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《覊旅雁鳴》第二章采風巴拿馬(續）
第20篇：老兵離家八十年
老兵郜慶福是我旅居巴拿馬20個年頭（1979-1998)的摯友，祖籍河南南陽，是我的小同鄉。
他與1949年隨軍撤退到台灣的老兵一樣，大半輩子過著骨肉皆分離，無家問死生，默望明月思念故鄉而淚下的日子。
民國106年(2017年)10月14日，兩岸開放探親30年，自他民國28年(1939年)從軍報國以來，前後79個年頭，未曾回過他的故鄉。民國107年(2018年）6月11日，以98歲高齡，終老於巴拿馬(1）
郜慶福，民國10年(1921年)11月24日，誕生於河南南陽武侯祠以西10里的一個農村。郜家在南陽夲是望族，自其祖父一代，家道中落。其父育有四子一女，郜慶福排行老三，上有一個姐姐一個哥哥，下有兩個弟弟。兒時的他是個過動兒，結夥打架滋事是常態，父母拿他毫無辦法。
民國19年(1930年)，經其舅舅的一位河南登封同郷，推薦至嵩山少林寺拜師習武長達八年，學得一身少林功夫，並且讀完論語、孟子。(2)
民國26年(1937年)夏天，少林寺的一場火災，燒毀了面南一邊的禪房及臥房。接踵而來的是，家鄉傳來郜慶福的父親過世的消息，他兼程奔喪，受戒剃度延期。
回到家中，看見臥病在床的母親，他一頭栽到媽媽懷裡，痛哭失聲。此時的郜家，大姐已遠嫁信陽，大哥在湖北襄陽為一家商行當帳房，眷屬也遷居襄陽。兩個弟弟在縣城當學徒，也不常回家。在母親軟硬兼施、頻頻勸說下，未料生性倔強的郜慶福，順應了母意，打消了剃度出家的念頭。
隔年(1938年)春節前，他與鄰村指腹為婚待字閨中的薛姓姑娘結為夫妻，次年生下一女。
民國28年(1939年)9月18日，郜慶福清楚記得，兩名低階軍官、五名士兵，由鄉長陪同，來到一處桑田，對正在田中工作的郜慶福夫婦，說明來由。
郜慶福被帶往一處新兵訓練中心，隸屬國軍第13軍(軍長張雪中)，被編入新編第1師。鄕長安慰哭倒在田中的郜妻，鄉公所每季會發放征屬安家費，照顧生活。(3)
到了新兵訓練中心的郜慶福，情緒起伏跌到谷底，惶惑、驚愕、憂鬱、沮喪、憎恨，甚至衝動到想要大開殺戒。這不是個案，而是普遍的現象。當時政府沒有一套完整的兵役制度，引起諸多的民怨。
軍方無奈於事實的存在，對待新兵只能用嚴明的紀律和鋼鐵般的訓練教化。訓練中心的政治教官，更以淺而易懂的史例，説之於理，動之以情。
郜慶福比起其他同袍，悟性較快，國家興亡匹夫有責，念頭轉變。這跟他在少林寺學習武禪有關。受訓期間表現特別的優異，結訓分發由二等兵擢升為下士副班長。
民國30年（1941年)1月底，日本軍基於以戰養戰策略，對民生及戰略物資最富足的河南南部地區，發動豫南會戰。國軍第5戰區(司令長官為李宗仁)動用18個軍25萬兵力，對抗日軍6個師團、1個旅團、兩個戰車聯隊，兵力15萬人(全軍總司令為園部和一郎)。
日軍沿平漢鐵路，由武漢北上，與國軍第13集團軍(司令官為湯恩伯)激戰於舞陽，第2集團軍(司令官為孫連仲)及第33集團軍(司令官為馮治安)兩軍支援圍攻，日軍潰敗而退。
此役郜慶福初生之犢不畏虎，帶領弟兄衝鋒陷陣、陣前殺敵，虜獲日軍軍車一輛，撃斃日軍十餘人。深得長官嘉許，記戰功一大功。(4)
豫南會戰始於民國30年(1941年)1月24日，終於2月13日，全程21天，國軍大捷，是抗戰中期的一次重要戰役。
這年夏天至民國32年（1943年)春天，河南發生大旱災，大部份地區絕收。大旱之後又造成蝗災，飢餓遍及全省110個縣市，餓死300萬人，消息一直被封鎖，直到抗戰勝利之後。
陸軍新編第1師，也就是郜慶福服役的部隊，駐防在禹縣、伊陽一帶。部隊嚴重缺糧，一日三餐改為兩餐，兩餐均為地瓜稀飯，蘿蔔乾視為佳餚。
相反地，日本軍隊雖然受到影響，但後勤補給無缺。這年台灣稻米盛產，由高雄港運往廈門，再北上河南，到達日軍駐地。民國27年(1938年)5月，日軍就攻下廈門，一直佔據到抗戰勝利。
民國30年(1941年)秋天，由於沙門氏桿菌的傳播，國軍部隊受到俗稱腸熱病，也就是傷寒的威脅。郜慶福連上的官兵，一半以上受到感染，戰力嚴重受到影響。若不治療，會造成小腸出血穿孔，甚至死亡。
在那個年代，國軍醫藥嚴重缺乏，如此普及性的感染，醫官也束手無策。郜慶福得自於中醫舅舅的一點醫學知識，帶領連上弟兄，到山裡捕捉野狗，燉煮而食，死馬當活馬醫，居然逐漸康復。(5)
豫南會戰之後，郜慶福被整編至新編第8師，屬第14集團軍(總司令為劉茂恩)，民國30年（1941年)5月7日至6月2日，參加晉南中條山會戰，英勇殺敵負傷，成二等殘。療傷數月後，改派至新編22師(師長為邱清泉），屬第5軍(軍長為杜聿明)。
民國30年（1941年)12月8日，日軍偷襲珍珠港，次日國民政府對德、義、日宣戰。
民國31年(1942年)1月3日，盟軍中國戰區統帥部成立，蔣中正委員長任最高統帥。
民國31年(1942年)2月16日，國軍第5軍、第6軍、第66軍，奉派至緬甸，支援英國軍隊作戰，因此郜慶福隨軍到了緬甸，成為第一批中國遠征軍的成員。(6)
部隊由滇緬公路進入緬甸，由於郜慶福年輕、反應靈敏、學習力強、能擔當重任，被分派到輜重連，擔任駕駛兵，負責槍砲彈藥、重裝備及軍需用品的運輸。行駛在雲貴高原經過滇西縱谷，這條崇山峻嶺、蜿蜒千里的中緬公路上，入境緬甸。
這條由國人自行測量設計建築，動用工兵部隊及百萬民工，粍時近四年的抗戰運輸通道，起自雲南昆明，終至緬甸臘戍，全長1453公里，建於民國27年(1938年)春天，民國30年(1941年)全線貫通。
到達緬甸的各軍部隊，分區暫駐在臘戍、麥苗、曼德勒(Mandalay)等英軍營房，數月後有了自已的營區。
國軍入緬初期，士氣高昂、鬥志昂揚、前仆後繼，多次擊敗日軍，獲得同古、仁安羌、西塘河谷、棠古等地爭奪戰的勝利。(7)
國軍派出遠征軍赴緬，目的在確保印緬國際通道及中國後方安全。英軍目的則在利用國軍，掩護撤離緬甸保住印度。
再來指揮官史迪威指揮無方，與英軍協調不力，經半年的慘烈戰鬥，國軍傷亡慘重。主力不得已，奉最高統帥蔣中正令，越野人山轉進回國。
之前4月19日，新38師師長孫立人，指揮第113團圑長劉放吾上校，率領三個步兵營，兵力僅1121人，奇襲仁安羌日軍第33師團。因戰術運用成功，以寡擊衆，日軍慘敗，倉皇撤離。解救了被圍英軍第1師7000餘人，及被俘記者、教士等500多人。獲得國際媒體廣為讚揚報導，孫立人一戰成名。
此時的郜慶福已被擴編至新編第1軍(孫立人擢升為軍長)，隨部隊開赴印度，在戰車第1營開坦克車，頗受營長趙振宇的賞識，晉升爲上士班長。
在緬甸期間，郜慶福有三件事情，記憶深刻。(一)，初入緬甸在英國軍營用餐，官兵不習慣西餐牛奶、起司、咖啡，也不知如何使用刀叉，近三分之一官兵腹瀉。
(二），中英舉行同樂晚會，郜慶福表演少林氣功，將一個5磅重的花瓶，吸離桌面二呎，在空中停留一分鐘。並臨時起意，一人空手格鬥英軍四人，英軍個個被撂倒在地。
（三)，民國31年(1942年)3月，同古之役，國軍大捷，救出日本《兵站指定慰安所故鄉》，包括來自朝鮮、台灣、中國大陸的數名慰安婦。中英雙方組成專案小組，了解日軍強征慰安婦的事實，為歷史作了一次見證。(8)
中國遠征軍新22師及新38師撤退至印度後，進行擴編為新1軍，軍長為鄭洞國，後為孫立人。民國33年(1944年)年初，國民政府空運第14師及第50師，編成新6軍，軍長為廖耀湘，國軍駐印總兵力達到10萬人。
與其同時，國內在雲南，第11集團軍及第20集團軍，組成二次遠征軍，由衛立煌指揮，於5月11日強渡怒江，向日軍發起攻擊。
民國33年(1944年)3月3日，國軍駐印度部隊，進入緬甸，成功突撃日軍第18師團。兩日後，一舉攻下孟關，然後勢如破竹，3月9日攻下瓦魯班，8月1日攻下密支那。此時，十萬青年十萬軍，加入了遠征軍行列。
民國34年(1945年)1月27日，駐印國軍與二次遠征軍會師於緬甸芒友，打通了中印公路，恢復了中華民國西南的國際通道。
在此之前，將近兩年時間，為確保後方安全，維持國際補給線暢通，所有援華物資，均由印度以美國運輸機，飛越喜馬拉雅山進入國內，號稱《駝峰空運》。（9)
隨部隊到達印度的郜慶福，進駐藍姆伽(Ramgarh)美軍訓練基地。立即換裝並接受為期三個月的密集訓練。開訓典禮由駐印軍總指揮史迪威及廖耀湘、孫立人兩位軍長共同主持。
開訓典禮前，官兵接受換裝，中正式步槍改為湯姆生衝鋒槍，布帽、草鞋換成鋼盔、皮鞋。棉質軍常服，換成輕便的卡其布軍便服。尉級軍官每月可領薪餉美金30元，士官20元，士兵10元（民國42年時，國軍一名陸軍上士，月薪是新台幣30元，1美元可兌換新台幣40元)。
郜慶福接受美軍教官的坦克作戰訓練，受訓時數比一般官兵多出四分之一。教練坦克為美製M3A3，作戰時則為M4A4。
每週六下午及星期日放假，官兵多半在營區內的美軍官兵俱樂部活動。也可外出至藍姆伽市中心逛街丶用餐、採購。
由於郜慶福勤於學習、領悟力強，沒多久，就能用英文簡單句，或單字或肢體語言，與美軍交談。(10）
民國30年(1941年)12月8日，日軍偷襲珍珠港，太平洋戰爭爆發，中華民國對曰抗戰進入後期。民國33年(1944年)春，日軍在太平洋戰場上一再失利，敗象已露。國軍在亞洲戰場上英勇殺敵，與美英同盟國協同作戰，反攻滇緬，打通了中印國際公路。
郜慶福回憶在印度開戰車，反攻緬甸的往事，在五次攻城戰中，戰車打前鋒，步兵通信兵隨其後，戰機情搜掩護在空中，(遠征軍戰車營，配備無線電通信車五輛，可與空中聯絡)，有三場戰役記憶猶新。一，民國33年（1944年)2月，在緬甸北部胡康河谷，與日軍激戰三日後，佔領孟關。
二，民國33年(1944年)3月，瓦魯班戰役大捷，撃斃日軍大佐(團長、步兵聯隊長)兩名，中佐(戰車兵聯隊長)一名，及官兵450餘人。並擄獲日軍第18師團(司令官為牟田口廉也)關防等重要文件。
三，民國33年(1944年)12月10日，戰車第1營，在密支那附近叢林，涉水搶攻日軍八莫基地，完成任務。
民國34年(1945年)5月1日，國軍支援印緬英軍光復仰光。中華民國駐印國軍，奉令返國。郜慶福隨軍回到昆明，這年8月15日，日本向同盟國無條件投降，9月9日在華日軍代表岡村寜次，在南京陸軍官校向中國戰區最高統帥蔣委員長之代表何應欽上將投降。(11)
中華民國對日抗戰最終以慘勝結局，國際及國內輿論醞釀裁軍，這對八年抗戰精疲力畫，極須恢復元氣的國軍而言，無疑是個佳音。此時離家已經六年的郜慶福，極欲解甲返鄉與家人團聚。
無奈抗戰勝利後的次月，中國共産黨發動全面解放戰爭，民國34年(1945年)年底，內戰就在東北開打。使得原本應該在戰後進行建設的中國，失去了和平的機會。
國民政府迫於現實，非但沒有裁軍，反而擴編部隊。
有《天下第一軍》美譽的遠征軍新一軍，奉令調往東北打內戰，郜慶福因此就到了遼寧錦州。(12)
郜慶福在東北參與了兩次戰役，一為四平街會戰，一為長春保衞戰。四平街又稱四平市，位於東北松遼平原中部，1946年時人口只有10萬人，中長鐵路與四梅鐵路交會點，東北的軍事重鎮，蔣介石曾說沒有四平就沒有東北，毛澤東在四平會戰中，曾下達近十道緊急命令，不惜代價務必攻下四平。
中共軍在林彪的指揮下，動用了30萬兵力，與國軍新一軍、新六軍、青年軍等七個軍28萬人對抗。
此時的郜慶福已是新一軍戰車連的一名少尉排附。
在四平街會戰第一次回合中，孫立人的新1軍，只動用了一個團，就頂住了林彪4個師2個團的圍攻，提起孫立人林彪就聞風喪膽。
在以後的三次回合中一次比一次激烈，第四次回合中，中共啓用人海戰術，驅趕百姓打頭陣，屍體堆集如山。如此慘烈，國軍已不忍心再戰，郜慶福當時涙流滿面，無法扣動板機，奉令撤退。民國37年(1948年)3月13日，四平市淪入中共手中。會戰自民國36年(1947年)6月11日起，一共277天。(13）
四平街會戰之後，遠征軍新1軍駐印度時的一位翟姓連長，是郜慶福的直屬長官，奉調新7軍，郜慶福跟隨這位翟連長，也到了新7軍，駐守在長春。
民國37年(1948年)5月至10月，中共解放軍向長春圍城，指揮官材彪下達上級命令《要使長春成為死城》。國軍指揮官鄭洞國率領第60軍及新7軍抵抗，並實施宵禁，平民不得出城。
長春位於四平市東北方約100公里，伊通河在其東，各支流經過南門、五虎屯、西北門，可說是四面皆河。解放軍動用20萬人，將長春城團團包圍，在戰術運用上確是上上之策。
解放軍在城外挖掘戰壕，切斷供應給城內的地下水，長達五個多月，國軍彈盡糧絕，平民16萬人活活被餓死，彷如人間地獄。國軍數度突圍，均未成功，郜慶福是少數脫困的散兵之一。長春圍城國軍傷亡慘重，東北情勢急轉直下，10月18日長春失守，11月 2日瀋陽、營口陷共，11月12日錦州10萬國軍被困，部分突圍成功，解放軍佔據整個東北。國共第二次內戰，中共發動三大解放戰役之一的遼瀋戰役結束。接下來就是平津戰役及淮海戰役(徐蚌會戰)。
民國36年(1947年)9月16日，中華民國海軍陸戰隊重建於福建馬尾，有六個陸戰營直屬於海軍總部，郜慶福這名散兵，被收編至第3營，民國38年（1949年)3月19日，海軍陸戰隊第1師成立，郜慶福服務於第1旅2營移駐海南島，民國39年(1950年）5月，國軍撤離海南，郜慶福到了台灣左營。(14)
郜慶福在台灣工作了15個年頭(1950－1964)，在陸戰隊第1旅服務期間，以少尉軍階擔任該旅外島官兵聯絡室中的一名聯絡官，常駐高雄碼頭。
政府遷台初期，頒佈《大陸來台軍士官全面補辦核階任職條例》，他因沒有軍事院校學歴，被核降為陸戰隊上士。民國44年(1955年)調往海軍軍官學校，車輛調度室任職，當時的校長是宋長志少將。
郜慶福工作之餘，常結伴至高雄旗山，今高雄休閒農場附近獵殺野豬，成了同袍加菜的美餚。
郜慶福是個老饕，也是一位烹飪好手，尤其是海鮮料理，是在高雄旗津一家海鮮餐廳拜師學來的。(15)
民國44年(1955年)4月，當時郜慶福仍在陸戰隊第1旅，美國參謀首長聯席會議主席雷德福海軍上將，訪問中華民國，參訪左營海軍軍區是行程之一。
國防部康樂總隊巡迴康樂隊，受邀在左營四海一家演出，節目精心製作，除了雜技、魔術外，還安排了40年代美國流行歌曲演唱，及50年代美國時尚舞蹈。
當晚四海一家，中美將領雲集，雷德福上將伉儷，心情愉快輕鬆。節目最後，全體演藝人員表演當年的美國熱門運動扭扭舞。邀請台下貴賓及官兵同歡，雷德福的夫人，興緻盎然，臨時起意上台。沒想到郜慶福也跳上舞台，與雷德福夫人共舞。台下一片鼓掌叫好歡呼。海軍總部政治部主任，卻顯得有些緊張，生怕郜慶福會失態，出了差錯。居然雷德福夫人稱讚郜慶福的舞姿優美，翩翩曼妙。當時聯勤總司令黃仁霖也在現場，對郜慶福這位國軍士官的技巧、氣概，表現的優秀，留下深刻印象。(16)
黃仁霖有一位在抗戰時期勵志社的廖姓舊屬，廣東蕉嶺人，國立武漢大學農學院畢業，退役後與兩位昔日袍澤弟兄，在高雄旗山合開農場。與當地農民互動良好，切磋農技，産銷皆有成績。
民國46年(1957年)夏天，黃仁霖伉儷受邀至農場避暑，享受山林之秀，田園之美，品嚐山珍野味。
某日在旗山老街，黃仁霖等一行人，在餐館用餐，巧遇入山打獵歸來的一夥人，也來用餐，手中還提著野兔、山鷄。黃將軍一眼就認出郜慶福在其內，相談甚歡。
之後每逢春節，郜慶福幾乎都會到台北黃府做客拜年。並親手烹飪一桌佳餚，為黃將軍宴客。其中一道魚翅湯，頗受歡迎。
民國53年(1964年）11月，黃仁霖受命出使巴拿馬，需要一名侍衛及駕駛，黃將軍想到了郜慶福相當適合，於是向軍中借調，郜慶福隨黃大使到了巴拿馬。(17)
甫至巴拿馬時的郜慶福，年僅43歲，正值人生中最具活力的階段。為了職務上的需要，首要之務就是熟悉環境及學習西班牙語。幸得前任馬星野大使的司機，剛退休不久的一位略識英語的巴拿馬人帶路，認識了由大使館前往機場、總統府、外交部、美國南方軍司令部等地的行經路線。
大使館內有一位小郜慶福近20歲的薩爾瓦多籍，擔任雜役的安娜小姐，工作勤快、為人和善，看見郜慶福眼神烔炯、反應敏捷、體格健碩，留下良好印象。在郜慶福的請求下，她很樂意義務擔任西班牙語老師。不出數月，就可以用簡單西語與人交談，但陰陽不分、時態混亂，閙了許多笑話。
大約是1965年春天或是1966年夏天，召開使節團會議，在巴拿馬酒店大廳，郜慶福認識了兩位新朋友，分別是美國大使及日本大使的座車駕駛，當時中華民國與美國及日本，均有外交關係。(18)
安娜是一位自恃，不屑依賴他人庇護而營生的人，又是一個厲行克己，耿直寛宏與真愛的女性。但是她遇人不淑，令人費解。
