ruan Ya Ying recollects his childhood, his experiences as a sailor at the Xiamen Port, and his career as a political activist on behalf of the mainland Chinese authorities, during which time he also served as an intelligence officer for the People’s Liberation Army.

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Born in 1941, Ruan Ya Ying lost his father at age 7. A Kuomintang (KMT) police officer had attempted to seize Ruan’s uncle’s gold ring when the fishermen in the community were dividing wages in Ruan’s house, and shot his father who had tried to intervene in the scuffle. The family fell into dire financial straits after his death. By 1952, KMT vessels began to barricade the sea by Xiamen Port, and some vessels were towed away. He believes that KMT forces were planning to forcefully traffic fishermen to Taiwan. Fearing that their boat too, would be confiscated by the enemy, Ruan’s mother stayed onboard for 2 months, but it was eventually confiscated. Later, another of their fishing boat was requisitioned by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for a price. As the KMT’s attacks on the coast at Xiamen intensified, his family lived on their boat and fled to many surrounding islands to escape the KMT.

    From 1956 to 1958, Ruan began working as an intelligence officer for the PLA. The next year, he was promoted as a crew leader onboard a fishing vessel. In 1958, he took on multiple additional posts; including chief cultural literacy officer in the crew, picket officer in the Xiamen Commune police station, health administrator, and militia platoon leader. As an intelligence operative, he was tasked to perform reconnaissance on Taiwanese naval formations in the waters nearby. As he was uneducated and could not identify the various objects he encountered at sea, he used matchsticks and other materials to represent large ships and other vessels to reconstruct the formations he observed for his superiors. At times, his operations drew the attention of KMT forces on guard, and he faced their defensive fire. 

    He also smuggled propaganda materials to the shores of Taiwan on rafts at night, which also was at times detected by the KMT’s defensive units. As another arm of these efforts, he was also involved in the PLA’s attempts to connect with other fishermen from the Kinmen (Jinmen) Islands, governed by Taiwan. He would share cigarettes and tea with these fishermen and attempt to learn if they had family connections on the mainland. 

    Further, he performed night patrols to deter security threats from the coast, while continuing his job as a fisherman during the day. His efforts were recognized, and he was honored by the state as an “activist in the struggle against the enemy” in 1959. On one such patrol, he reacted to a false alarm and mistakenly arrested the director of the Public Security Bureau who was inspecting the security protocols out at sea. On another occasion, he successfully detained a fisherman from the mainland who was attempting to flee to Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands, for which he received awards at the National Day in 1960. In 1961, he was finally promoted as captain of the ship.

  • Name of interviewee:阮亚婴

  • Interview by:王全成

  • Proofreader:陈永明、陈乙燊

  • Summary (English):The interview reflects the multiple roles played by the respondent Ruan Yaying during the Cold War. Ruan’s father was killed by the KMT policemen during the CPC-KMT civil war. Months before the founding of the PRC, the fishing boats of the fishermen were commandeered by the PLA. Their family had escaped to Huoshaoyu Island and Gulangyu Island in order to avoid the harassment of the KMT army. During the period of fishery cooperation, Ruan served as the political team-leader of the ocean-going vessel, as well as the picket member of the border police station, cultural literacy officer, health administrator, militia platoon leader, and the inspector of the Intelligence Department in Xiamen Harbor. The main tasks of the respondent as an investigator included: investigating activities of the KMT army, distributing propaganda materials, contacting fishermen in Kinmen, discovering defectors. In the end, Ruan received awards for several times during the Cold War.