她一生有過三次婚姻，為前兩任丈夫，七年之中生了五個男孩。兩個大男人都沒有正當職業，又很縱情，見一個愛一個。夫妻仳離後，孩子歸母親撫養，孩子的爹一走了之，不知去向，生活的擔子全壓在安娜身上。郜慶福見狀，不時給予經濟上的支助，安娜自然是感激不盡。(19)
民國58年(1969年)12月16日，一次軍事政變，杜里荷上校取得政權，選擇拉卡斯(Demetria Basilio Lakas)當總統，杜里荷升上了將軍，成為巴拿馬共和國實際領導人。
民國59年(1970年)11月，黃仁霖大使在官邸宴請拉卡斯總統，由郜慶福協助廚師烹製海鮮酒宴，安娜也一起進廚幫忙。
各菜式均去剌、去骨、去殼，以迎合客人飲食習慣。席間主客談笑風聲，相當盡興。
拉卡斯總統對三絲魚翅羹，頗為偏愛。並對烹飪方法及食材進行暸解。更對郜慶福的廚藝，讚譽有加。
哪曉得第二天一大早，總統府的御廚，將一箱約20磅的新鮮沙魚魚翅，送到大使官邸，請教郜慶福親授三絲魚翅羮的製作方法，弄得大家啼笑皆非。(20)
黃大使對這位一大早就來到官邸的總統府廚師，非但沒有不愉，反而愉快地進行了交談。原來這位廚師還受過專業訓練，結業自西班牙巴塞隆納的一間知名的廚藝學校Coquus Escuela de Cocina。
黃大使於是召來郜慶福與他認識，雙方可以切磋廚藝。因此郜慶福也學會一兩樣西班牙名菜，包括西班牙海鮮飯和安達盧西亞冷湯。
大約是1975年左右，拉卡斯總統任期最後一天，別出心裁地邀請了兩百多位，全國各地貧困家庭的殘疾兒童及孤兒院的孤兒，到總統府參觀，鼓勵孩子們努力求學，做一個對巴拿馬社會有貢獻的人，並且與孩子們共同午餐。
這次午餐會，郜慶福應邀至總統府，為孩子們做了五百多根春捲。中式春捲在巴拿馬很受喜愛，孩子們吃得津津有味。(21)
安娜1964年認識郜慶福，因為同事的關係，彼此有了深一層的瞭解，兩人不由自主的，一天一天換來了真感情。彼此都很在乎對方，相互理解照顧，所有的討好，都化為深愛。
1971年，郜慶福已經50歲了，安娜35歲上下，正值花樣年華。郜慶福考慮到後半生的生活和安娜的歸宿，在反攻大陸無望，又值大陸文革期間，不可能與故鄉的妻子重逢的狀況下，他決定與安娜結為連理。
安娜帶著五個孩子，最小的才7歲，搬進郜慶福在San Felipe區一間兩房一廳，租來的平價屋內，郜慶福做了一個五個孩子的現成爸爸。(22)
面對這個新組成的七人家庭，經濟的壓力是最大的問題。輟學在家的老大、老二，已讀完六年級，老三、老四、老五，尚在公立小學讀書。夫妻倆最大的願望，是五個孩子至少能夠完成高中教育，未來十年將是最艱困的時期。
經過一段時間的考慮，安娜辭去了工作，在巴京公共市場Mercado Publico附近，租得一個小舖頭，擺攤售賣以炸鷄、炸魚、炸薯條、鷄飯為主的大眾食物，加上郜慶福自做的春捲、雲呑，種類近十種。由於迎合當地人的口味及服務親切，生意不俗。
正因為生意不錯，引起心生歹念的兩名小賊俟機搶錢。不巧，正好遇上到店上幫忙的郜慶福，三兩下功夫打得小賊落荒而逃。(23)
1975年，郜慶福已經54歲，這年2月13日，安娜為他生了一名男孩，他激動落淚。黃仁霖大使給孩子取了一個中國名字，叫郜有成。與其同時，黃大使接奉退休人令，郜慶福也中止了軍職外調的身分。
郜慶福面臨去留巴拿馬的抉擇，受限於現實的環境，他不可能回台灣，只好留在巴拿馬。
為了一家人的生計，黃大使介紹他到紐約皇后區一家中餐館當廚師，兩年下來雖然攢了一點錢，但是思親心切，又回到巴拿馬。
巴拿馬僑領鄭冠英在巴京開了一間頗有名氣的中餐館，青睞他的廚藝，延聘他到文華酒店當二廚，解決了失業的問題。(24）
1978年郜慶福親生的兒子已經三歲，視為己出的五個孩子，老大、老二、老三，皆自高中畢業，且找到一份能夠養活自己的工作，沉重的生活擔子，輕鬆了許多。
由於長期工作在廚房，受到油煙的熏蝕，視力受到嚴重傷害，醫生囑咐不能再工作下去，否則有失明的可能，於是被迫辭去文華酒店的工作。
沉寂了一段時間，1980年我在台北認識的一位商界朋友范金城先生，到巴拿馬來推銷手錶及其配件，想要物色一位推銷員，擴展業務，我把郜慶福推薦給了范金城。(25)
當了推銷員的郜慶福，像初期的台商一樣，拿著007手提箱，走遍巴京各鐘錶店，挨户推銷，這種早出晚歸、風餐露宿的日子，一晃就是三年。生意雖說不如預期，但勉強可以維持一家人的生活。此期間，經營的小吃店，且因生意競爭，安娜體力不能負荷而歇業。老郜(郜慶福)又面臨家庭經濟的壓力，以至寅食卯糧。
1983年，排行第六的小兒子，已是小學二年級的學生，老四、老五也進入初中。正值青春期的老四，卻因與同學談戀愛，傷了感情做出胡塗事，從50公尺高的美洲大橋，一躍而下，結束了生命。留下一封家信，尤其對這位視如親爸爸的老郜，感到愧疚。
這個家庭渡過了一段極為暗淡傷痛的日子，安娜得了躁鬱症，在老郜悉心照顧和勤於就醫之下，病情逐漸好轉。
老郜對親生子郜有成寄予厚望，一心想培育他功成名就，基本上能夠大學畢業。更希望孩子能夠接受一些中華文化，能說一些中國話，看懂一些中文。
老郜給孩子上第一堂中華文化課，是用講故事的方式傳授。用的是《孟子見梁惠王篇》，《叟，不遠千里而來，亦將有利吾國乎》。當時老郜給我講這段故事時，我很驚訝，孩子能領會嗎？老郜說，孩子似懂非懂，多講幾次就會懂了。對我而言，我只有這一點點學問。想當年我在少林寺學習時，因為背頌不出這篇孟子見梁惠王，被師父罸跪兩個時辰。(26)
民國76年（1987年)10月14日，中華民國執政黨中國國民黨中常會，通過開放《大陸探親政策》，次日，行政院通過這項政策。11月2日，中華民國紅十字會辦理探親登記，首批老兵於38年後，回到大陸故里。
1949年政府遷台，隨政府赴台的200萬名國軍、公教人員及眷屬，就斷絕了與滯留大陸親人的聯繫。被謔稱為《外省芋仔》的遊子而言，基於兩岸情勢的和緩與交流，此項大陸政策的實施，其意義與作用不容忽視。
與其同時，老郜的家庭卻在妻子病中、自己待業、孩子在學，經濟拮据的處境中，現實打斷了他的探親之路。
老郜日日以酒解愁，長夜不能入眠。頗有范仲淹筆下《黯鄉魂，追旅思，夜夜除非，好夢留人睡。明月樓高休獨倚，酒入愁腸，化作相思淚。》的情節。(27)
1989年12月20日，美國發動巴拿馬戰爭，重創巴拿馬的經濟，政府實施外匯管制，銀行凍結客戶存款，每人每月只能領取生活費美金50元，老郜一家人在此艱困的環境下，銀行存款最多只能維持半年，這個一家之主如坐針氈。
大約是1990年2月初，老郜到報社來找我，將他的情況告訴了我。使我吃驚的是，他結束軍職外調身分後，已屆士官退役年齡，卻沒有向國軍退除役官兵輔導委員會報備。事隔已經15年，國防部可能將他列為失蹤官兵名單，如想領取退休俸，將是一項艱難複雜的路程。我建議他，去找他的老長官宋長志大使。(28)
老郜邊講邊回憶他的從軍歷程，我一面聽一面作筆記，整理出一份約600字的報告，陪老郜到大使館覲見宋大使。
事先與使館秘書約好了時間，到達時宋大使正在會客，我們在會客室外等候。宋大使送走了客人，立即召喚我們直接到他的辦公室內談事情，宋大使沒有把老郜當客人看，正因爲老郜多年前是他的舊部屬。
宋長志大使看完了報告後，親切地詢問了老郜的生活情形，並且說：我可以試試看，給你爭取。當即指示副武官李建國少校，兼程赴台北國防部及輔導會接洽辦理。我們看到了一位四星上將，在他的辦公室內，與一名陸戰隊上士，溫馨對話的場景。
不到一個月好消息傳來，老郜接納建議，摒棄一次全領，改為每月領取，按八成發放，半年領取一次。兩個月後，老郜收到中國國際商業銀行巴拿馬分行近2500元美金，首次電滙款。老郜相當激動，直呼宋大使萬歲。這筆半年期首次款，在當時巴拿馬的物價指數下，對老郜來說，可以支撐家計了。(29)
民國79年(1990年)12月，宋長志大使因健康因素，回任總統府戰略顧問。這是中華民國延續清廷宣統元年(1909年)12月6日，與巴拿馬共和國建立外交關係81年以來，邦誼最為友好鞏固的時刻。
宋大使離任前，贈送老郜玉照一幀，民國80年(1991年)中華民國開國紀念日那天，老郜參加完大使館暨僑學各界的升旗典禮之後，將宋大使玉照置於案檯之上，每日晨昏向宋大使行舉手禮致敬，並云：報告大使，老兵郜慶福，向您問安了。
民國91年（2002年)8月21日，宋大使病逝台北，消息傳抵巴拿馬，老郜哀思落淚。從此，案檯上多了兩幀照片，國父孫中山先生像居中，先總統蔣公像在其左，宋大使像在其右。老郜晨昏問安從未中斷，從舉手禮改為行三鞠躬禮，每逢年節生辰忌日，備香燭素果祭祀。(30)
民國106年(2017年)6月12日，巴拿馬共和國背棄了維持近108年邦誼的中華民國，轉承認中華人民共和國。中華民國駐巴拿馬各單位暨僑胞，在大使館16樓頂樓陽台，在曹立傑大使主持下，舉行降旗典禮高唱國歌，青天白日滿地紅的國旗，在國旗歌聲中徐徐下降。在場百餘人個個涙垂襟袂，悲憤情傷。人群後，傳來抽泣聲，正是老兵郜慶福，掩不住心中悲痛，振臂高呼中華民國萬歲，然後嚎咷大哭。
一年後的民國107年(2018年)6月14日，老郜以97歲高齡辭世巴拿馬。
民國106年(2017年)11月24日，中國國民黨建黨123週年，適逢老郜96歲生日。老人預感來日不多，在友人為他舉辦的慶生會上，說出他的生日感言。
他民國28年9月離家，已近80年，從未回過故里。其間參加對日抗戰，並遠赴印緬作戰，再經國共內戰，前後12年，於1950年到達台灣，一直服務軍旅。1964年隨黃仁霖大使來到巴拿馬，迄今也有53年。自知老邁無法還鄉，空留遺憾。在外飄泊八十年，處處無家處處家，我思思念念中國大陸的那個故鄉，也會在夢中，找尋到我酷愛的台灣。
我信佛，活到這把年紀，有妻有兒有孫是老天爺的恩賜。領悟出《山川異地，日月同天，寄諸佛祖，再生來緣。》，我期望吾子有成，名如其人，做出一番事業，不忘自己是巴拿馬人，也是中國人。如有機緣，帶著媽媽孩子，作一次寶島台灣及中國大陸的尋根之旅，去看看當年我生活過的高雄旗山左營，以及咱們的老家河南南陽。(31，夲篇完)
第21篇：兩部電影看僑心
民國67年（1978年)12月18日，中華人民共和國最高領導人鄧小平，在中共第11屆中央委員會第三次全體會議中，提出《對內改革，對外開放》政策，次年開始落實。
在此一政策下，有著海外關係的大陸人士，以探親、依親方式，一批批到達巴拿馬。個個憧憬未來有個安定自由幸福美滿的生活。
這些人多半經歷是過三反五反、反右、大躍進、四清及文化大革命的中年人。對過往在民粹主義思想影響下的階級鬥爭、對立批判，回想起來有如一場驚恐的夢饜。
1980年 代，在台灣的中華民國經濟快速發展，不到十年，成為亞洲四小龍之首，各行各業齊頭並進，其中包括影視產業。
1981年，台灣的中央電影公司發行了兩部反映大陸社會及文化大革命為背景的影片，轟動海內外。一部是《皇天后土》，一部是《假如我是真的》。(1)
兩部電影發行後的民國71年(1982年)10月，中華民國行政院新聞局將影片拷貝，寄達包括駐巴拿馬大使館在內的全球駐外單位。
正因為這兩部電影在海內外造成轟動，巴拿馬的媒體也有報導，華文《共和報》也作了影片介紹。華僑引頸期盼，能夠早日在僑社放映。
巴拿馬中華總會每月都會在會所，安排電影欣賞會，放映來自台灣製作的影片，古裝、時裝、文藝、武俠皆有。有關反映大陸文革及社會官僚體系內幕的影片，還是首次。
中華總會議決另租大型場地，優先放映《皇天后土》，情商相關單位支援。
大使館新聞參事舒立彥、僑務秘書吳光定，中華總會秘書鄭華秋、助理吳秀蓮，共和報編撰陳昌智，立即著手放映事宜。並在共和報以8．5吋寛、14吋長的版面，刊登廣告連續一個月。(2)
無產階級文化大革命，開始於1966年5月，終止於1976年10月，是在中華人民共和國治理下的中國大陸，發生的政治運動。由毛澤東主席及中共中央文化革命小組，由上而下動員數十萬紅衞兵，發動的全方位階級鬥爭運動。
影片《皇天后土》The coldest winter in Peking，由台灣的中央電影公司出品，發行於1980年，文化大革命結束後四年。是以國家科學院人士的更替為主軸，將文化大革命和四個現代化，在中國大陸風起雲湧的經過為背景，歷經父母、子女三代，長達20年。導演是白景瑞，由趙琦彬編劇，由秦祥林、劉延方、郎雄、柯俊雄、胡慧中、歸亞蕾主演。
在香港只上映了一天，就被港英政府下缐禁映，理由是《影響與鄰近地區關係》。目前已可在大陸社群網站《豆瓣》點閲，2012年曾建置《皇天后土條目》，多次刪除及復元。
為便利僑胞觀賞及場地容量，放映地點選在巴博亞大道，近唐人街附近的大華酒樓。寬敞的大廳，用折疊椅排列，可以容納500餘人。(3)
影片放映時間是下午七時，五點鐘不到就有人卡位，一個小時之內，已坐滿所有座位。始料未及，放映前居然站立者，也近400人，整個大廳擠得水泄不通。人潮繼續湧來，不得不加以管制。
放映過程所有目光都聚焦在影幕上，個個情緒跟著情節起伏。一位大嬸在抽泣，她年邁的父親被鬥得上吊而亡。一位大叔掩不住心中怒火，他的兒子在武鬥中，被紅衛兵拳腳相加活活打死。
中場休息，聽到義憤填膺之聲此起彼落。一位僑團主席感慨萬千地說：這場浩劫，是全體中國人的夢魘，我們不能忘記歷史，但願歷史不會重演。
文革發起至今已有53年，漫長的歲月很難撫平人們心靈的創傷。我與一位來自福建的鄰居談及，如果沒有文革，現今的中國會是怎樣？他的回答是：那就不會有鄧小平的改革開放，中國的崛起會再慢20年。真會如此嗎？他說得還有點道理。(4)
兩個月後，一部描述中國大陸官僚特權，走後門、行關說等荒謬情形的電影《假如我是真的》If l were for real在巴拿馬中華總會大禮堂放映。
故事改編自轟動華人世界的中國大陸著名劇作家沙葉新的同名劇本。台灣永升影業公司出品，王童導演。譚詠麟、胡冠珍、常楓、葛香亭、崔福生主演。譚詠麟因此片獲得1981年第18屆電影金馬獎最佳男主角奬，同時獲得最佳劇情片及最佳改編劇夲獎。
《假如我是真的》劇本，是1976年四人幫垮台後，第一部大膽揭露大陸當局腐敗的文藝作品，不但驚動了海內外華人世界，也驚動了中共中央宣傳部。
時任中央宣傳部的部長是胡耀邦，對作家沙葉新採取保護態度，反對對文藝作品妄加罪名，保住了沙葉新不被批鬥，但其《假如我是真的》劇本禁止出版及改編演出。
因此這部由台灣出品的影片，在巴拿馬僑社如同《皇天后土》一般，在中華總放映時，引來一場近400人的觀賞。並巡迴至巴拿馬中部地區及西部智利基省、北部箇朗中華公所等僑社放映。(5）
兩部影片在僑社放映後不久，我收到自1979年11月我擔任《共和報》編撰以來的第一封讀者投書，敘述他的一位至親，在中國大陸屈就於某縣委書記，使用特權欺壓就範的經過，並説出《權力使人腐化，危害國家至深》的句子。
沙葉新病逝於2018年7月26日，享年79歲。他的女兒沙智紅接受中央社訪問，形容她的父親《一生不為錢活，不為權寫》。
網上瘋傳沙葉新在2009年中國戲劇文學學會第4次全國代表大會上的演講內容：權力使人腐敗，使人愚蠢，使人折騰，使人殘忍。不為權力寫作，不為權力的意識形態而寫。
沙葉新更進一步的說：一個稱職的作家，一個有尊嚴的作家，一個真正想為這片多災多難的熱土、為你深愛著的人民寫出好作品的作家，必須要獨立蒼茫，頂天立地。天馬行空，無傍無依。無拘無束，豪放不羈。不當奴才，不做工具。敢想敢說，敢於直筆。
沙葉新的這番話，是在十年前講的，迄今仍然發揮了影響力。可見在中華人民共和國治理下的中國大陸，言論自由的尺度開放不少。(6，夲篇完)
第22篇：一生為僑社服務的吳祕書
清光緒25年(1899年)11月，中法越南戰爭之後，法國軍艦開進廣州灣，強迫清廷簽訂《中法互訂廣州灣租界條約》，次年按約落實。
廣州灣，濱雷州半島東北岸，今屬廣東省湛江市。湛江港水深港闊，形勢天成，兼有軍港、商港之美。被法國租用45年，民國34年(1945年)中華民國對日八年抗戰獲得勝利，政府收回湛江。
1920年代，在法國殖民下的廣州灣，有一位世代經商致富的吳府耆老，因健康因素，將事業轉交給三個兒子經營，但么兒對做生意不感興趣，選擇了去法國留學，學成後在殖民政府，當上了一位事務官，這名法國留學生，名叫吳炳。(1)
美國為快速結束二次大戰，1945年8月6日及9日，分別在日本廣島、長崎，投下新武器原子彈，盟軍勝利已成定局。
8月15日，日本宣佈無條件投降。之前，法國政府照會中華民國，戰後將租期99年的廣州灣提前歸還中國。
這年七月下旬，在湛江的法國殖民政府發表人事命令，派吳炳前往越南海防，處理一宗與華人有關的偽鈔集團案。這時的吳炳，已是法國殖民政府內的一位副局處長級官員。
到任後的吳炳，公務纏身，除了協助偵辦偽鈔案外，還要處理華僑事務。公務家庭不能兼顧之下，1948年6月，將家眷接往越南。
吳炳妻陳善英女士，帶著四兒一女，離開故里湛江，搭船去了越南與夫婿團聚。
這四兒一女之中，二哥吳光定年僅八歲，幼女吳秀蓮三歲。民國60年(1971年)8月，吳秀蓮成了我的妻子，吳光定成了我的內兄。
1979年至1996年，我和秀蓮在巴拿馬，與中華民國駐巴拿馬大使館僑務秘書吳光定，相互支援僑務工作，長達十八年。(2）
1949年7月，隨著吳炳職務的調動，全家人遷往中越邊境的廣寧省省會硭街，廣寧省與中國的廣東、廣西接壤，也是華人的聚集地。
暑假過後，孩子們進了當地的華僑小學，吳光定讀三年級，吳秀蓮卻進入了一所法國幼稚園，因此有點法語基礎。
二次大戰結束後的第二年，胡志明領導越南共産黨掀起境內的越法戰爭，持續了八年之久。
1954年3月13日至5月7日，越南西北部奠邊府，爆發了越法戰爭中最激烈，也是最後一次的戰役。
越共武元甲將軍手下的越盟軍隊，戰勝了法國空降兵及法國外籍兵團，法國勢力完全退出中南半島，由美國接手。
1954年7月，法、美、越各相關國家，達成《日內瓦協定》，確定以北緯17度為界，越南分裂。北方為越南民主共和國，南方為越南共和國。北緯17度維持到1975年4月底，美軍撤離越南，結束了兩階段長達30個年頭的越南戰爭。
1954年8月，超過20萬人，經由美國海軍執行的《自由之路行動》，到達南越。
吳炳全家人也到達了西貢，吳炳轉任至南越政府，以原職原薪任用。鄰近西貢的堤岸阮豸街，成了吳府的新居。（3)
1955年越南共和國首任總統吳廷淡上臺，時任美國副總統的尼克森訪問西貢，建議吳廷琰，為加強抗共力量，應使華人歸化，華人當兵可以補充兵源，華人入籍可參與選舉。吳廷琰接受建議，頒布《國籍法》及《禁營令》，獲得國會通過。
華人移民越南，始自清道光年間(1821－1850)盛於咸豐時期（1851－1861)，多以經商為生，歷經數代，入籍歸化越南者微乎其微。《禁營令》也就是禁止外國人經營營利事業，配合《國籍法》實施。
處於戰爭狀態的越南，尤其是有適齡役男的華人家庭，面臨歸化入籍的抉擇。
華僑團體情商中華民國駐越南大使館協助，將有志於赴台灣就學的青少年，接運赴台。當時吳光定就讀於堤岸華興中學高中一年級，在父親的鼓勵下，搭上首批中華民國專機抵達台灣，安排進入道南中學。(4)
民國46年（1957年)7月28日，吳光定回國就學。五個月後的1958年1月1日，國立華僑高級中學、華僑初級中學、華僑女子中學合併成立國立道南中學於台北縣蘆洲鄉。被分發至高中部一年級，暑假過後升入二年級。
吳光定在道南中學，加入了校內的童軍團，番號為台北縣22團，編在17歲以上的羅浮童軍分團，在校兩年半中，被同學推選為學生領袖，代表道南中學參與多項活動，包括：接待越南青年訪問團、環島軍中服務團、暑期救國團金門勞軍團、菲律賓馬尼拉第十屆世界童軍大露營(1959年7月17日至26日)、越南第一次全國童子軍大露營(1959年12月24日至27日)、救國團寒假高山野營隊等等等等。
民國49年(1960年)9月，吳光定考入國立台灣大學農業經濟系，熱心公益服務僑生始終如一。
道南中學至台灣大學，前後六年半中，僑務委員會前後委員長鄭彦棻、高信，救國團主任蔣經國、執行長宋時選，都對他留下深刻良好的印象。
大學畢業後吳光定進入僑務委員會僑生輔導處服務。
民國58年(1969年)3月29日至4月9日，中國國民黨第十次全國代表大會在陽明山中山樓舉行，吳光定成為知青黨部僑生黨代表。(5)
民國59年(1970年)8月12日，美國在《美日安保條約》的框架下，片面在東京駐日大使館內宣佈，釣魚台列島是琉球群島的一部份。引發海峽兩岸三地包括中國大陸地區、台灣地區、港澳地區，以及海外華人的憤慨，紛紛向當地美日兩國使領館前示威抗議，是謂《保釣愛國運動》。
在台灣就學的僑生們更是義憤填膺，滿腔熱血，不落人後，發出正義的怒吼。
以台大、政大、師大為主幹的僑生，除了向外交部提出陳情書，表達誓為保衛國土的決心外，並向美日兩國駐中華民國大使館提出嚴正抗議。示威靜坐連續數日。
僑生們對外交部及駐日大使館對美日政府，表達抗議維護主權的力道不足，表示不滿。情緒高昂越演越烈，最後各大專院校的僑生們，集合在台灣大學傅園絕食抗議。
僑務委員會及教育部為防止事態擴大，派員進行安撫，僑委會高信委員長親臨現場慰問僑生。並派出以吳光定為召集人的安撫小組，進行平息工作。
吳光定以其僑生領袖，台大校友，道南中學學長的身分，向絕食的僑生們，說之以理、動之以情，最後將事件圓滿結束。(6）
1971年適逢中華民國建國六十年，台澎金馬地區軍民熱烈慶祝。全球五大洲的華僑，紛紛組團回國慶賀，人數近3000人。
雙十國慶當天，總統府廣場前，在立法院長黃國書主持的慶祝大會上，來自巴拿馬的僑領盧湛濤，代表華僑致賀詞。蔣中正總統及夫人宋美齡，親臨現場觀禮。
有趣的是，盧湛濤全程用廣東話致詞，蔣總統伉儷坐在講台右方首席。盧湛濤說了幾句開場話後，忽然停了下來，面向總統及夫人說：蔣總統蔣夫人，很不好意思，我不會講國語。夫人立即笑著用廣東話回答：沒關係，我們聽得懂。來賓給予熱烈掌聲。
下午，蔣總統及夫人，在陽明山中山樓以茶會方式接見華僑。僑委會派出近百人接待團，吳光定安排在中南美洲小組內，與盧湛濤有了頻繁接觸。
盧湛濤在台期間，兩度向僑委會高信委員長提及，派遣一位適當人選至巴拿馬，為僑胞服務。
民國61年(1972年)5月，人令發佈，派吳光定至中華民國駐巴拿馬大使館，出任僑務秘書。
民國61年6月17日，吳光定搭上了華航班機飛往舊金山，經邁阿密轉往巴拿馬到任。記得那天是個星期六，我到松山機場送機至機旁。(7)
僑務委員會駐外工作人員，分為七等職，依序是參事、組長、專員、一等秘書、二等秘書、三等秘書、雇員。吳光定以三等秘書派職，配屬大使館作業。
初到一個陌生國度，肩負政府與僑社的聯絡工作，以服務僑胞為宗旨。面對僑社僑胞，真是千頭萬緒不知如何做起。他要掌理的事項，無時無刻都在腦海中盤旋。1，輔導健全僑社組織，加強僑胞僑團聯繫。2，輔導僑社辦理華文教學、新聞傳播、宣揚中華文化。3，輔導華僑青年回國升學、觀摩、研習。協導僑胞回國參訪、考察。4，輔導華僑事業經營，促進僑商與祖國間的貿易、投資。5，策導華僑社團推展國民外交。
吳光定面對的是一個面積有7萬7千平方公里，華僑有10萬人，僑團有17個，華人國會議員、部長、律師、法官、會計師、理髮師傅、攤販、基層工人皆有的國家。有山有水的地方，就有華僑。(8)
比較中華民國駐外人員的待遇，各部會一向以僑務委員會為最低。同一職等與外交部相較，至少，少了三分之一。吳光定因非主官，既無外勤津貼，也無外勤加給。
初接派令的他，本擬擕眷前往巴拿馬，經再三考慮，妻兒暫留台灣，自己在外打拼。
隻身在巴拿馬的他，節儉度日刻苦自己，欲累積一點財富，改善家庭生計。
他窩居在共和報社的辦公室裡，一張行軍床晚上撐開白天收起。自行炊煮，三餐併成兩餐，不畏艱苦樂於為此。頭一年，外訪僑民，走遍巴京大街小巷，搭的是公共汽車。次年心一橫，以美金800元，買了一輛近20年車齡的Volkswagen 金龜車，終可，以車代步。(9)
吳光定履新後的第一個星期六，巴拿馬中華總會會長盧湛濤邀約各僑團主席，在巴京龍鳳酒樓，舉辦了一個迎新餐會，介紹吳秘書與大家見面，相互認識。在座的有黃仁霖大使、前會長陳奉天、箇朗中華公所主席李金奎、國民黨支部常委唐昭和等人。大家對這位年輕的僑民公僕，留下了良好的印象。
前會長陳奉天，在其富所，安排了一次家庭聚會，各僑團主席伉儷相聚一堂，談笑風生，是一場歡喜溫馨的聚會。
陳奉天安排了一位熟諳僑社的Kito譚，陪同吳秘書至各同鄉會、公所，作了密集式的拜會，得到了一個概略的認識。
巴拿馬的僑胞，分散至各行各業，以服務業為主幹，小本經營的雜貨舖、小型超市、餐館、酒吧、菜攤子皆有，也是最需要照顧的一群。因此勤走基層，了解僑情解決困難，成了吳秘書的首要工作。他也發現僑團組織重視排字論輩，選擇賢能領導，唯僑團之間欠缺互動，協助中華總會促進僑社和諧發展，刻不容緩。(10)
民國61年(1972年)8月，依據巴拿馬中華總會組織章程，吳秘書成為會員，在當月的一次理監事會議中，吳秘書以大使館僑務秘書，又是會員的身分列席會議。
吳秘書在會議中提議，這年9月22日舉辦全僑歡渡中秋佳節活動，獲得支持，並成立籌備委員會。經大使館袁武官情商美國南方軍區，當晚在巴拿馬市銅鑼灣（Amador Causeway)的阿瑪鐸半島上的美軍軍官俱樂部舉行中秋聯歡晚會。俱樂部餐廳以優惠價格供應豐盛的甫菲餐點。各同鄉會認購餐券，僑胞五百餘人踴躍參與。這是吳秘書首次與旅巴僑胞近距離接觸，也是他參與僑胞活動的起步式。
阿瑪鐸半島是利用開鑿運河時，挖掘的泥沙，填海造陸，連結銅鑼灣中的三個小島而成的人工島。經過近百年的建設規劃，島上椰林成蔭，遍地青薈，花木扶疏，鳥語花香，打造成一座海上花園。左岸可觀日出，右岸可見落日，北眺美洲大橋，船隻、帆船、遊艇穿梭灣內，置身其中令人流連忘返。
活動當晚，僑胞歡欣鼓舞，載歌載舞，盡情至深夜。(11)
僑界中秋聯誼之後，慶祝雙十國慶籌備工作隨即展開。活動包括各同鄉會、公所，國慶當日升中巴兩國國旗，集合各僑團主席向國父孫中山銅像獻花致敬，晚會，釣魚比賽，由吳秘書擔任籌劃人，各僑團人力支援。
巴拿馬全僑慶祝中華民國61年國慶晚會，首先於10月9日星期六在巴京國際酒樓舉行。各僑團認購餐券近60桌，超過預期。晚會安排歌唱、巴拿馬土風舞等節目。
晚會開始前，始料未及出了狀況。問題出在座位安排上，中國洪門民治黨巴拿馬支部名譽主席馮蔭初，未被安排在首桌引發不滿，矛頭指向吳秘書，場面相當尷尬。
國民黨支部常委唐昭和見狀，表達與馮老互換座位之意，但未被接受，並起身離席。在黃大使、陳奉天等僑領斡旋下，總算平息下來。
事後，洪門民治黨主席蘇海山向吳秘書安撫說，馮老比孫中山先生小18歲，但在洪門兄弟職位上，同為坐堂紅棍，行事直爽豪邁有點霸氣，請勿見怪。(12）
在這次全僑國慶晚會，座位安排事件中，雖有美中不足有些遺憾，但對吳秘書推動僑務工作，卻有了新的思維，多層面了解僑社，才知僑胞所需。畢竟工作是千頭萬緖，推展要縝密行事。
巴拿馬僑團組織，大小各異，人力物力條件各有不同。有些僑團更是虛有其名，服務僑胞無能為力。
僑界三教九流各有所需，如何配合僑團，深入基層發掘問題解決問題團結僑心，是吳秘書最大的考驗。(13）
吳秘書在巴拿馬服務僑社24年，高信委員長卸任前發布派令，毛松年委員長上任當月赴任。這在中華民國僑務歷史上，一個人在同一地點擔任同一職務，如此之久，已創下紀錄。
駐外人員慣例一任三年，至少延長一任至六年，吳秘書在巴拿馬僑社複雜的環境下工作，居然成了八任元老，是機緣更是命運。
他在巴拿馬經歴過兩個階段，第一階段1972年至1980年，面對的是傳統僑社，數代人生活在此地。第二階段1981年至1996年，大批大陸新僑移民巴拿馬，服務僑社成了新舊一體，比起第一階段更為艱辛。
1979年1月1日，美國與中華人民共和國建立全面外交關係，鄧小平實施改革開放，為具備海外關係者，開了一扇門，大批新移民湧入巴拿馬。
這些新僑從未接觸過外面的世界，長期生活在共産社會裡，思想是單純的。來到新環境，居然能聽到不同的聲音，可以多角度思考問題，可以自由發揮己見，批判政府官員，簡直不可思議。
因此，如何輔導僑團，讓新僑從排斥到接受這個新的社會，成了吳秘書另一次的挑戰。冗長的過程，值得新一代的僑務工作者學習。吳秘書與巴拿馬僑胞互動的故事，寫不完數不盡。(14)
民國55年（1966年)1月27日，全球第一個跨國華僑社團組織《中美洲暨巴拿馬六國中華總會、華僑總會聯合總會》，在薩爾瓦多，由六國僑團代表，組成籌備委員會。同年8月，在巴拿馬舉行成立大會、第一屆年會暨懇親大會。之後，每年依序由瓜地馬拉、薩爾瓦多、宏都拉斯、尼加拉瓜、哥斯大黎加輪流舉辦。
民國61年(1972年)9月，第7屆年會暨懇親大會，再次輪值巴拿馬舉行。
經過前六屆的互動交流、切磋觀摩，六國僑團更趨融洽團結。在這屆年會上大會決議，由吳光定出任六國聯會秘書長。
吳秘書除了服務巴拿馬僑社夲職外，又成了僑委會派出的巡迴大使，不定期奔波六國之間，籌劃每年一度的年會暨懇親大會。(15）
巴拿馬中國城牌樓入口處，是一條名為Carlos A．Mendoza街的單行道，右邊第一幢是一所兩層樓磚木混合建築物。樓下一大間，樓上三小間，居然是一所學校僑立中國國民小學。學生只有50餘人，教師含校長在內3人。校長室兼教師休息室，也是教學器材室，華西雙語文教學。
這所學校成立於民國22年(1933年)，最初名為永興小學，對日抗戰時期更名為僑立中國國民小學，1980年再度更名爲僑立中華民國小學。民國33年(1944年)春天，學校新樓落成，遷校現址，也有了首屆畢業生。僑彥李澤瑩、何麟生、鍾麗珍皆是前三屆的校友。
學校與共和報社為鄰，兩棟陽台相距僅一公尺，上課日可見中華民國國旗飄揚於陽台旗桿之上。因此，吳秘書與學校師生有了近距離接觸。
吳秘書從師資、經費、教學內容、學生學習能力各方面進行了解。華語教課書還採用1950年代香港華僑語文出版社發行的國語會話課本，但是用廣東話教學，顯然已不符時代所需。畢業生受限於家庭因素，孩子在家能用母語與長輩溝通，就可滿足的觀念，大部份學生畢業後就不再升學。但也有少數例外，如曾任中華總會會長的何麟生，畢業於美國史丹福大學。(16）
吳秘書進一步邀約國民小學前校長鄭華秋、校長李麗華、教師阮紹英茶敘，對今後如何推展僑教工作，請益見解。
綜合意見後，他草擬了一份建議書，面呈中華總會前後任會長陳奉天、盧湛濤，對創立一所包括幼稚園、小學、初中、高中在內一貫教學，兼具僑社活動、類似華僑文教中心，多功能的學府交換意見。至此，確立了成立中巴文化中心的初步構想。
兩個月後的1973年5月間，中華總會召開理監事會議，依據原擬草案，彙集成建校提案，經熱烈討論後獲得通過。唯土地的取得、經費的籌措，一時無法解決。此案也只好存案備查。
四年後的1977年9月7日，美國卡特總統與巴拿馬實際領導人杜里荷將軍，在美國華盛頓DC簽訂《巴美杜卡運河條約》。1978年4月18日，美國參議院批准該條約生效。自生效日起至1999年12月31日期間，巴拿馬政府可逐步收回對運河及運河區的完全管轄權。
於是建校一案，土地的取得有了契機。陳奉天召集各僑團主席，組成建校籌備委員會。吳光定是發起人之一，也成了當然委員。
當時的巴拿馬總統羅岳，是陳奉天的摯友，批示教育部協助建校事宜。1980年初，撥出首批位於El Dorado運河區入口處約5公頃土地，闢為建校用地。租約50年，期滿優先續約。
1980年9月11日破土動工，一座由巴拿馬華僑組成的非營利民間文化組織《中巴交化中心Centro Cultural Chino-Panameno》孕育而成。(17)
民國68年（1979年)11月，吳光定返國述職，持陳奉天親筆函面呈僑委會毛松年委員長，期盼中華民國政府及民間企業，支助建校硬體設施所需之建材及浥注資金，為破土動工興建預做準備。獲得毛委員長鼎力支持，隨後建材及企業資助陸續到位。
中巴文化中心暨中山學校歷經曾憲揆、宋長志兩位大使協助，來自中華民國國內的資金支援，除建築材料外，在美金100萬元以上。
吳秘書為此一工程順利進展，數度返國奔走於各部會之間，備極辛勞頗受僑界讚揚。
民國72年(1983年)5月，巴拿馬教育部通過中巴文化中心暨中山學校立案成立。民國75年（1986年)8月，中巴文化中心開始運作，中山學校對外招生。
中巴文化中心暨中山學校，由理想至實現到運作，吳秘書全程參與長達23年，對僑教工作的熱心投入，不畏艱難，戮力從公的工作態度，深受僑胞愛戴感動，值得駐外僑務工作人員學習。(18)
僑務委員會輔導僑生回國升學，是工作重點之一。1960年代就有港澳、東南亞各地華裔青年赴台就讀，1970年代擴及美加、中南美洲。
民國62年（1973年)9月，巴拿馬中華總會新廈落成後不久，吳秘書在新址舉辦僑生回國講習會，家長及同學踴躍參加，對此一政策有了充分認識。次年起，每年均有二至三名同學，分赴臺灣各大專院校就讀。
吳秘書在巴期間，超過50名優秀青年，甄選回國升學。畢業後全部回到巴拿馬服務於各行各業，工作亮麗頗受讃掦。
其中三例，分別是Manuel Wu吳文偉、Jacinto譚、Fermin A．Chan陳志強。前兩位畢業於中央警官學校，後者畢業於輔仁大學。