这段采访反映了受访者在冷战时期所扮演的多重角色。受访者的父亲在国共内战时期死于国民党警察之手。国共分治初期,受访者的渔船被解放军征用,而其一家为了躲避国民党军队的骚扰曾躲到火烧屿和鼓浪屿。渔业合作化后,受访者担任渔船的政治组长,同时兼任边防派出所的纠察队员、渔船上的文化扫盲员、卫生管理员、民兵排长以及厦港情报部门的侦查员。受访者担任侦查员时候的主要工作有:侦查国民党军的活动、发放宣传品、接触金门的渔民以及检举揭发叛逃者,并多次受到嘉奖。

  • Keywords:国民党;警察;政治组长;民兵;厦门港情报部门;侦查;警艇;宣传品;对敌斗争积极分子

  • Biographical info:阮亚婴,男,1940年除夕出生于厦港沙坡尾疍民渔家,从小随父母出海捕鱼。父亲早逝后,年幼的他早早就承担起持家重担。新中国成立后,亲身经历厦港渔业合作化、公社化,沿海对敌斗争和改革开放,多次受到市里的表彰和奖励。

  • Geographical info:厦港南溪仔阮亚婴家

  • Time period:2013年5月、6月

  • Source:厦门市社会科学界联合会:《口述史:厦门港记忆》,厦门:鹭江出版社,2014年。

扮演多重身份的渔民

那是1948年靠年兜,出海一年的渔工(伙计)围在一起算工钱。地点就在沙坡尾我家的船舱里。我的叔公戴了一只金戒指,正要回到船上,被一个国民党警察叫黄瑞发的看到,要抢叔公的金戒指,就跟着我的叔公爬上船。黄瑞发看到船舱里那么多人在分钱,眼睛都红了,就要抢。大家不让他抢,发生了争吵。这时我的阿爸从山上回来,听到争吵声,想上船看一下。黄瑞发看到岸上有人来,掏出枪就射击,将我阿爸打成重伤,送到医院不久阿爸就死了。这个事件引起了民愤,当时报纸做了连续的报道,并且发了告全市人民书。我阿爸一死,家中生活很困难。隔年,社会上开始流传白军(国民党军)要逃了,红军共产党的解放军要从山里出来了。国民党军队开始扣留渔船,不准出海,其实是准备运兵逃到台湾去。我们家的渔船也被拖走了。我阿母怕船被抢走,一家人生活没着落,跟在船上住了两个多月。

厦门解放不久,我们家的破渔船被解放军征用,补偿了我们一笔钱。当时,我的阿伯、阿叔、阿舅,他们生活也很困难,政府给我们家的钱接济他们后就所剩无几了。1952年,国民党封海,祖国大陆渔民出海捕鱼,国民党兵就朝渔船开枪或开炮,还派飞机来轰炸厦门。当时我们—家跑到火烧屿躲避,很长时间—家人就住在船上。其实,火烧屿也不安全。有一次,飞机来轰炸,我赶快钻进附近的礁石洞躲避,刚钻进洞,子弹就打在身后。我们家在火烧屿躲避了两年多。后来,我们躲到鼓浪屿,一家人还是挤在船上住。

新中国成立以后,特别是渔业合作化后,渔民不仅生活翻身,政治上也翻身。可能是有关部门看到我出身贫苦,阿爸又是被国民党警察打死的,所以有意关照栽培我。1957年,我16岁就担任了船上的政治组长,20岁开始当船长。

1958年成立厦港海洋渔捞公社,我继续当组长,同时兼任边防派出所的纠察队员、渔船上的文化扫盲员、卫生管理员、民兵排长,有时一天要开十几个会。20世纪60年代初,厦门海防前线形势紧张,我积极参加民兵对敌斗争。在这之前,大槪是1956年到1958年之间,我参加了解放军驻厦门港情报部门的工作。当时跟沙坡尾石厝里的一个人单线联系、出海到金门、大担、二担附近捕鱼时,我注意观察国民党兵的活动和船只、飞机出人的情况,回来秘密汇报给联系人。那时,我没有文化、不会画飞机、舰艇、就用火柴杆代替,长的代表大船,短的代表小船,飞机用其他东西代表。我们的渔场离大小金门很近,飞机、舰艇进进出出,看得清清楚楚。向东去的是往台湾,向西南来的就是骚扰祖国大陆的。经过几次的观察,我就很熟练了,可以记住不同飞机和舰船的样式和类型。出海回来,我就到水上派出所隔壁的石厝、用联系暗号敲门,联系联络人。我对着图案,点算火柴杆的数量,详细汇报蒋军舰船、飞机活动的情况。他们经常表扬我。那时候,蒋军经常炮击、扫射、抓扣和骚扰我方渔船,在他们枪口下潜伏侦察,是要冒着生命危险的。我所在的渔船被扣过两次。有时,我还利用晚上天黑一个人划着竹排队厦门港出发、顺着海流贴近大担、二担观察敌情,有公安艇在远处接应。好几次惊动了国民党哨兵,他们的冲锋枪、机枪迎面扫来,我赶紧趴在竹排上,由公安艇拖带快速离开。