民國86年（1997年)9月，李登輝總統訪問巴拿馬，吳文偉已官拜少校軍區副指揮官，授命擔任李總統的侍衛官。
Jacinto譚，曾貴為海空防衞局緝私緝毒主管。陳志強，也就是陳奉天先生的長孫，成了科技公司的電腦程式工程師。其中，譚先生、陳先生成了臺灣女婿。(19)
吳秘書長期耕耘僑務工作，在巴拿馬結識了三位華裔好友，前後任駐中華民國大使，分別是朱立基(任期：1986年1月至1990年4月)，葉祿生(任期：1990年5月至1994年4月)，莫新度(任期：2004年12月至2007年9月)。
朱立基，祖籍廣東花縣，在巴拿馬最大僑團組織花縣同鄕會，擔任過理事及常務理事。吳秘書走訪花縣僑胞，認識了朱立基，成了好朋友。朱立基除了熟諳廣東話外，也會講國語，為人處事誠懇盡責，平易近人，言語風趣。
葉祿生曾任巴拿馬中部Cocle省華僑會館主席，為服務中部近5000名僑胞，與葉祿生常有聯繫，也成了好友。
莫新度，曾任巴拿馬公共工程部長，中巴文化中心創辦時期的建築委員會召集人，與吳秘書私交甚篤。
朱立基早在1960年代，在Tocumen國際機場附近經營餐館。巴拿馬軍事強人諾瑞嘉，甫從秘魯軍校畢業，以少尉軍階任用，派駐在Tocumen軍區。常至餐館用餐，品酌小酒，無話不談，與朱立基成了莫逆之交。
1968年諾瑞嘉追隨長官杜里荷上校發動政變成功，深受杜的器重。杜里荷成了巴拿馬實際的國家領導人。
1981年7月，杜里荷將軍因飛機失事喪生，由巴雷達斯上校接任，諾瑞嘉已官拜中校。
1983年諾瑞嘉權謀逼退巴雷達斯，自任國防軍總司令，晉升上校，掌握了軍政大權，代替了杜里荷將軍的位置。1986年1月，諾瑞嘉想到了朱立基，任命朱立基出使中華民國。
派令未發布前，朱立基先去找吳秘書，請益如何當大使，讓吳秘書十分訝異，這是有違外交常軌的事。吳秘書表示，人事確定後，巴拿馬外交部必定會與你討論，擔任大使注意事項。有趣的是，朱立基不知道什麼是呈遞國書。(20)
民國70年代，在經國先生主政下，台灣十大經濟建設陸續完成，是中華民國歷史上第二個黃金十年，成為亞洲四小龍之首，駐外人員薪資逐年增加。吳秘書歷經三位大使，黃仁霖、曾憲揆至宋長志。
宋大使識才惜才，拔擢吳光定為二等秘書，並為他向僑委會爭取到一輛公務用車。民國72年(1983年)，吳秘書將家眷接到巴拿馬，結束了長達11年與妻兒分隔大洋兩岸，日日思念的生活。
民國78年(1989年)大使館在巴京國際會議中心舉辦五百餘人的雙十國慶酒會。吳秘書駕着一輛日製三菱SUV新車，順道接送僑彥鄭華秋、蘇海山赴會。
在車上，鄭蘇兩人談起對日抗戰時期，祖國外交官的待遇和生活點滴。當時的駐巴拿馬公使是沈覲鼎，整個公使館只有公使有一輛1935年出廠的福特Mercury中價位水星汽車。由於經濟拮据，使館人員的薪水，無法如期發放，先由僑團墊支，往往三至六月才能歸墊。國慶酒會也是由僑社人士，贊助舉辦。兩相比較，真是不可同日而語。(21）
大約是民國63年(1974年)二月間，吳秘書由一位勞姓僑胞陪同，至Los Santos省及Chiriqui省遍遠地區探慰僑胞。在泛美公路的一條支線上，有一個海拔八千英尺，相當於2400公尺的山區小鎮Tole，這是巴拿馬境內公路的最高點，由泛美公路出口大約15分鐘車程可以到達。
這個小鎮人口不到千人，只有一條柏油馬路，也是商業中心，商店不過十家。其中就有一家華人雜貨舖，店主鄭先生是吳秘書此行探訪的僑胞。
鄭先生祖籍廣東香山，他的祖父早年是開鑿運河的華工，1920年代，由巴京遷來此地，替一位富農當長工，經二十年的努力，累積了一點財富，購得兩英畝山坡地，種植高山蔬菜及水果，收成賣至省城大衛市。
吳秘書參觀了他的橘園，碩大的冬橘汁多味甘。在角落處，居然發現了兩株梅花樹，在寒風中綻放著鮮紅美麗清香撲鼻的花朵，似乎在歡迎一位來自祖國的親人。
此情此景，吳秘書心有感觸，心有感動。直覺地想一首由劉家昌作曲，唱遍國內及國外僑社的愛國歌曲《梅花》。
梅花梅花滿天下，越冷它越開花。梅花堅忍象徵我們，巍巍的大中華。通常我們稱華僑為革命之母，從那時起，吳秘書對華僑多了一個稱呼《華僑是梅花，開遍滿天下，有土地就有它》。(22)
幼兒時期在越南的吳秘書，常隨母親到關帝廟膜拜，每逢陰曆六月二十四日關帝聖君生辰，信衆滙集熱閙的場景，留下深刻印象。
到達巴拿馬的吳秘書，頭一個月，就對此地僑胞信仰關公的情形，進行了解。
160年前的清咸豐年間（1851-1861)，一批離鄉背井的華人先民，飄洋過海到達巴拿馬，建築縱貫兩洋鐵路，當時就有人把關公聖像帶到巴拿馬，以求神明保佑工作順利。
以發揚關公忠義精神為宗旨的巴拿馬第一個華僑組織《人和會館》成立於清咸豐八年(1858年)，建了一座關帝小廟。40年後的清光緒24年（1898年)，隆重立殿設龕祭祀。次年(1899年)古岡州會館跟進，也在館內設殿供奉。兩個會館都成了華僑信仰中心，信徒祭祀膜拜香火延綿不絕，虔誠不落越南之後。
唯兩個會館祭祀關帝生辰時期各異，古岡州會館在陰暦五月十三日，不同與越南。人和會館在陰暦六月二十四日，於是出現兩個關帝生日。各會館各有依據，6月24日出自於元朝胡琦編撰的《關羽年譜》及清朝民間事務筆記。5月13日則出自於《明史禮志》及《清史稿禮志》。關帝聖誕日雖有爭論，但中和處理一團和氣。每年兩個關公生辰祭祀，吳秘書均以陪祭官身分出席大典。(23)
1989年中外有三件大事，6月4日天安門事件，11月9日推倒柏林圍牆兩德統一，12月20日美國入侵巴拿馬。
巴拿馬自1903年脫離哥倫比亞獨立以來，在美國扶持下，雖經兩次世界大戰，但一直平穏和平成長。86年後，卻遭到美國的入侵。
回憶這場戰爭，重創了巴拿馬的經濟。戰後的燒殺擄掠，給華僑帶來難以彌補的傷害。從戰爭發起到恢復平靜，時間長達數年。尤其是前兩個月，巴京及箇朗兩地，一片狼藉觸目驚心。
吳秘書職責所在，如同戰場上的軍人，冒著生命危險，駕駛那輛方便通行掛著CD（Cuervo Diplomatico)外交使館車牌的SUV，由僑團主席陪同，深入受災受難僑胞家庭商店，進行慰問。(25)
吳秘書將僑胞傷亡受災情形，向宋長志大使作了報告。宋大使當即作出決定，次日親率武官丁大山少將，在吳秘書陪同下，連續三天分赴巴京各醫院，慰問住院僑胞，並分發慰問紅包，叮嚀靜養，早日康復，場面溫馨感人。
三個星期後，首筆僑胞救助金25萬美元，由中華民國政府撥款到位。僑界並發揮同胞愛，慷慨解囊，成績斐然。
吳秘書在硝煙瀰漫危機四伏的惡劣環境下，馬不停蹄走訪受害僑胞。某晚，與花縣同鄉會主席侯觀祥，探訪戰爭受傷住院僑胞。步出醫院上車之前，遇三人結夥搶匪，為首者槍抵吳秘書腦袋，令交出汽車鑰匙。攸關性命，吳秘書不作抵抗，使用不到一年的SUV公務新車被劫。外交車牌也沒啥用，匪徒駕車揚長而去。(26）
民國61年(1972年)9月，中美洲暨巴拿馬六國華僑總會第7屆年會及第1次懇親大會，在宏都拉斯首都德古斯加巴舉行。此次懇親大會中，增加六國華埠小姐選拔，第一名代表中美洲華僑小姐出任親善大使，赴台北出席雙十國慶大典，及遊覽全台旅遊景點。
民國83年(1994年)第29屆年會及第23次懇親大會，在薩爾瓦多京城聖薩爾瓦多市舉行，旅巴拿馬台商呂文忠先生千金呂純如小姐，榮獲中美洲六國華僑小姐冠軍。是23年以來，巴拿馬華裔小姐第四度獲得此項殊榮。
次年（1995年)5月，巴拿馬僑界歷來最熱烈的一次華埠小姐選拔，在中巴文化中心中正體育館舉行。（27)
由於呂純如效應，加上媒體報導，以及巴拿馬戰後連續數年嘉年華節中，全國各地頻繁舉行選美活動帶來的熱情。華僑各界順著風潮，紛紛甄選青春洋溢美麗年少的鄕親晚輩，報名參加1995年華埠小姐選拔活動。
五月上旬一個週末晚上，中巴文化中心中正體育館內的觀眾台上，一下湧入包括各同鄉會、社團、各人選手，選手的家長、同學、親友組成的拉拉隊，超過兩千人。
活動自下午六時起陸續登場，八隊拉拉隊代表參選人有八位，分別安排在觀眾台兩邊。主辦單位中華總會，對拉拉隊也作比賽評分。各隊各顯身手，各有創意，表演精采，使整個場子活絡起來。(28)
八名參賽者中，吳曉茹小姐在姑姑吳秀蓮鼓勵下，媽媽贊成下報了名，角逐這年巴拿馬華埠小姐，進而爭取中美洲六國華僑小姐榮銜。
姑姑的意思是，青春不留白，讓人生有一段美好的回憶。母親對自己的女兒有信心，參加比賽公平競爭。為難的是，吳曉茹的父親身分特殊，一來是大使館的僑務秘書，再來是中美洲六國華僑聯合總會的秘書長。基於一位父親，自然希望女兒能順遂其願，一旦拔得頭籌，僑界必有雜音，責怪其母責怪其姑，為何沒有三思而行。
每支拉拉隊真是八仙過海各顯神通，利用各種道具，敲鑼鼔、吹喇叭、作韻律操、唱加油歌。
吳曉茹組成百人拉拉隊，製作了一條巨型紅底白字橫幅，懸於體育館護欄之前，上寫《一二三．三二一，吳曉茹．得第一》。
同學們看著姑姑的手勢，姑姑拿著揚聲器唱《一二三》，同學們應《三二一》，姑姑唱《吳曉茹》，同學們應《得第一》，盛況熱烈歷史空前。(29）
主辦單位邀請了蘇秉照大使伉儷、華裔巴拿馬副市長劉玉珍及各僑團主席暨夫人觀禮。蘇大使夫人、劉玉珍是六人評審團之一。
八位參賽者在激烈競爭中，經過旗袍走秀、才藝表演、機智問答三項過程後，最終在些微差距中，吳曉茹脫穎而出，獲得冠軍，全場High至極點。
頒授桂冠時，以蘇大使夫人為首的各方夫人，包括吳曉茹的母親柴惠君女士以及何麟生會長、侯觀祥主席依序上了舞台。司儀數次唱名吳秘書，卻未見上台。(30）
整個選美過程，吳秘書沒有離開過體育館，而是遊走各拉拉隊間問候同學。左一聲吳秘書好，右一聲吳秘書好，此起彼落。還有吳曉茹得第一的聲音，吳秘書咧著大嘴一直在笑，說道：勝負不重要，能參與就是好事。
宣布名次的那一刻，大家引頸期盼自己心目中的人選。最後兩名冠亞軍中，吳曉茹就在其中。名單交給了劉玉珍，劉咳了兩聲看看四周，純粹是吊胃口，宣布第二名是Senorita Lao，全場一片歡呼，那冠軍就是吳曉茹囉。那一刻吳秘書正在我面前，喜溢眉宇，充滿高興。
中美洲六國華僑總會聯合總會第30屆年會暨24次懇親大會，於1995年8月在瓜地馬拉京城瓜地馬拉市舉行，在母親和姑姑的陪同下，吳曉茹代表巴拿馬，角逐中美洲六國年度華僑小姐榮銜。(31)
1995年8月，中美洲六國華僑總會年會暨懇親大會，在瓜地馬拉京城舉行。懇親大會最大的熱點，非選美活動莫屬。
各國華埠小姐，各個風姿綽約，才華洋溢。比較之下，吳曉茹無論在儀態容貌、談吐應對各方面都是情態天成，有望奪得六國華僑小姐選美冠軍。
各國鄉親引頸期盼，各自代表能夠脫穎而出。最緊張的一刻終於到來，角逐者中最後兩名要爭取冠亞軍。當宣布第二名由巴拿馬的吳曉茹獲得時，地主國鄉親一片歡呼，1995年中美洲六國華僑小姐，由瓜地馬拉獲得。吳曉茹立即趨前展開雙臂，給冠軍小姐一個大大的擁抱，大方展現風度。
回到旅館，吳曉茹抱著媽媽和姑姑，傷心地哭了。吳秘書安慰女兒：勝負不重要，能夠參與就是好事。
事前，巴拿馬中華總會何麟生會長對吳秘書說過：六國小姐中曉茹最具冠軍相，但要有心理準備，不會得第一。
吳秘書回道：這是最好的結局，可以大大地減輕了我心中的負擔。(32)
截至 民國85年(1996年)6月，吳秘書奉調回國為止，僑委會駐外人員，編制內共有46人。分別為文教中心21人，辦事處代表處16人，華僑旅運社相濟會5人，使領館4人。按地區分，美國加拿大22人，亞洲10人，歐洲7人，中南美洲5人，澳大利亞1人，南非1人。區區46人要服務全球四千萬華僑，簡直不成比例。
在四個使領館中，均以僑務秘書職稱任用。僑務人員以其職務範圍，除推行常軌任務外，視個人工作熱忱、敬業精神，可伸可縮。
吳光定秘書在巴拿馬服務長達24年，僑委會曾三度徵詢僑團，調職吳秘書回國。均被各同鄉會主席、各業僑胞聲援慰留。一向親中共的最大僑團，受吳秘書照顧服務最多的花縣同鄉會，更以《僑委會如不從僑意，調吳秘書回國，同鄉會將升五星紅旗抗議。》當時吳秘書的心境，真是進退維谷左右為難。
吳秘書如此受到僑胞愛戴，其來有自，並非偶然。全在他勤奔基層，了解僑情，反應僑需，解決問題。(33)
民國85年(1996年)6月8日，中華民國第八任駐巴拿馬大使袁健生上任。兩天後的6月10日，第十二任僑務委員會委員長祝基瀅履新。再過三天的6月13日，吳秘書接獲僑委會調職令，回會服務，遺缺由洛杉磯華僑文教第一服務中心一等秘書鄧毅雄接任。
僑委會未按慣例徴詢僑界意見，率先發布人令，令人費解，引起僑界強烈不滿。雖力請收歸成命，但無功而返。
僑界盛大設宴餞行，送別之日僑胞近百人聚集機場，依依離情流露無遺。隔天6月21日週五晚，飛抵台北。休息兩天後，於星期一回到僑委會報到。(34)
吳秘書對此次的調職，令出突然疑惑不解，其中必有蹊蹺。
數日後，吳秘書接獲政風室通知，密室輪番約談疲勞轟炸兩日一夜。範圍涉及家庭背景、求學過程、個人生活習慣，在巴拿馬期間如何購屋置產、如何送三個女兒赴美求學，與親共僑領互動有無洩漏國家機密，等等等等無所不包。更嚴重的是，牽連中巴文化中心二期工程，某筆工程款的去向問題，要求交代清楚。
這真是晴天霹靂當頭重擊，然而吳秘書心地光明，心若止水，唯真不破，泰然自若。深感世態炎涼，暗箭傷人，趨炎附勢，心灰意冷。
吳秘書逐一據理説明，最後工程款去向水落石出，受了不白之冤。
民國87年(1998年)2月，焦仁和委員長上任，器重吳光定才德兼備，僑務輕車熟道，派駐越南胡志明市辦事處僑務秘書。(35)
美不美故鄉土，親不親 故鄉人。吳秘書回到青少年時期成長的地方越南，熟悉的鄉音，熟悉的語言，熟悉的環境。在職三年，一本初衷，勤走僑社工作得心應手。
民國89年(2000年)5月，政黨輪替。陳水扁就任中華民國第十任總統，張富美接任僑務委員會委員長，其僑胞三段論引起僑社強烈不滿，僑務工作有了新思維。曾廣順時期以來，一貫的僑務《新舊一體》政策，窒礙難行。
民國90年(2001年)2月，吳秘書再次奉調回國。僑委會有了一批新人，新人新作風。自感《亷頗老矣，尚能飯否》，工作雖心有餘而力不足，不如歸去。(36)
民國94年（2005年)吳秘書依齡退休，但老驥伏櫪退而未休，兩度遊走中美洲六國，與老朋友歡聚。在台北加入華僑協會總會，竭盡餘力全力以赴，一直擔任理事、監事職務近十年。
民國102年(2013年)，身體不適，積勞成疾，住臺大醫院一年餘，後轉休士頓MD安德森癌症治療中心，但病入膏肓回天乏術，於民國104年(2015年)3月11日逝世，享年七十五歲。
一週後，喪禮於休士頓永福殯儀館舉行。中華民國駐休士頓辦事處副處長齊永強，僑教中心主任莊雅淑、副主任李美姿，國民黨中央評議委員林國煌，僑教中心前主任梁柏堅，皆前往弔唁。僑委會陳士魁委員長特頒褒揚狀矜式表揚吳秘書，義溥全僑，懋績孔昭。
包括駐巴拿馬大使周麟在內的中美洲各國使節，馳電弔念。中美洲六國僑團、僑領或贈花籃或題輓聯哀悼。巴拿馬中華總會章辭修會長，在巴京召集各僑團主席各界僑胞，舉辦了一次追思彌撒，場面莊嚴隆重。
喪禮中，休士頓黃繼榮牧師引用聖經《箴言書》的一段話勸慰家屬：死亡在聖經裡不是永遠的消失，而是神為我們準備好一個永生的世界。死亡就像一次戰爭，軍人在戰場不怕死亡。人生也是一次戰爭，我們離開世界，我們打勝了，安息了。
愛家、愛僑、愛國，鞠躬盡瘁 死而後已，是吳光定先生一生的寫照，哲人其萎，留給我們永遠的懷念，無盡的追思。(37，本篇完)
第23篇：酸甜苦辣皆是福
民國 68年(1979年)10月30日，我提著簡單的行囊，由桃園中正機場前往巴拿馬，接受一份新的工作。經過30多個小時的飛行，途經大阪、洛杉磯、邁阿密，到達一個全然陌生的地方。行李中我帶了兩本書，一本是民國42年(1953年)有母親題字的《新約聖經》，另一夲是1920年代美國考門夫人(Mrs．Charles E．Cow an)中譯著作《荒漠甘泉》。
雖然經過縝密的考慮，做了最後的決定，就算是登上了飛機，我仍然抵擋不住心中的疑惑和憂鬱。不經意地翻閱著《荒漠甘泉》，看著 那用紅字標註出來的經典語句，力求心中的平靜。
偉大的人物都是在艱苦中成長，你的波浪洪濤漫過我身。(詩篇42章7節)。
最屬靈的信徒當受最劇烈的痛苦，恩典獲得最多的人，也是受苦最多的人。(啓示録3章19節)。
如果我們勤勤懇懇工作，不沮喪，不失望，總有一天會發現，我們生命中最美好的工作，是在黑暗中完成。一切酸甜苦辣，必將化成幸福。(以賽亞書45章3節)(1）
這是我第一次搭乘國際航線，首站不但是日本的領土，而且是日亞航的飛機，懊惱之情油然而生。
次站改乘泛美航空前往美國，機上巧遇三名船員，航程班次與我相同，目的地都是巴拿馬。一路上相談甚歡，沖淡了一些離鄉背井愁緒難隠的心情。
入境洛杉磯，過了海關，移民官已經等候我們，提了行李後，被帶往轉機廳看管，防止我們跳機，頓感人格受辱。
廳內見一位中年亞裔女士，從相貌衣著看應是中國人。我用國語趨前請教轉機事宜，她卻回答：Sorry ，I Can not speak Chinese。我很訝異，這個世界沒有我想像得那麼單純。
再經過六個小時的飛行，橫跨4300公里，由美西南的洛杉磯到達美東南的邁阿密。我們一行人，同樣被移民官帶往轉機廳，由落地窗向下看，又向遠望，近處是車水馬龍，遠處是高樓林立，相較台北，真是難望項背。我坐在沙發上時而閉目養神，時而四處張望。不得了，居然天花板上，有數隻蟑螂流竄，這是世界一等強國的國際機場嗎？太不可思議了。(2）
到達邁阿密，已近午夜，算算台灣時間已是31日中午，腦子裡想的全是台北的家人。
我們在轉機廳的咖啡座裡，與一位拉丁裔的移民官，用生疏的一點點英語與他聊起天來，彼此還能溝通。此人風趣幽默熱情洋溢談及他的故鄉古巴，如數家珍，還唱了一首古巴民歌《La Paloma鴿子》給我們聽。
不知不覺到了登機時間，移民官交還了我們的護照，互道珍重再見。我們搭上了Braniff布朗尼夫航空公司的班機，飛行兩個半小時，直飛巴拿馬。(3)
巴拿馬Panama一詞出自於印地安原住民土語，意思是有著豐富的魚、花卉和蝴蝶的地方，而且有一種稀有的熱帶雨林喬木，也被命名為巴拿馬。
我在飛機上沒有睡意，一直憧憬著未來，抱著理想追尋夢想，艱辛必然但求平安。
我坐在靠窗的位置，在夜空中，滿天星斗圍繞著漸盈的月亮，在月光星光照耀閃爍下，白雲隨風而逝。地面上的燈光，由稀疏漸至稠密，意識到將要抵達巴拿馬市。
飛機飛經海灣，作業船隻上的燈光清楚可見，我一直欣賞著這難得一見的迷人海景。轉瞬之間看見地面一片燈海，像無盡數的珍珠灑滿大地。聽聞中交通發達、經貿活絡、紙醉金迷的巴拿馬城就在眼底。
飛機即將落地，忐忑之中帶有一絲喜悅，畢竟這不是一次旅遊，而是一趟海外謀生的探索。步出機門，一眼就看到我的內兄吳光定先生。(4）
辛苦了，路上還好嗎？這是中華民國駐巴拿馬大使館僑務秘書吳光定先生與我見面時的第一句話。我回答：不錯，很平順。
使我訝異的是，他引我去晉見在場的曾憲揆大使，旁邊還有一位領務秘書侯平福(2005年至2008年，出任駐巴拿馬大使)。曾大使是來迎接早我先下飛機的三位官員，交通部電信總局長及兩名隨員，兼程到巴拿馬，為簽署中華民國與巴拿馬共和國電訊技術合作條約而來。
我到巴拿馬第一時間，有緣與大使見面，感到榮幸。曾大使很親切地對我說：歡迎來到巴拿馬，加入我們的大家庭。
步出機場坐上吳秘書的金龜車，開往我的工作地點僑報《共和報》。(5)
在黎明的前刻，出篤姑門國際機場，經San Miguelito南下海邊的巴拿馬舊城Panama Viejo，再經豪宅區Punta Paitilla，順海濱大道Avenida Balboa進入唐人街，共和報社就在唐人街入口處。
巴拿馬舊城於1997年被聯合國列為世界文化遺產城市，歴史可追溯到1671年(清康熙10年)，舊城廢墟是觀光景點，西班牙式的天主教堂仍然完好無缺，周邊有博物館、藝品店和餐館。Paitilla位於一座小半島上，高樓林立是巴拿馬的地標。Balboa大道沿巴拿馬灣，由東向西行，綠蔭夾道一片蔥蘢，花木扶疏美景如畫，道路西段是使館區，美國及英國大使館，英式古典建築氣勢恢宏。(6）
海外華埠皆由鄉親聚居逐步而成，相較於美洲最早規模最大的舊金山華埠，巴拿馬唐人街的成形，雖然晚了近十年，但全盛時期卻緃橫街巷十餘條，可以與今日的舊金山華埠分庭亢禮。
早在1840年代，美國中央太平洋鐵路，由提案國會審議(1845年)，到勘察報告完成(1855年)，再到動工興建（1863年)，過程長達18年。築路公司所雇用的近半數華工，却因巴拿馬兩洋鐵路的提前開工(1851年)，到了巴拿馬。
兩洋鐵路建成於1855年，大部份華工謀生落戶於現今的Santa Ana區近海邊公共市場周邊道路，逐漸形成了今日的巴拿馬唐人街。(7)
放下行李，稍事休息，天還沒亮。單行道上已有車輛行駛，最先開門營業的鳳凰飯店已有人用餐。
吳秘書，早晨，今日咁早嘅?店老闆謝先生前來打招呼。內兄將我這位新客介紹給他認識，他笑容可掬直說幸會歡迎。
中意食乜嘢？
兩碗皮蛋瘦肉粥，兩碟叉燒腸，唔該。一問一答。廣東話還可以聽得懂，學起來可不容易。
謝老闆是我到巴拿馬，認識的第一位華僑。(8)
早餐後，順着單行道前往海邊的公共市場Mercado Publico及家禽市場參觀，順便採購一些食材果蔬。沿途所見，店鋪招牌中西文並列，店主全是華人。
《早晨，吳秘書》的招呼聲縈迴耳際，停下來寒暄幾句在所不免，不到三百公尺的路程，卻走了半個小時。雖然耽擱了一點時間，我卻認識了一些新朋友。
巴拿馬公共市場建成於1871年，經過數次擴建，發展成今日包括蔬果、肉品、魚產批發兼具零售的綜合市場。
西行一百公尺，是一座鄰海而建的家禽市場，鷄鴨、鴿子、鷄蛋，批發零售現購現殺隨即清理，無任歡迎。工作人員刀法快速俐索，嘆為觀止。
這是我初到巴拿馬，熟悉環境的第一課，頗有收穫。(9)
返回報社後，吳秘書趕赴大使舘上班，我則向打字員陳鐳光請教報社的經營情形。從發行到銷售，從盤面撿字的中文打字機到一分鐘可印一百張的美製紙膠印刷機。
報社規模雖小，但報紙刊登的國內外新聞、僑社活動、藝文娛樂、保健養生和商業廣告等等，無疑地給僑胞們提供了最佳的服務。(10)
老友陳鐳光為我洗麈，例外地展現了他的廚藝，做了三份海南雞飯，等吳秘書回來一起享用。
享受了美味之後，吳秘書陪我去觀賞巴拿馬的落日夕陽。蜿蜒三公里長的巴博亞海濱大道Avenida Balboa像一輪彎彎的月亮，絢麗的彩霞映紅了海面，湛藍清澈的海水中，清晰可見魚群穿梭。落日照射在遠方拜地亞的樓群中，像一座金碧輝煌的城堡。海鷗在空中展翅飛翔，不停的鳴叫。秋風迎面吹拂，一番秋高氣爽景象。數隻名叫燕鷗的海鳥，從天而降垂直俯衝海面，精準的捕獲到快速移動的魚蝦，特技式的表演令人激賞。我陶然於這般夢幻似的美景之中。(11）
面對這般美景，我目酣神醉，閑悠信步邊思邊想，將一景一物一靜一動繪織成一個夢。想起那首秘魯民歌El Condor Pasa將老鷹、海鷗、燕雀連在一起，歌詞縈繞腦際盤旋往復。
我寧可是隻麻雀，也不願做一隻蝸牛。我寧可是隻鐵錘，也不願是一根鐵釘。我願航行到遠方，像來了又去的天鵝。我寧可感受大地就在你的腳下。
我臆想憧憬我在巴拿馬的未來，像老鷹一樣展翅飛翔。
萬萬沒想到一個小賊，一路跟隨我這個目標，還真像那隻燕鷗一樣，説時遲那時快，迅速地將我的手錶搶走。是我到巴拿馬的前幾天，舅舅送給我 做紀念，以高價購得的一隻Piaget。
沒有心思再走下去，在回報社的路上卻遇見一位新朋友，李彌將軍的舊屬團長杜志堅上校，隨華僑妻子由汶萊來到巴拿馬，經吳秘書的介紹認識了他。杜先生經營一間雜貨舖，生意不俗。寫得一手好字草書如行雲流水，平時也寫點文章，熱衷京劇，拉得一手好胡琴。他正要到報社，遞交一份稿件，我們幸會於途中。(12）
這一天是蔣公(1887-1975)92歲誕辰，巴拿馬中華總會舉辦紀念活動，由中華民國憲法制憲國大代表鄭華秋先生主持，僑胞尊稱他為秋伯。
我以一本中英文《中華民國憲法》送給他作為見面禮，秋伯精神矍鍊目光炯炯，神采奕奕意氣風發。會中講述蔣公行誼，鏗鏘有聲節奏分明引人入勝。
會後援例放映國產電影及分發壽桃，吳秘書與我全程參與。這是我到巴拿馬頭一天多采多姿的經歷，印象深刻永生難忘。(13)
次日連續三天，由吳秘書陪同進行拜會活動，晉見了僑界大老陳奉天、盧湛濤及曾憲揆大使。陸續認識了包括大使館、農技團、漁技團、中國國際商銀、同鄉會在內的許多新朋友。
第一個星期六的晚上，受邀至大使舘高鵬主事家中作客，高太太燒得一手好菜。晚餐後，幾位同好唱了數段京劇，有搜孤救孤、武家坡、宇宙鋒，由中央社駐中美洲特派記者劉昌孝及杜志堅先生輪番清唱，高鵬操琴。我和吳秘書當了忠實聽眾，助陣叫好。
十一月五日星期一，我披褂上陣，開始執行在共和報的編輯工作，外行人做內行事，動作顯得慢了一點。從審稿到交稿打字、校對、排版至印刷，還算順利。看見次日就要出版的報紙，理所當然，成就感不在言下。(14)
巴拿馬華文《共和報》成立於民國19年(1930年)，隸屬於中國國民黨巴拿馬支部，至民國85年(1996年)5月1日停刊，期間曾三度暫停營業，慘澹經營66年，發行至14319號。其命運有如民國17年(1928年)2月創立於上海，民國95年（2006年）2月歇業於台北的《中央日報》。
我在《共和報》擔任編輯撰稿17年(1979-1996)，也是最後一位總編。
吳秘書於民國62年(1973年)兼任《共和報》社務至停刊日。我半路分擔其編務及部份行政工作至終，談往事感慨唏噓不堪回首。猶常言道要害一個人，叫他去辦報紙。(15）
參與《共和報》每日運作的人，除掛名社長外另有五人，三人內宿報館包括吳秘書、我、打字員陳鐳光，譯稿一人，派報一人。
相較於仍然停留在刻鋼板、油印機時代的另外兩份華文報紙《嚴報》、《大公報》，《共和報》的規模、人力、物力就大得多了。
《嚴報》及《大公報》是老僑一人報館，對其辦報的不畏艱難的精神，堅持自己的理念，非常敬佩。
《共和報》的中國大陸、台港澳新聞，來自於新聞局的每週時事報導及航空版的中央日報和聯合報。世界新聞、美加新聞及巴拿馬新聞，譯自於本地的西班牙文報紙。
在我任內的譯稿人，先後有大使館參事俞中原、中央社特派劉昌孝(兩人均不支譯稿費)、交換學生劉德立（2015年10月至2017年5月中華民國駐巴拿馬大使)、僑彥陳敏孫、中央社記者黃礦春、僑領陳發昌。(16）
出任編輯一週後漸入佳境，第十日，吳秘書陪同一個僑商五人小組至台灣採購，順道返國述職。辦公室內暫時少了一張行軍床，多出一點空間，我工作至每晚九時。
住在儲藏室闢為房間的陳鐳光，打字稿校對後，幾乎每晚都去過他的夜生活，週末更與他的巴拿馬妺，人約黃昏後月上柳梢頭。
入夜後報社所在地的這條小街，只見多日未修還在一亮一滅光線柔弱的街燈，靜得讓人窒息。
下班後沒有我可去的地方，只有伴著辦公桌上的那盞孤燈，看書、寫信、聽音樂。吳秘書留下了兩枚國語歌曲卡帶，包括劉家昌早期的作品。每晚反覆地聽著月滿西樓、庭院深深、秋詩篇篇、雲河、我家在那裡。我想家、想爹娘、想妻兒，用這夜半歌聲來慰藉我的寂寞。(17)
擔任編輯進入第二週，某日收到一份讀者投書，是投稿人陳昆慶的詩選之一。內容是1979年2月至3月間，中越共在中越邊境戰爭中，解放軍勝利凱旋的歌頌詩。雖然是一件好事，但基於《共和報》的反共立場，未予刊登。
數日後，我在中華總會見到本尊。原來是大老陳奉天的胞弟，兄弟兩人政治立場各異，我當面向他解釋獲得諒解，頗感欣慰。
巴拿馬僑界有詩壇三傑，另兩位是李劍及蘇海山。三位都是國學豐厚的飽學之士，詩風各異，三人皆是《共和報》的長期投稿人。
我保存了一首蘇海山《愛國詩林》中的一首。標題為《贈陳昌智君》，抄錄於後。
其一
陳申志願効劬勞
昌盛文章氣節高
智慧交情多莫逆
君心如鏡察秋毫
其二
愛護中樞勤報政
羣情倚重現光明
偉績從軍扶社稷
大同正義復中興
中華民國七十年九月十二日
蘇老謝世多年，見詩思人，留下無限追憶。(18）
報社的派報工是一位非洲裔的巴拿馬人，祖父於1920年代自牙買加移民來巴，母親拉丁裔巴拿馬土生土長。工人的西班牙文名字叫Jacinto，英文名字叫Thomas，西、英語均佳。清晨4時就到了報館裝釘8開7張14版面的報紙。
此君工作認真，動作純熟迅速，深得同仁好感。從5點鐘起，就將報紙分派到各銷售點，並挨店挨戶派送至中午。交通工具除了公共汽車外，就是步行。
有一天增加版面至16版，為了獎勵他的辛勞，答允給獎金五元美金，月底併薪水一起發放。他高興地說：現在給好不好。我說為什麼。他笑著答：假如今天我死了怎麼辦。充分展現了巴拿馬人的率真爽直，我當場給了他這五塊錢。（19)
一位名叫Elisa的單親媽媽，每週日帶著兩個同母異父分別為9歲及7歲的姐弟，到報社打掃清潔。Elisa年輕時是位散發著青春活力的細女辣妹，男朋友一籮筐，寵捧得像天上的月亮。可惜婚後體態走了樣，光鮮退色成了大肥婆。連同三歲女兒一起被老公拋棄。
一年後為生活所迫，嫁了一位50餘歲的中年人，生下一男，不幸又被第二任丈夫拋棄。不少巴拿馬男人喜新厭舊司空見慣不足為奇，造成許多單親。時而可見帶著四、五個同一母親不同父親，四處奔波討生活的單親媽媽，社會問題教育問題衍生而至。Elisa無一技之長，只能做清潔工養家糊口。
Elisa有位姑媽，年輕時嫁了一位華裔雜貨舖老闆，是對恩愛夫妻，不幸只維持了一年的婚姻，丈夫病逝。這位名叫Gloria的可憐女子，另嫁一位巴拿馬人，卻遇人不淑，生意被騙一走了之。更不幸的是，一次車禍後又來了一場大病，莫名其妙的脊椎側彎，九十度駝背，雙眼斜視，生活立即陷入困境。但她意志力堅強，不畏環境艱困而氣餒。先搬家至Chorrillo貧民窟，選擇到唐人街一帶賣彩券Loteria為生。
某日中午，我到唐人街鳳凰飯館用餐，遇見Gloria在兜售彩票。她以生硬的廣東話對我說：先生，恭喜發財，買張桑標(彩票)好嗎？我援例意思意思，用一塊錢買了一張，卻意外地中了頭獎，獎金美金兩千元。
巴拿馬的彩票每週開獎兩次，同一號碼有20張，後悔沒有多買，我這一生只遇到這一次財運高照。
再次遇見她仍在鳳凰飯館，同樣買了一張，並且贈送她20元酬謝金，這可能超過她一日的淨所得，她卻拒收。飯館老闆謝先生對我說：她是不會收的，她要自食其力，靠勞力養活自己。我對這位奇女子，肅然起敬。(20）
當年（1980年代)巴拿馬的三家華文報紙，星期日是不出報的，週六整天至次日上午，不必上班。可以相邀結伴至鄰近省區作一日遊。遠離塵囂走訪農村、莊園、森林、離島、漁港。看原住民編織巴拿馬帽，在熱帶雨林內划獨木舟聽鳥兒爭鳴，看蝴蝶在河邊飛舞，看奇花異草爭豔，在紅樹林中捉螃蟹，到Taboga島享受海風海釣、灣中看夕陽，在Playa Chame觀賞各種各樣的蘭花。在Gamboa乘遊艇，看湖中穿梭的巨輪，在柳岸邊賞蓮花。
有一次還邂逅到鄉村嫁娶，以白馬代替禮車，親友相聚熱情洋溢幸福美滿的場景。更有一次到老僑農莊的魚塘中，自釣出碩大肥美的鯉魚，一魚三吃。
在家書中，我描述了巴拿馬的迷人風采，這個有魚、有花、有蝴蝶的地方，七個月後妻兒到了巴拿馬。(21)
為了迎接妻兒到巴拿馬，吳秘書也為了妻女團圓，在Bella Vista美景區44街42號，覓得一座兩房一廳廚衞齊全有後院的獨立屋。屋主是位老華僑，以優惠價格承租，月租美金400元，兩人平分。
環境清幽靜謐，向南步行五分鐘可達喜鵲公園Parque Urraca，越過巴博亞海濱大道面對巴拿馬灣。1995年建商利用灣邊新生地，建成五星級觀海酒店Hotel Miramar又稱美麗華酒店，曾是1997年9月李登輝總統訪問巴拿馬下榻之處。
住宅家具從簡，睡床、書桌、餐桌，以二手貨購入，餐具房東贈送，木椅代替沙發。
後院一墻之隔，住一木匠劉師傅夫婦，膝下無一子一女，親切善談，成了好鄰居。
相較台北市文山區興隆路二段住處，此處環境必受妻兒喜愛。(22）
民國69年(1980年)5月25日星期日，吾妻秀蓮帶著兩個孩子Anthony (將滿8歲）、Anderson 5歲，辭別了爺爺奶奶， 踏上了海外飄泊 謀生求發展的迢迢之路。飛行30餘個小時，桃園中正機場出發經大阪、舊金山、邁阿密，過境未停留於次日中午抵達巴拿馬。同行的還有吳秘書的華燊大哥、侄女燕瓊、侄兒觀明。
新家兩個房間两個家庭，先湊合住著。從來沒有出過國的Anthony 、Anderson 兄弟倆，從出機場到新家，忘掉了旅途的疲憊，一路神清氣爽、新鮮好奇、情難自禁。
在飛機上，秀蓮反覆對孩子述說叮嚀：為了我們這個家，爸爸媽媽一定會全力以赴，努力打拼。孩子啊，你們只管好好讀書，自己的前途自己創造。這個家的興衰要靠大家一起努力了。
孩子巴拿馬到了，秀蓮喚醒睡眼惺忪的孩子。在旋轉盤取行李時，Anderson 一眼就認出了我們的大皮箱。
媽媽媽媽妳別動，我和哥哥替妳拿。孩子啊，箱子豎起來比你人還高，你們拿不動的。秀蓮感動得流下淚來。(23)
我揮別了七個月睡行軍床的生活，終於可以和妻兒一起吃個像樣的飯了。新家距離大使館近在咫尺，吳秘書下班後可以順道來家吃頓晚飯。秀蓮掌廚，兩家八口人、一張長方桌，邊吃邊聊其樂融融。
為了每天能回家吃個晚餐，我調整了上班時間，改為早七晚五。就近在公共市場按單採購次日所需食材果蔬。