除了侦察敌情之外,我还参加运送宣传品到金门、大担岸边的任务。每次执行任务,我都是选天气阴沉灰暗要下雨的时候、将海漂宣传品装到竹排上码好,盖上油布、算好潮水,半夜用水上派出所的警 艇牵着竹排出发。

到了白石头炮台外的海面上,警艇停下来,我一边摇撸,他们一边放长连着竹排的绳索。海面和天空一片漆黑,只有呼呼的风声和哗哗的海浪声。我把竹排摇出五六百米远,估计离大担、二担岛比较近了,才转手兜橹,调整好竹排的方向。轻手轻脚掀开罩着的油布,将宣传品一个一个顺潮流方向投放到海面,让它们漂到台湾岛去。海潮流速很快,各种各样的宣传品,一下子就从我脚下漂远了。

漂送宣传品也遇到过不顺利的时候。有两次不知是被发现,还是什么动静引起了岛上蒋军岗哨的怀疑,他们突然朝我小船的方向开枪射击。我按照事先演练过的办法。赶紧卧倒在竹排上,贴着水面喘气。我不怕,因为我知道警艇上和前线海岸上都有部队掩护我。

在这一时期,我还接受了一项任务,就是找机会接触金门的渔民。在海上遇到金门的渔民,我就跟他们聊天。有时两只船靠在一起泡茶抽烟,我就拿出好烟好洒招待他们、联络感情,还替他们打听在厦门亲戚的情况。那段时间、我白天出海捕鱼,晚上参加巡逻,从沙坡尾一直巡逻的厦大白城。那时候,大家斗争观念很强。有一次在巡逻时,我们查到一个可疑的人,将他带到派出所。所长一看,笑着说,你们捉到公安分局局长了。原来,那位分局局长晚上来查哨,被我们误当坏人捉了。因为做了许多事,1959年我被评为“厦门市沿海对敌斗争积极分子”。1960年国庆节前夕,有关部门交代我们出海要提高警惕,创造条件立功受奖。恰巧,国庆前两天的清早,我们渔船驶到青屿附近,看到一只竹排,上面有一个人,穿着龙海一带的衣服。我就和一个同伴划着小舢板上前,问对方这么早出海做什么。那人用龙海话回答说,他是出海捕鱼的。我看他的船上并没有渔具,判断他说的是假话,就大声叫他说实话。那人又说,他的弟弟掉在海里,他是来找尸体的。我想这时候到这里找尸体潮水不对啊,就强制将他带上我们的大船。这个人发现我们的船要靠泊浯屿,死活不肯跟着走。我跟同事喝令他老老实实地蹲在甲板上。船靠码头,我马上跑到派出所报告。浯屿派出所派了两名民警用小汽艇将那人送到上级机关。经过审问,查出这个人一大早划竹排出海是打算逃到金门。几天后,有关部门在厦港渔民倶乐部召开庆功大会,我受到厦门市人民委员会的表彰和奖励。

Interviewer: Chen Yongming

Interviewee: Ruan Ya Ying

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Transcript Notes


None

  1. To what extent were Ruan Ya Ying’s actions during the Cold War era motivated by ideology? 

  2. Discuss the economic forces that shaped the Cold War experience for Ruan Ya Ying and his family.

  3. Consider the importance of social networks and personal connections in shaping the Cold War experience for Ruan Ya Ying, and the larger conflict across the Taiwan Straits.