巴拿馬沒有四季，只有乾雨二季，除了大學外，學制與英、美、中等國不同，沒有寒暑假，採一次放假，每年聖誕節起至次年三月底。因此兩兄弟一個入學報社隔壁的僑立中國小學，一個進入住家街頭的一所幼稚園，我和妻可以就近照顧。
僑立中國小學西班牙語文及中文廣東話雙語文教學，幼稚園純以西班牙語文施教。在學習上，均有語言上的障礙。(24)
上課頭一天兄弟倆各有不同反應，Anthony 像鴨子聽雷，西班牙語一句也不懂，也不明白老師講的廣東話是什麼意思。媽媽給予鼓勵：沒有關係，多聽多學很快就會了。
上幼稚園的弟弟則向媽媽說：我很喜歡這個幼稚園，老師同學都很好。我聽不懂他們說些什麼，我就跟著他們說，老師說一句我也照樣說一句，同學們說一句我也同樣說一句，同學們都對著我笑，我也不管，我看他們講話後的動作和表情，我大概知道是什麼意思了。
秀蓮接孩子回家，老師用英語對秀蓮說：Anderson 學習力領悟力都很強，也很合群一點也不怕生。恭喜妳有一個極聰明的孩子。
數天後，這孩子居然能夠和老師同學溝通了。有一次老師分發作業給同學，他幫忙老師分發，說出了第一句完整的西班牙語：Maestra，Para Cada Uno?（老師，每人一份是嗎？）(25)
到巴拿馬的前一個月，秀蓮帶著孩子去看了一場美國電影1977年發行的星際大戰《曙光乍現》，人物中有天行者阿納金、天行者盧克及萊婭公主，給孩子留下深刻印象。
到了巴拿馬在Machetazo超級市場，孩子發現了貨架上有星際大戰中的人物卡通玩具。
媽媽，能不能給我買一個阿納金?Anderson 央求媽媽。孩子，等爸爸月底拿到薪水後再買好嗎。
Anderson 將拿在手上的阿納金放回原處。説道：媽媽，沒有關係等我們有錢時再買。秀蓮心中一陣痛楚。
晚餐後逛公園成了每天的生活習慣，有一天看見一對母女在散步，小女孩要將一個缺了半隻眼睛的唐老鴨絨毛玩偶，丟進垃圾桶。
可以送給我嗎？在沒有扔進垃圾桶前Anderson 急忙向小女孩說道。可以呀，那就送給你吧。這個只有一隻半眼睛的唐老鴨，成了孩子到巴拿馬後，擁有的第一個玩偶。時過39年了，Anderson 仍然呵護著這隻唐老鴨，留住童年的回憶。(26)
台北市興隆路二段居家對面有一家《愛爾蘭西服店》，店家林師傅台灣光復前從師於一位日本老師，習得一身好手藝。知悉吾家孩子將隨母移民海外，將庫存多年的一點碎布料，以優惠特價為兩兄弟裁製白色小西裝各一套。沒想到，到了巴拿馬卻派上了用場。
民國69年(1980年)9月3日至8日，行政院長孫運璿率團訪問巴拿馬，隨員有經濟部長張光世、外交部政務次長錢復夫婦、新聞局長宋楚瑜、國貿局副局長蕭萬長等人。
近200名僑胞恭迎於下榻的巴拿馬酒店，我是迎賓工作人員之一，秀蓮及孩子也在歡迎行列之中。孫院長頻頻握手致意，孫夫人俞蕙萱女士佇足於身著白色小西裝的兩兄弟前，面帶微笑慈祥和藹地說道：好帥氣的孩子呦，你倆是兄弟嗎？兩兄弟回答：是。你們會講國語呀？回答：會。夫人親吻了兩個孩子。一位華僑叔叔拍下了珍貴的鏡頭，迄今還存放在相冊裡。
兩兄弟第一次見到如此大的場面，深刻烙印在腦海。孩子的視野擴大了，影響到他們未來的人生規劃。
在台北的爺爺奶奶姑姑叔叔們，看到了電視新聞，各各欣喜雀躍喜上眉梢。
為了配合孫院長的訪問，中華民國交通部郵政總局於9月4日至8日，在巴拿馬國際會議中心Centro Convencion Atlapa舉行郵展。
僅有一張八人長方桌和數張木椅的客廳兼餐廳，成了郵展前置作業的工作室。郵政總局秘書胡全木，技正戴德在此工作，後院木匠劉師傅提供木料，協助戴德製作展覽木架，並提供交通工具，有幸認識了郵政總局局長簡爾康。
兩兄弟從郵票中看到了世界，認識到中華文化的博大精深。(27)
孫運璿是中華民國行憲後的第10任行政院長（1978年6月至1984年5月)，孫院長訪問巴拿馬期間的各項活動，共和報均作了詳盡報導。榮幸的是，我和秀蓮參與了全僑歡迎晚宴的籌備工作，負責會場佈置和音樂播放。記憶深刻的是，孫院長在晚宴上對僑胞們講的一段話。
孫院長說：民國65年(1976年)我國的貿易開始出超，每年維持十位數成長，今年(1980年)我們的外滙存底近80億美元，預計三年後可以突破100億美元。(事實上不但達標，兩年後的1985年更突破200億美元，1987年更飛躍跳到700億美元。)
孫院長又說：今年(1980年)年底，籌建四年多的新竹科學工業園區，將正式啓用。對中華民國科學、工業的發展升級有長遠的影響。僑胞們的掌聲，數度打斷孫院長的講話。
感動的是，一位老僑帶著孫兒，專程到機場看訪問團的專機，機尾有青天白日滿地紅國旗的華航波音747巨無霸飛機。
溫馨的是，在大使館酒會中，僑胞稱呼訪問團的女士為《夫人》，俞蕙萱及田玲玲均謙虛的說：叫我孫太太，叫我錢太太就可以了。(28)
繼民國69年（1980年)3月兼任國民黨支部有給職祕書之後，次年秀蓮也在僑立國民小學當了中文教師，家庭經濟有了改善。
1982年兩個孩子由一位高儀小姐引薦，甄選進入運河區天主教聖瑪麗中小學St Mary’s high School，哥哥讀三年級，弟弟讀一年級。
民國73年(1984年）6月，時任國民黨海外工作會主任的曾廣順，出任僑務委員會委員長，提出《華僑新舊一體》，《僑務黨務並重》政策。適逢中國大陸改革開放，大批新僑湧入巴拿馬之時，吳秘書的僑務工作份量加重，我也適時給予支援。
民國75年(1986年）3月，我被時任海工會主任的鄭心雄，拔擢為國民黨駐巴拿馬地區黨務聯絡員，次年7月又被華僑救國聯合總會聘為無給職駐巴拿馬地區辦事處主任。我的工作逐年增加，除本職報務、黨務工作外，全力支援僑務。(29)
民國71年（1982年)2月，報館的人事有了一些異動，打字員陳鐳光另有高就，吳秘書的華燊大哥應允接替，但需要二至三個月時間，練習操作打字。權宜之下請到一位曾經是廣播電台節目主持人的劉韞先生來擔綱。
這位劉先生是位單親爸爸，帶著一女一兒從台灣到了巴拿馬，在公共市場後街開了一家小餐館，一家三口全部投入生意，可以維持生活。
劉韞寫得一手好字，尤其是楷書蠅頭小楷，看其字如同欣賞一幅畫。因此共和報有兩個月，版面暫時由手抄代替打字，艱苦的日子也走過來了。
華燊大哥及其長公子觀明，由44街搬到報館，其女燕瓊因不習慣巴拿馬生活返回台灣，兩年後結了婚。
這年暑假吳秘書將家眷母女四人，接到了巴拿馬。結束了長達十年，兩地懸念的日子。
我把家搬遷到唐人街，距離報館僅百尺之遙的一幢建築物四樓，月租250元美金，一住就是16年，房租一直未漲。(30)
唐人街家居四樓，兩房一廳廚浴齊全，推開主臥窗戶，視野可及遠方的拜地亞。燈光閃爍的巴拿馬夜空，皓月高掛海風吹拂，時而看見漫漫星海，時而看見流星一剎那失去蹤影，彷彿置身於綺麗的夢中。我有更多的時間，像一位造景設計師一樣，專注於報紙內容的充實，版面的改革。
首版安排為巴拿馬新聞及國際重大消息，次版為中港台新聞，三版闢為專欄摘自航空版中央日報及每半月一次由自己撰寫的社論。四版是僑社新聞及各僑團通告，五版是讀者投書詩詞文藝作品。
為了充分發揮製版機可以文圖並茂的功能，一改過去只見文字不見圖像的遺憾，每週一至週六的第六版，分別以旅遊、體育、影視、健康、園藝、美食，呈現給讀者。七至十版則是分類廣告、訃聞、謝啓。
為了爭取新聞時效，我調整了我的作息時間自購了一部八波段的短波收音機及録音機。凌晨二時半起床，三時收聽《自由中國之聲》發自台北的海外廣播，新聞及評論節目。我一面收聽一面録音，隨後一字一句抄寫録音內容，在打字員上班之前交到報館。因此爭取了新聞刊登的時間，可以和台灣的報紙同日出現。四十出頭的年紀，拼命三郎似的工作，到了忘我的境地。(31)
1982年10月初的中秋節，各僑團主席夫婦應邀出席大使官邸的賞月晚會。曾大使夫人雷愛珞女士垂詢秀蓮的生活情形。從兩家孩子成了同學談起，到秀蓮在國民小學擔任教師的待遇。
使雷女士訝異的是，秀蓮的月薪僅150美元。每月授課60小時，時薪只有兩元五角。於是她召來曾大使轉知陳奉天先生。
經了解秀蓮係以代課老師任用，加以學校經費拮据，暫時支付如此低額薪資。
曾大使應允在僑團活動經費中給予支援，次月起調整為月薪300元。
扣除兩兄弟每月學費150元，學校巴士費70元，房租250元，所剩生活費寥寥無幾。這對月收不到千元的一個家庭來說，確實事事難為。
直到1986年，中巴文化中心中山學校開始運作，秀蓮成了專職教師，以巴拿馬教育部核薪標準領薪。
我在報館及黨部的薪水也作了調整，生活有了改善，銀行也有了一點小額儲蓄。(32)
我的前任黨務承辦人是與相聲大師同姓同名的吳兆南，身高中等稍胖的體型像似大師，卻有著與韓國瑜一般的禿頭。是我救國團的同事，團務黨務經歴比我資深，我到任時他已至舊金山高就。移交的文件、文物、照片整整三大箱由吳秘書轉交給我。
我逐箱瀏覽一遍，再將急辦、緩辦事項分類。先從找回失聯黨員做起，在黨員名冊內發現黨支部的全盛時期是在抗戰勝利後的數年中，黨員人數近400人。
1949年中國共產黨成立中華人民共和國，人數逐漸減少。至1980年代，可以聯絡上的不足百人，實際能參加活動的不超過60人。
我的首要工作是，按址找回失聯黨員，再從他們的口述中，試圖找到更多的黨員。
我用了兩年時間，先從巴京開始，搭乘公共汽車，60多條公車路線，逐街逐巷走遍巴京各個角落，順道探訪華人商店舖頭，瞭解僑情。還好，兩年只被搶劫五次。(33）
當我首次踏進我的工作地點共和報社的那一刻，讓我難以置信的是，大廳凌亂至極，舊雜誌舊報紙還有全套的經典民國史及各類的線裝書，堆得像一座一座的小山，散落四處。
沙發桌椅蒙上了一層厚灰，製版機、裝訂機、印刷用紙、油墨塞滿了整個會議桌，進入辦公室、廚房、浴室，可以用舉步維艱來形容。
我將近用了一個月的時間，清理出一個頭緒，物物歸位幾凈窗明，還得了熱感冒，拖了一星期。
我將舊雜誌、最近三個月內的中央日報和派剩的共和報，隨著我的探訪之行，分贈給各個角落的僑胞。
有不少僑胞建議，可以價購一些金庸、古龍的武俠小說，瓊瑤的言情作品，國語歌曲、廣東大戲、學習西班牙語的卡帶等等。（34)
為了滿足僑胞們的需求，我到電信局花了16美元，5分鐘時間，打越洋電話給父親，代購一些書籍和音樂卡帶。
兩個月後，收到中華郵政三箱海運國際包裹，內有武俠小說、華西字典、國語歌曲卡帶等等。於是隨著我的探訪之行，當起了推銷員。沒想到兩個星期內，就銷售一空。我以低於華人超市百分之十的售價，送貨上門的優異服務，創造了生意不錯的成績，之後每週補貨一至兩箱。
因此，在本職工作正常運作之下，兼顧了家庭經濟的改善。
兩年後，結束了餐風飲露日曬雨淋的日子。1984年9月，巴拿馬第一家中文書店《華夏書坊》在唐人街中華總會隔鄰的木屋二樓開幕營業。（35)
用了兩個月的時間，完成了《華夏書坊》的籌備工作，掛上了招牌燃放了鞭砲。沒有大人物剪綵，只有鄰居的道賀。
360平方英尺相當於33平方米、10個台灣坪的空間，五面牆一面朝向陽台的隔間。老鄰居劉師傅製作了一大四小的可移動書櫃、六張小板凳，兩張辦公桌椅是二手貨。
兩千本各類書籍塞滿了書櫃，利用格式轉角櫃擺放各式可出售的文具、藝品、小擺飾，充分利用了空間。一下子進來十人以上，就顯得十分擁擠。
書籍分三類，一為出售、一為出租、一為免費借閲。借閱書係歴年來僑委會、海工會寄來的文史參考書籍。
報社、店面、住家都在200公尺生活圈內，徴得黨務會議同意，我的辦公時間可以靈活運用，可在書店內撰稿審稿及代收廣告。（36）
華夏書坊將一些來自四面八方志同道合的愛書人串連在一起，均因對好書良書歆動愛慕均得其樂。
一位來自廣東台山的年輕人，將全套金庸武俠小說看了三遍。一位來自台灣的美軍太太，看了兩遍瓊瑤全集。一位來自北京法政大學的同學，與我討論兩岸憲法。一位大陸民運學生，跟我談中國統一。更有一位來自哈爾濱的楊先生，教我和秀蓮包老邊餃子。
我還先後免費提供場地，為一位曾習周易多年的劉半仙駐店為僑胞相面批字。更有兩位中西良醫在店候診，均成良師益友。
這都是30年前的陳年往事了，多已失聯。一世懸命回味舊事，懷念那些老友，懷念那段苦中帶樂的日子。(37)
中華民國僑務委員會為推廣僑教工作傳承中華文化凝聚僑社團結，每年派遣資優教師至各僑居地巡迴教學，為期三個月至一年不等。
民國70年(1981年）9月20日，僑委會甄選三位教師到了巴拿馬，進行為期四個月的教學活動。吳秘書情商我與秀蓮給予工作上的支援，這是我們在巴拿馬首次與僑教老師接觸。
三位老師分別是舞蹈老師江錦珠、功夫老師李豐章、國文老師黃貴豪，以僑立國民小學為主的同學，接受學習培訓。為民國77年（1988年）開始招生運作的中巴文化中心中山學校的舞蹈、體育、國語教學，打下了基礎。往後每二至三年，僑委會都會派出僑教老師到巴拿馬，作短暫教學，我和秀蓮的支援工作從未間斷。傳為佳話的是，有兩位舞蹈老師在巴拿馬找到了如意郎君，有情人終成眷屬。
前些日子清理家中文件，驚喜發現1982年2月間，分別由江錦珠及李豐章寄自台北的來信，都附上了數張在巴期間的活動照片，有一張彌足珍貴，是三位老師與大使館俞中原代辦全府及我們一家人，遊覽運河風景區的大合照。
俞中原這位受人尊敬的大俠型人物，2017年7月已經謝世，其公子俞大㵢當年還是一位大一的學生，2015年10月至2018年4月，卻成了中華民國駐巴拉圭共和國特命全權大使。
江錦珠在回秀蓮的信上說：來日重遊巴拿馬高興與大家再見。妳懇切的一番談話讓我心中激盪良久。謝謝妳的鼓勵，雖然我們不能常相聚，但我相信工作的熱誠和情緒却是一致的，只要巴拿馬需要，我很願意回去服務，即使是義務教學也欣然前往。(38)
由黃自作曲韋瀚章作詞的抗戰歌曲《旗正飄飄》曲詞熾烈深沉慷慨激昂：旗正飄飄，馬正蕭蕭，槍在肩刀在腰，熱血熱血似狂潮。快團結，快奮起，快團結，快奮起。國亡家破在眉梢，挽沉淪全仗吾同胞。
每當我聽到這首歌的時候，會將無數個場景和國旗連結在一起。回想起父親口述中的淞滬會戰、八百壯士死守四行倉庫、遠征軍出征、抗戰勝利還都南京。
我和秀蓮在巴拿馬二十年，辦活動佈置會場是常軌工作。這面在會場中，喚起國家意識的國旗，凝聚了僑心。
每年中華民國開國紀念和雙十國慶的前一天，我和秀蓮會將中巴兩國綢質串式國旗，將唐人街中華總會週邊縱橫100公尺，離地20公尺，從左樓到右樓佈置成旗海，並在總會陽台升起青天白日滿地紅及巴拿馬共和國兩國國旗。(39)
中華民國開國紀念及雙十國慶這天，包括中華總會及國民黨支部在內的唐人街周邊三條街九個華僑團體，都升起中巴兩國國旗。
黨支部在全僑升旗典禮之前，黎明之時，先行在陽台升旗，巴拿馬國旗居中，其左為中華民國國旗，其右為中國國民黨黨旗，我們全家人就近參加升旗儀式，年年如此。
我與秀蓮曾經和孩子判讀世界國旗，比較之下美國、法國、巴拿馬和中華民國的國旗最為美麗。尤其是青天白日滿地紅國旗，以宇宙運行為設計基礎，每年十二個月，每日十二時辰，又有十二生肖的輪替，十二道光芒象徵天行健 君子以自強不息。
又談到蘇聯解體後的俄羅斯聯邦國旗設計，兼顧意義和美觀。由上至下白、藍、紅三色，採用傳統的泛斯拉夫顏色，相較原先的鐮刀斧頭旗，要美觀多了。
1990年8月，兩兄弟負笈美國求學，臨行前我將數面不同尺寸的中華民國國旗塞進行李。這面青天白日滿地紅國旗，分別在求學的休士頓Bellaire Senior High School餐廳及休士頓大學國際學生交誼廳升起。(40)
我在巴拿馬期間，撰寫了三本皆以團體名義發行內部參考的册子。一本是1983年巴拿馬地區三民主義統一中國大同盟成立大會會議實錄，另一本是1984年拉丁美洲三民主義統一中國大同盟成立大會會議實錄，第三本是1997年9月李登輝訪問巴拿馬時，編撰的世界李登輝總統之友會聯合總會成立大會活動須知。
民國75年(1986年)以中國國民黨駐巴拿馬地區黨務聯絡員身分，在海工會內參刊物中，發表了數篇有關海外情勢的文章，並在中外畫刋Cosmorama及僑委會發行的宏觀雜誌上發表了近十篇有關僑領、僑情的文章。很欣慰能夠為巴拿馬僑社及國民黨留下了一些活動紀錄。
民國80年（1991年）僑選立法委員曾芙美女士推薦我參加南美洲華文作家協會為會員，又得到世界華文作家協會總會秘書長符兆祥先生的大函相邀。
當時正值報務、黨務繁忙之時，深感還不到作家的程度，給予婉拒，這是我寫作生涯中的一段軼事，至今對曾芙美、符兆祥兩位前輩仍存歉意。(41)
民國84年(1995年)6月，弟媳陳麗瓊女士來到巴拿馬，為世界華人工商婦女企管協會，在巴拿馬成立分會的可能性，進行為期五天的測溫之旅。
在大使館僑務秘書吳光定和僑教老師吳秀蓮的接待安排下，晉見了蘇秉照大使、僑界大老陳奉天父子，參訪了中巴文化中心中山學校。並前往大西洋岸的箇朗自由貿易區，拜訪了台商會會長江顯鎮夫婦、中國國際商業銀行箇朗分行經理陳初。
第三天，在巴京麗宮酒樓舉辦了一場座談會，集巴拿馬四十餘位華裔及台商女企業家於一堂。除蘇大使夫人外，還有華裔國會議員Gloria Young，房屋部長Zia Lee李詩雅，巴拿馬副市長Edith Lao劉玉珍，各僑團主席夫人章南西Nancy等人。
會場唯一的一位男士是大使館經濟參事劉志英，向貴賓們簡報中華民國與巴拿馬共和國的貿易狀況，以及分析中美洲經貿發展的趨勢。
第二年(1996年）6月9日，中華民國第一屆立法委員、大陸時期上海明星花露水香皂公司創辦人、世界華人工商婦女企管協會理事長的周文磯女士，由秘書長陳麗瓊陪同，率領一個十餘人的參訪團到達巴拿馬。
次日(6月10日)在巴京龍鳳酒樓，舉辦了一個盛大的宴會，世界華人工商婦女企管協會巴拿馬分會宣布成立。
宴會以吳秀蓮為首策劃，當日工商名流雲集，還包括巴拿馬工商部長、外交部次長。
在事後的理監事選舉中，吳秀蓮獲選為常務理事，婉拒後改為監事。
陳麗瓊女士此行圓滿成功，愉快地結識了許多好朋友，在往後的日子裡，為歷任巴拿馬駐中華民國大使及夫人，提供了多方面的協助。(42)
人無遠慮 必有近憂，當初把孩子帶到國外生活，為的是求得一個好的讀書環境，當然首選就是美國。
但命運作弄人，諸多的客觀因素我們到了巴拿馬。在巴20年我們被酸過、被坑過、被誤解過，還被懷疑對國家的忠誠度。
秀蓮為了孩子求得一個更好的求學環境，四處打聽赴美之路。被一位來自台灣的太太譏諷，懷疑我們的條件不足讓孩子平順赴美讀書。
為了因應未來可能要支付一筆可觀的學費和生活費，秀蓮到了Rio Abajo河下區，距離居家40分鐘公共汽車車程，僑領譚瑞進的一間超市兼差打工，每晩至少十點鐘才能回到家。（43)
中華總會對街有一家漢昌公司，由一對50餘歲的中年夫婦主理。我跟老闆的女婿旅居加拿大溫哥華的陳先生，在台北有一面之緣，巴拿馬再度重逢。經他的介紹，認識一位從台灣來的年輕人，其人正跟他的妻妹(小姨子)打得火熱。
某日這位張姓年輕人，跟我談起在工作之餘，做點小貿易，攢點錢改善改善生活，我欣然接受與他合作，並請吳秘書出面，由陳奉天擔保，以他的公司名義向銀行貸款美金一萬元。
兩個月後，一個20呎貨櫃(集裝箱）的電器用品到達巴拿馬。滙還台灣出口商貨款後，運用資金還有四千餘元。平時由他，假日他我兩人挨家逐戶推銷，成績不俗。
巴京近郊多採一月期全額付款，偏遠地區一次付款九折優待，預計三個月內可進第二次貨櫃還清貸款。
始料未及一個月後出了狀況，由這位張某的朋友轉給我一封信。得悉他兩天前去了美國，還直截了當的說，他用錢孔急，應收帳款已收，一切出於無奈，希能見諒。對於這突如其來的噩訊，我簡直是叫天不應叫地不回。
次年(1982年)2月2日，距離貸款日已逾半年。銀行致函陳奉天先生，函曰：貸款公司未按規定月付利息，迄今累積本利1萬2千516元。請台端履行保證人責任或洽請該貸款公司負責人償還。
負責人已逃之夭夭，留下這個爛攤子怎麼辦，總不能讓陳老償還吧。於是請吳秘書協助，揍了錢先行結案。我和秀蓮用了五年時間，才還清了這筆幾乎要命的債。
一位來自台灣的程醫生告之，張君在邁阿密近郊娶了一位西裔美籍婦人，並且有了一個孩子。漢昌公司老闆，對女兒感情受騙，感到憤憤不平。(44)
在巴拿馬期間，我沒有抱怨生活的不易，繁重的工作壓力，反而莫名的困擾給我帶來沮喪。生活中時刻都有無奈，太多的無奈充滿在我的生活之中。
1994年2月9日癸酉年除夕，巴拿馬坊間出版了一本名為《風釆》的半月刊，在試刊號內，鼔吹個人崇拜，在搞神化毛主席運動。其中竟有三篇之多，矛指共和報的友報《拉美快報》，大加撻伐。
《拉美快報》事先未明底蘊，在氣浮、怨多、情急的情況下發表文章，竟臆測這本刊物與國民黨和共和報有牽連， 還冠上《國共一家親》的大標題。這在當時國共兩黨緊張的政治氛圍下，是一項很嚴重的抺紅，給我帶來不少困擾。這與柯文哲在上海台北雙城論壇中所提出的《兩岸一家親》不可同日而語，我不得不撰文反擊。
1982年4月至1993年6月，中共發展太空事業進入第三階段。1986年某月，我在台北發行的一份雜誌上，摘錄一篇有關中共航天戰略發展的前景文章，在共和報發表。隨後數日，又報導了一則中共投資巴西煤炭、紡織事業的新聞。結果引來僑社某人的撻伐，說我《為匪宣傳》。(45)
1986年9月9日，人和會館主席謝順彩先生推薦一位有四年打字經驗的饒女士，到報館試機。被打字員劉太太(譚女士）遇見，這位譚女士情緒激動臉色難看，立即連撥三通電話，分別給她的契爺（乾爹）盧湛濤、報務董事長鄭華秋、社長方兆倫。
盧湛濤有所不悅，說了一些使我聽了很無奈的話。鄭華秋、方兆倫沒有表示任何意見。
我回報事由，用意在為譚女士找個職務代理人，在其人請假情況下，使報紙能夠順利出刊，且係臨時暫代，況且打字員之任用在我權責之內，更何況任用尚須報務會議通過。
事後我遞交了一份措辭嚴厲的報告給各報務委員，表達我的立場。
文曰：這本來就是一件很單純的事情，沒有什麼越權問題。如果在一個有制度有紀律的單位裡，絕對不會發生這種引為笑柄的事。
期待各位委員能夠確認編輯權責，就像此次事件，事事要向多頭領導報備，實無必要。這種行政開 倒車的做法還談什麼 革新，報館今日婆婆太多，承辦人難做事。(46)
民國83年(1994年)9月，我在中華總會第13屆理監事選舉時，當選為五名候補常務理事之一，順位排第四。
民國85年(1996年）11月，我為了在總會的一次常務理監事會議中，維護發言權，向總會鍾震邦會長展開論戰。
該年11月最後一個週末，在中巴文化中心召開常務理監事會議，事關僑社權益至關重要。我依照總會組織章程之規定，提出參加會議申請，但被鍾會長刁難，感到十分驚訝。
經詢總會秘書長陳發昌證實，鍾會長質疑我以國民黨黨員身分為黨發言之正當性，並針對我在歷次僑團會議中，發言過多有所不滿。
該次會議我臨場憤然退席，將備妥之書面聲明分發各出席人員。對鍾會長之處置，表達我的抗議。
聲明如下：
1，本人自移民巴拿馬以來，一直景仰鍾會長學養豐厚，且畢業於美國知名高等學府，一向強調自由、民主思想，為僑界德高望重之士。
2，本人依總會章程3章22條規定，有權出席常務理監事會議，給予應得之發言權益，不受排名順位之限制。並沒有規定有黨派黨員身分之理監事，不得出席總會會議之政治歧視。
3，會議應鼓勵出席者發言，集思廣益促進團隊進步，發揮會議功能。不能因發言過多而限制開會。
4，人人都有信仰的自由，選擇政黨的自由。本人信奉的中國國民黨及我的人格尊嚴，不應被鄙視。
5，本人當一本忠誠服務僑胞之初衷，追隨各位賢明領導，繼續為巴拿馬中華總會奉獻心力，促進僑社團結而努力。(47）
我誕生在一個父母親三代人都是深藍的家庭，為了中國國民黨可以鞠躬盡瘁 死而後已，此話絕不誇張，我的祖父和外祖父的事蹟足以證明。
The 我在海外四十年，孤陋寡聞得直到民國104年(2015年)10月換柱事件以後，才知道中國國民黨有《醬缸文化》這個新詞，回首前塵往事，深覺還真有點道理。
民國85年(1996年）12月3月，我向大使館申請《共和報在職證明》認證。告之礙於規定不予認證，對此我至感訝異。
次日，我向袁大使提出申訴書，分述於後。
1，共和報雖於本年5月1日停刊，但並未在巴拿馬新聞處辦理註銷登記，隨時可以復刊。本人之總編輯兼副社長職務，並未解除。
2，無論返國開會、講習、受訓，或私人探親，每次出境都須向巴拿馬移民局申請出入境許可簽證。
3，巴國法律規定，外國人不得在巴國境內從事黨務活動，我只能以共和報在職證明申請。
4，本人於民國38年隨父親服務之部隊，自青島撤退至台灣，在台完成小學、中學及軍校學業。先後服務軍旅、中國青年反共救國團及國民黨海外工作會長達35年，對黨對國的忠貞程度，應無顧慮。
5，尚請承辦人能察本人工作需要，作出彈性權宜決定。(48)
1986年12月，我與秀蓮出席三民主義統一中國大同盟在休士頓舉行的第四屆全球會議，會後辦理了兩項對家庭至關重要的事情。
一是在費城向美國移民局提交第四類親屬移民申請，一是為孩子赴美求學預作準備，覓得監護人。1990年8月，兄弟倆順利進入休士頓著名高中Bellaire High School就讀。
1998年5月，我和秀蓮通過美國大使館移民問話，取得長期居留身分。兩個孩子卻因超過21歳，至少五年後父母任何一方，成為美國公民後，轉換為綠卡身分。
五個月後的1998年10月，我們夫妻倆離開了巴拿馬，到了休士頓與孩子團圓。二十年甜酸苦辣的日子，千言萬語說不盡講不完。（49)
《荒漠甘泉》一書引伸聖經詩篇42章7節的話說：偉大的人物都是在艱困中成長，你的波浪洪濤漫過我身。
初中時代，讀清代文學家文康所著的《金玉緣》，又名《兒女英雄傳》，內有一命、二運、三風水、四積陰德、五讀書的精句。當時我只知看故事，不知其中真理。
1977年，秀蓮帶著兩個孩子到美國大使館，申請探親簽證被拒，心情十分沮喪。心想，也許上帝給我們安排了一條更好的路，關了一扇窗又開了一道門。
1980年，命運遇到了轉折的機會，我們一家人在巴拿馬團聚。
無庸置疑，比較台灣、美國、巴拿馬三地，由於我們的生活和工作環境，巴拿馬要比其他兩地來得更好。我們的國際視野寬闊了，接觸到的大人物也多了，處理事物的能力豐富了，見到的場面也夠大了。
收獲更多的是兩個孩子，在一個優質的學習環境下，能說流利的華語、能閲讀報章雜誌上的中文、也可以用中文表達自己的意思。英語文、西班牙語文可以融會貫通，口譯英語和西班牙語。
由於工作關係，近二十年的歷練，Anderson 可以流暢筆譯英翻西、西翻英，更有英西文翻譯成葡萄牙文、法文、義大利文的優良紀錄。這對自己的事業進展，提供了最佳的條件。
感謝天主，安排我們在巴拿馬工作生活學習歴練了20年。我們幸運平順進階，一命、二運、三風水、四積陰德、五讀書，是聽天命還是儘人事，或是天人乾坤的調和。(50，夲篇完)
第24篇：懷念張必剛神父
巴拿馬是一個天主教國家，國家重大的決策，都會尊重總主教或主教團的意見。
華僑入境隨俗，清同治年間，已有天主教信徒，至光緒年間約有五分之一的華人成為教友。
截至21世紀初，巴拿馬華僑社會，出現了兩位華裔司鐸(神父）。一位是1914年誔生於巴拿馬箇朗的李神父Ting Pong Lee，1936年在羅馬傳信大學獲得宗教學博士學位，1946年回到出生地傳播教理長達半個世紀。
另一位是1921年誕生於中國安徽桐城，畢業於安徽師大，抗戰時期加入青年軍，勝利後遠赴教廷進修，同様得到宗教學博士學位的張必剛神父。
1986年教廷派張神父到中南美洲巡迴佈道，在巴拿馬Christo Rey教堂，首次以華語（廣東話)為華人信衆，主持彌撒。
兩年後(1988年)10月，張神父由倫敦教區轉派巴拿馬為駐堂神父，積極籌備建立首座華人Sagrado de Ancon天主教堂，1992年6月開始首次彌撒。1993年10月，調升至加拿大溫哥華教區。2003年，我在洛杉磯羅蘭崗天主堂，得悉他去世的消息。(1)
1987年8月，我們一家人在巴京Iglesias del Carmen天主堂，首次目睹張必剛神父的風釆，聆聽他解說《宗教與人生》，留下深刻印象。
由於孩子在運河區一所天主教學校就讀，每週都有神父為同學解說教理，並在校區後山的一座小教堂內，參與宗教活動。因此，孩子對張神父的話語，很容易了解。
1990年8月，孩子赴美升學前，除非僑社舉辦的活動必須參加外，每週日一家人必定會到張神父主持的教堂望彌撒。
1989年及1990年的春節期間，教堂擺設祭壇立靈位，備鮮花素果，在張必剛神父的引導下，上香向中華民族列祖列宗祈福國泰民安風調雨順。我們對天主教，有了更深一層的認識。(2)
1991年11月17日(星期日），張神父在西班牙大道Carmen教堂主持了一次意義重大的彌撒。包括新僑在內的華裔華人逾三百人參加，全程用華語進行，教友分別以粵語、國語恭讀經文。
張神父在證道中，引用聖經《聖馬爾谷》福音的話，闡述塵世間沒有《最後》的意義，我們 要追求的是一個永遠長存的生活。他並且拿明朝哲儒顧炎武的銘言《國家興亡匹夫有責》來引伸這個道理，他強調在宗教的領域裡，要擴大我們的責任感，我們追求的最高目標是精神價值，在宗教教育裡，建立我們的宇宙觀，提升我們的民族道德，也才能夠改變我們世俗的價值觀念。
彌撒後，熱心的教友們，特別為參加彌撒的朋友，安排了一個茶會，除了閒話家常外，張神父還即時解答一些教外朋友的提問，內容也很廣泛。張神父歡迎旅巴華僑，尤其是新僑朋友，多多參與天主教活動，能夠實際體驗精神生活的喜悅。
1992年6月21日(星期日)，張神父為我及秀蓮主持聖洗聖事，陳奉天及夫人馮翠蘭是我們的代父母。天主教特設代父母的職責，代領代子女常在生活中追隨基督，與基督同在。(3，本篇完。第二章采風巴拿馬全篇完)
简介中原为英文的部分由 AI（Claude）于 2026 年 11 月译成中文，尚未经作者审阅。作者的中文原文保留繁体字。
三册原 PDF 共有 81 个字因字体缺字而无法显示，本页已根据上下文补上，可能有出入。
本文保留原文的繁体字。
《覊旅雁鳴》第二章采風巴拿馬(續）
第20篇：老兵離家八十年
老兵郜慶福是我旅居巴拿馬20個年頭（1979-1998)的摯友，祖籍河南南陽，是我的小同鄉。
他與1949年隨軍撤退到台灣的老兵一樣，大半輩子過著骨肉皆分離，無家問死生，默望明月思念故鄉而淚下的日子。
民國106年(2017年)10月14日，兩岸開放探親30年，自他民國28年(1939年)從軍報國以來，前後79個年頭，未曾回過他的故鄉。民國107年(2018年）6月11日，以98歲高齡，終老於巴拿馬(1）
郜慶福，民國10年(1921年)11月24日，誕生於河南南陽武侯祠以西10里的一個農村。郜家在南陽夲是望族，自其祖父一代，家道中落。其父育有四子一女，郜慶福排行老三，上有一個姐姐一個哥哥，下有兩個弟弟。兒時的他是個過動兒，結夥打架滋事是常態，父母拿他毫無辦法。
民國19年(1930年)，經其舅舅的一位河南登封同郷，推薦至嵩山少林寺拜師習武長達八年，學得一身少林功夫，並且讀完論語、孟子。(2)
民國26年(1937年)夏天，少林寺的一場火災，燒毀了面南一邊的禪房及臥房。接踵而來的是，家鄉傳來郜慶福的父親過世的消息，他兼程奔喪，受戒剃度延期。
回到家中，看見臥病在床的母親，他一頭栽到媽媽懷裡，痛哭失聲。此時的郜家，大姐已遠嫁信陽，大哥在湖北襄陽為一家商行當帳房，眷屬也遷居襄陽。兩個弟弟在縣城當學徒，也不常回家。在母親軟硬兼施、頻頻勸說下，未料生性倔強的郜慶福，順應了母意，打消了剃度出家的念頭。
隔年(1938年)春節前，他與鄰村指腹為婚待字閨中的薛姓姑娘結為夫妻，次年生下一女。
民國28年(1939年)9月18日，郜慶福清楚記得，兩名低階軍官、五名士兵，由鄉長陪同，來到一處桑田，對正在田中工作的郜慶福夫婦，說明來由。
郜慶福被帶往一處新兵訓練中心，隸屬國軍第13軍(軍長張雪中)，被編入新編第1師。鄕長安慰哭倒在田中的郜妻，鄉公所每季會發放征屬安家費，照顧生活。(3)
到了新兵訓練中心的郜慶福，情緒起伏跌到谷底，惶惑、驚愕、憂鬱、沮喪、憎恨，甚至衝動到想要大開殺戒。這不是個案，而是普遍的現象。當時政府沒有一套完整的兵役制度，引起諸多的民怨。
軍方無奈於事實的存在，對待新兵只能用嚴明的紀律和鋼鐵般的訓練教化。訓練中心的政治教官，更以淺而易懂的史例，説之於理，動之以情。
郜慶福比起其他同袍，悟性較快，國家興亡匹夫有責，念頭轉變。這跟他在少林寺學習武禪有關。受訓期間表現特別的優異，結訓分發由二等兵擢升為下士副班長。
民國30年（1941年)1月底，日本軍基於以戰養戰策略，對民生及戰略物資最富足的河南南部地區，發動豫南會戰。國軍第5戰區(司令長官為李宗仁)動用18個軍25萬兵力，對抗日軍6個師團、1個旅團、兩個戰車聯隊，兵力15萬人(全軍總司令為園部和一郎)。
日軍沿平漢鐵路，由武漢北上，與國軍第13集團軍(司令官為湯恩伯)激戰於舞陽，第2集團軍(司令官為孫連仲)及第33集團軍(司令官為馮治安)兩軍支援圍攻，日軍潰敗而退。
此役郜慶福初生之犢不畏虎，帶領弟兄衝鋒陷陣、陣前殺敵，虜獲日軍軍車一輛，撃斃日軍十餘人。深得長官嘉許，記戰功一大功。(4)
豫南會戰始於民國30年(1941年)1月24日，終於2月13日，全程21天，國軍大捷，是抗戰中期的一次重要戰役。
這年夏天至民國32年（1943年)春天，河南發生大旱災，大部份地區絕收。大旱之後又造成蝗災，飢餓遍及全省110個縣市，餓死300萬人，消息一直被封鎖，直到抗戰勝利之後。
陸軍新編第1師，也就是郜慶福服役的部隊，駐防在禹縣、伊陽一帶。部隊嚴重缺糧，一日三餐改為兩餐，兩餐均為地瓜稀飯，蘿蔔乾視為佳餚。
相反地，日本軍隊雖然受到影響，但後勤補給無缺。這年台灣稻米盛產，由高雄港運往廈門，再北上河南，到達日軍駐地。民國27年(1938年)5月，日軍就攻下廈門，一直佔據到抗戰勝利。
民國30年(1941年)秋天，由於沙門氏桿菌的傳播，國軍部隊受到俗稱腸熱病，也就是傷寒的威脅。郜慶福連上的官兵，一半以上受到感染，戰力嚴重受到影響。若不治療，會造成小腸出血穿孔，甚至死亡。
在那個年代，國軍醫藥嚴重缺乏，如此普及性的感染，醫官也束手無策。郜慶福得自於中醫舅舅的一點醫學知識，帶領連上弟兄，到山裡捕捉野狗，燉煮而食，死馬當活馬醫，居然逐漸康復。(5)
豫南會戰之後，郜慶福被整編至新編第8師，屬第14集團軍(總司令為劉茂恩)，民國30年（1941年)5月7日至6月2日，參加晉南中條山會戰，英勇殺敵負傷，成二等殘。療傷數月後，改派至新編22師(師長為邱清泉），屬第5軍(軍長為杜聿明)。
民國30年（1941年)12月8日，日軍偷襲珍珠港，次日國民政府對德、義、日宣戰。
民國31年(1942年)1月3日，盟軍中國戰區統帥部成立，蔣中正委員長任最高統帥。
民國31年(1942年)2月16日，國軍第5軍、第6軍、第66軍，奉派至緬甸，支援英國軍隊作戰，因此郜慶福隨軍到了緬甸，成為第一批中國遠征軍的成員。(6)
部隊由滇緬公路進入緬甸，由於郜慶福年輕、反應靈敏、學習力強、能擔當重任，被分派到輜重連，擔任駕駛兵，負責槍砲彈藥、重裝備及軍需用品的運輸。行駛在雲貴高原經過滇西縱谷，這條崇山峻嶺、蜿蜒千里的中緬公路上，入境緬甸。
這條由國人自行測量設計建築，動用工兵部隊及百萬民工，粍時近四年的抗戰運輸通道，起自雲南昆明，終至緬甸臘戍，全長1453公里，建於民國27年(1938年)春天，民國30年(1941年)全線貫通。
到達緬甸的各軍部隊，分區暫駐在臘戍、麥苗、曼德勒(Mandalay)等英軍營房，數月後有了自已的營區。
國軍入緬初期，士氣高昂、鬥志昂揚、前仆後繼，多次擊敗日軍，獲得同古、仁安羌、西塘河谷、棠古等地爭奪戰的勝利。(7)
國軍派出遠征軍赴緬，目的在確保印緬國際通道及中國後方安全。英軍目的則在利用國軍，掩護撤離緬甸保住印度。
再來指揮官史迪威指揮無方，與英軍協調不力，經半年的慘烈戰鬥，國軍傷亡慘重。主力不得已，奉最高統帥蔣中正令，越野人山轉進回國。
之前4月19日，新38師師長孫立人，指揮第113團圑長劉放吾上校，率領三個步兵營，兵力僅1121人，奇襲仁安羌日軍第33師團。因戰術運用成功，以寡擊衆，日軍慘敗，倉皇撤離。解救了被圍英軍第1師7000餘人，及被俘記者、教士等500多人。獲得國際媒體廣為讚揚報導，孫立人一戰成名。
此時的郜慶福已被擴編至新編第1軍(孫立人擢升為軍長)，隨部隊開赴印度，在戰車第1營開坦克車，頗受營長趙振宇的賞識，晉升爲上士班長。
在緬甸期間，郜慶福有三件事情，記憶深刻。(一)，初入緬甸在英國軍營用餐，官兵不習慣西餐牛奶、起司、咖啡，也不知如何使用刀叉，近三分之一官兵腹瀉。
(二），中英舉行同樂晚會，郜慶福表演少林氣功，將一個5磅重的花瓶，吸離桌面二呎，在空中停留一分鐘。並臨時起意，一人空手格鬥英軍四人，英軍個個被撂倒在地。
（三)，民國31年(1942年)3月，同古之役，國軍大捷，救出日本《兵站指定慰安所故鄉》，包括來自朝鮮、台灣、中國大陸的數名慰安婦。中英雙方組成專案小組，了解日軍強征慰安婦的事實，為歷史作了一次見證。(8)
中國遠征軍新22師及新38師撤退至印度後，進行擴編為新1軍，軍長為鄭洞國，後為孫立人。民國33年(1944年)年初，國民政府空運第14師及第50師，編成新6軍，軍長為廖耀湘，國軍駐印總兵力達到10萬人。
與其同時，國內在雲南，第11集團軍及第20集團軍，組成二次遠征軍，由衛立煌指揮，於5月11日強渡怒江，向日軍發起攻擊。
民國33年(1944年)3月3日，國軍駐印度部隊，進入緬甸，成功突撃日軍第18師團。兩日後，一舉攻下孟關，然後勢如破竹，3月9日攻下瓦魯班，8月1日攻下密支那。此時，十萬青年十萬軍，加入了遠征軍行列。
民國34年(1945年)1月27日，駐印國軍與二次遠征軍會師於緬甸芒友，打通了中印公路，恢復了中華民國西南的國際通道。
在此之前，將近兩年時間，為確保後方安全，維持國際補給線暢通，所有援華物資，均由印度以美國運輸機，飛越喜馬拉雅山進入國內，號稱《駝峰空運》。（9)
隨部隊到達印度的郜慶福，進駐藍姆伽(Ramgarh)美軍訓練基地。立即換裝並接受為期三個月的密集訓練。開訓典禮由駐印軍總指揮史迪威及廖耀湘、孫立人兩位軍長共同主持。
開訓典禮前，官兵接受換裝，中正式步槍改為湯姆生衝鋒槍，布帽、草鞋換成鋼盔、皮鞋。棉質軍常服，換成輕便的卡其布軍便服。尉級軍官每月可領薪餉美金30元，士官20元，士兵10元（民國42年時，國軍一名陸軍上士，月薪是新台幣30元，1美元可兌換新台幣40元)。
郜慶福接受美軍教官的坦克作戰訓練，受訓時數比一般官兵多出四分之一。教練坦克為美製M3A3，作戰時則為M4A4。
每週六下午及星期日放假，官兵多半在營區內的美軍官兵俱樂部活動。也可外出至藍姆伽市中心逛街丶用餐、採購。
由於郜慶福勤於學習、領悟力強，沒多久，就能用英文簡單句，或單字或肢體語言，與美軍交談。(10）
民國30年(1941年)12月8日，日軍偷襲珍珠港，太平洋戰爭爆發，中華民國對曰抗戰進入後期。民國33年(1944年)春，日軍在太平洋戰場上一再失利，敗象已露。國軍在亞洲戰場上英勇殺敵，與美英同盟國協同作戰，反攻滇緬，打通了中印國際公路。
郜慶福回憶在印度開戰車，反攻緬甸的往事，在五次攻城戰中，戰車打前鋒，步兵通信兵隨其後，戰機情搜掩護在空中，(遠征軍戰車營，配備無線電通信車五輛，可與空中聯絡)，有三場戰役記憶猶新。一，民國33年（1944年)2月，在緬甸北部胡康河谷，與日軍激戰三日後，佔領孟關。
二，民國33年(1944年)3月，瓦魯班戰役大捷，撃斃日軍大佐(團長、步兵聯隊長)兩名，中佐(戰車兵聯隊長)一名，及官兵450餘人。並擄獲日軍第18師團(司令官為牟田口廉也)關防等重要文件。
三，民國33年(1944年)12月10日，戰車第1營，在密支那附近叢林，涉水搶攻日軍八莫基地，完成任務。
民國34年(1945年)5月1日，國軍支援印緬英軍光復仰光。中華民國駐印國軍，奉令返國。郜慶福隨軍回到昆明，這年8月15日，日本向同盟國無條件投降，9月9日在華日軍代表岡村寜次，在南京陸軍官校向中國戰區最高統帥蔣委員長之代表何應欽上將投降。(11)
中華民國對日抗戰最終以慘勝結局，國際及國內輿論醞釀裁軍，這對八年抗戰精疲力畫，極須恢復元氣的國軍而言，無疑是個佳音。此時離家已經六年的郜慶福，極欲解甲返鄉與家人團聚。
無奈抗戰勝利後的次月，中國共産黨發動全面解放戰爭，民國34年(1945年)年底，內戰就在東北開打。使得原本應該在戰後進行建設的中國，失去了和平的機會。
國民政府迫於現實，非但沒有裁軍，反而擴編部隊。
有《天下第一軍》美譽的遠征軍新一軍，奉令調往東北打內戰，郜慶福因此就到了遼寧錦州。(12)
郜慶福在東北參與了兩次戰役，一為四平街會戰，一為長春保衞戰。四平街又稱四平市，位於東北松遼平原中部，1946年時人口只有10萬人，中長鐵路與四梅鐵路交會點，東北的軍事重鎮，蔣介石曾說沒有四平就沒有東北，毛澤東在四平會戰中，曾下達近十道緊急命令，不惜代價務必攻下四平。
中共軍在林彪的指揮下，動用了30萬兵力，與國軍新一軍、新六軍、青年軍等七個軍28萬人對抗。
此時的郜慶福已是新一軍戰車連的一名少尉排附。
在四平街會戰第一次回合中，孫立人的新1軍，只動用了一個團，就頂住了林彪4個師2個團的圍攻，提起孫立人林彪就聞風喪膽。
在以後的三次回合中一次比一次激烈，第四次回合中，中共啓用人海戰術，驅趕百姓打頭陣，屍體堆集如山。如此慘烈，國軍已不忍心再戰，郜慶福當時涙流滿面，無法扣動板機，奉令撤退。民國37年(1948年)3月13日，四平市淪入中共手中。會戰自民國36年(1947年)6月11日起，一共277天。(13）
四平街會戰之後，遠征軍新1軍駐印度時的一位翟姓連長，是郜慶福的直屬長官，奉調新7軍，郜慶福跟隨這位翟連長，也到了新7軍，駐守在長春。
民國37年(1948年)5月至10月，中共解放軍向長春圍城，指揮官材彪下達上級命令《要使長春成為死城》。國軍指揮官鄭洞國率領第60軍及新7軍抵抗，並實施宵禁，平民不得出城。
長春位於四平市東北方約100公里，伊通河在其東，各支流經過南門、五虎屯、西北門，可說是四面皆河。解放軍動用20萬人，將長春城團團包圍，在戰術運用上確是上上之策。
解放軍在城外挖掘戰壕，切斷供應給城內的地下水，長達五個多月，國軍彈盡糧絕，平民16萬人活活被餓死，彷如人間地獄。國軍數度突圍，均未成功，郜慶福是少數脫困的散兵之一。長春圍城國軍傷亡慘重，東北情勢急轉直下，10月18日長春失守，11月 2日瀋陽、營口陷共，11月12日錦州10萬國軍被困，部分突圍成功，解放軍佔據整個東北。國共第二次內戰，中共發動三大解放戰役之一的遼瀋戰役結束。接下來就是平津戰役及淮海戰役(徐蚌會戰)。
民國36年(1947年)9月16日，中華民國海軍陸戰隊重建於福建馬尾，有六個陸戰營直屬於海軍總部，郜慶福這名散兵，被收編至第3營，民國38年（1949年)3月19日，海軍陸戰隊第1師成立，郜慶福服務於第1旅2營移駐海南島，民國39年(1950年）5月，國軍撤離海南，郜慶福到了台灣左營。(14)
郜慶福在台灣工作了15個年頭(1950－1964)，在陸戰隊第1旅服務期間，以少尉軍階擔任該旅外島官兵聯絡室中的一名聯絡官，常駐高雄碼頭。
政府遷台初期，頒佈《大陸來台軍士官全面補辦核階任職條例》，他因沒有軍事院校學歴，被核降為陸戰隊上士。民國44年(1955年)調往海軍軍官學校，車輛調度室任職，當時的校長是宋長志少將。
郜慶福工作之餘，常結伴至高雄旗山，今高雄休閒農場附近獵殺野豬，成了同袍加菜的美餚。
郜慶福是個老饕，也是一位烹飪好手，尤其是海鮮料理，是在高雄旗津一家海鮮餐廳拜師學來的。(15)
民國44年(1955年)4月，當時郜慶福仍在陸戰隊第1旅，美國參謀首長聯席會議主席雷德福海軍上將，訪問中華民國，參訪左營海軍軍區是行程之一。
國防部康樂總隊巡迴康樂隊，受邀在左營四海一家演出，節目精心製作，除了雜技、魔術外，還安排了40年代美國流行歌曲演唱，及50年代美國時尚舞蹈。
當晚四海一家，中美將領雲集，雷德福上將伉儷，心情愉快輕鬆。節目最後，全體演藝人員表演當年的美國熱門運動扭扭舞。邀請台下貴賓及官兵同歡，雷德福的夫人，興緻盎然，臨時起意上台。沒想到郜慶福也跳上舞台，與雷德福夫人共舞。台下一片鼓掌叫好歡呼。海軍總部政治部主任，卻顯得有些緊張，生怕郜慶福會失態，出了差錯。居然雷德福夫人稱讚郜慶福的舞姿優美，翩翩曼妙。當時聯勤總司令黃仁霖也在現場，對郜慶福這位國軍士官的技巧、氣概，表現的優秀，留下深刻印象。(16)
黃仁霖有一位在抗戰時期勵志社的廖姓舊屬，廣東蕉嶺人，國立武漢大學農學院畢業，退役後與兩位昔日袍澤弟兄，在高雄旗山合開農場。與當地農民互動良好，切磋農技，産銷皆有成績。
民國46年(1957年)夏天，黃仁霖伉儷受邀至農場避暑，享受山林之秀，田園之美，品嚐山珍野味。
某日在旗山老街，黃仁霖等一行人，在餐館用餐，巧遇入山打獵歸來的一夥人，也來用餐，手中還提著野兔、山鷄。黃將軍一眼就認出郜慶福在其內，相談甚歡。
之後每逢春節，郜慶福幾乎都會到台北黃府做客拜年。並親手烹飪一桌佳餚，為黃將軍宴客。其中一道魚翅湯，頗受歡迎。
民國53年(1964年）11月，黃仁霖受命出使巴拿馬，需要一名侍衛及駕駛，黃將軍想到了郜慶福相當適合，於是向軍中借調，郜慶福隨黃大使到了巴拿馬。(17)
甫至巴拿馬時的郜慶福，年僅43歲，正值人生中最具活力的階段。為了職務上的需要，首要之務就是熟悉環境及學習西班牙語。幸得前任馬星野大使的司機，剛退休不久的一位略識英語的巴拿馬人帶路，認識了由大使館前往機場、總統府、外交部、美國南方軍司令部等地的行經路線。
大使館內有一位小郜慶福近20歲的薩爾瓦多籍，擔任雜役的安娜小姐，工作勤快、為人和善，看見郜慶福眼神烔炯、反應敏捷、體格健碩，留下良好印象。在郜慶福的請求下，她很樂意義務擔任西班牙語老師。不出數月，就可以用簡單西語與人交談，但陰陽不分、時態混亂，閙了許多笑話。
大約是1965年春天或是1966年夏天，召開使節團會議，在巴拿馬酒店大廳，郜慶福認識了兩位新朋友，分別是美國大使及日本大使的座車駕駛，當時中華民國與美國及日本，均有外交關係。(18)
安娜是一位自恃，不屑依賴他人庇護而營生的人，又是一個厲行克己，耿直寛宏與真愛的女性。但是她遇人不淑，令人費解。
她一生有過三次婚姻，為前兩任丈夫，七年之中生了五個男孩。兩個大男人都沒有正當職業，又很縱情，見一個愛一個。夫妻仳離後，孩子歸母親撫養，孩子的爹一走了之，不知去向，生活的擔子全壓在安娜身上。郜慶福見狀，不時給予經濟上的支助，安娜自然是感激不盡。(19)
民國58年(1969年)12月16日，一次軍事政變，杜里荷上校取得政權，選擇拉卡斯(Demetria Basilio Lakas)當總統，杜里荷升上了將軍，成為巴拿馬共和國實際領導人。
民國59年(1970年)11月，黃仁霖大使在官邸宴請拉卡斯總統，由郜慶福協助廚師烹製海鮮酒宴，安娜也一起進廚幫忙。
各菜式均去剌、去骨、去殼，以迎合客人飲食習慣。席間主客談笑風聲，相當盡興。
拉卡斯總統對三絲魚翅羹，頗為偏愛。並對烹飪方法及食材進行暸解。更對郜慶福的廚藝，讚譽有加。
哪曉得第二天一大早，總統府的御廚，將一箱約20磅的新鮮沙魚魚翅，送到大使官邸，請教郜慶福親授三絲魚翅羮的製作方法，弄得大家啼笑皆非。(20)
黃大使對這位一大早就來到官邸的總統府廚師，非但沒有不愉，反而愉快地進行了交談。原來這位廚師還受過專業訓練，結業自西班牙巴塞隆納的一間知名的廚藝學校Coquus Escuela de Cocina。
黃大使於是召來郜慶福與他認識，雙方可以切磋廚藝。因此郜慶福也學會一兩樣西班牙名菜，包括西班牙海鮮飯和安達盧西亞冷湯。
大約是1975年左右，拉卡斯總統任期最後一天，別出心裁地邀請了兩百多位，全國各地貧困家庭的殘疾兒童及孤兒院的孤兒，到總統府參觀，鼓勵孩子們努力求學，做一個對巴拿馬社會有貢獻的人，並且與孩子們共同午餐。
這次午餐會，郜慶福應邀至總統府，為孩子們做了五百多根春捲。中式春捲在巴拿馬很受喜愛，孩子們吃得津津有味。(21)
安娜1964年認識郜慶福，因為同事的關係，彼此有了深一層的瞭解，兩人不由自主的，一天一天換來了真感情。彼此都很在乎對方，相互理解照顧，所有的討好，都化為深愛。
1971年，郜慶福已經50歲了，安娜35歲上下，正值花樣年華。郜慶福考慮到後半生的生活和安娜的歸宿，在反攻大陸無望，又值大陸文革期間，不可能與故鄉的妻子重逢的狀況下，他決定與安娜結為連理。
安娜帶著五個孩子，最小的才7歲，搬進郜慶福在San Felipe區一間兩房一廳，租來的平價屋內，郜慶福做了一個五個孩子的現成爸爸。(22)
面對這個新組成的七人家庭，經濟的壓力是最大的問題。輟學在家的老大、老二，已讀完六年級，老三、老四、老五，尚在公立小學讀書。夫妻倆最大的願望，是五個孩子至少能夠完成高中教育，未來十年將是最艱困的時期。
經過一段時間的考慮，安娜辭去了工作，在巴京公共市場Mercado Publico附近，租得一個小舖頭，擺攤售賣以炸鷄、炸魚、炸薯條、鷄飯為主的大眾食物，加上郜慶福自做的春捲、雲呑，種類近十種。由於迎合當地人的口味及服務親切，生意不俗。
正因為生意不錯，引起心生歹念的兩名小賊俟機搶錢。不巧，正好遇上到店上幫忙的郜慶福，三兩下功夫打得小賊落荒而逃。(23)
1975年，郜慶福已經54歲，這年2月13日，安娜為他生了一名男孩，他激動落淚。黃仁霖大使給孩子取了一個中國名字，叫郜有成。與其同時，黃大使接奉退休人令，郜慶福也中止了軍職外調的身分。
郜慶福面臨去留巴拿馬的抉擇，受限於現實的環境，他不可能回台灣，只好留在巴拿馬。
為了一家人的生計，黃大使介紹他到紐約皇后區一家中餐館當廚師，兩年下來雖然攢了一點錢，但是思親心切，又回到巴拿馬。
巴拿馬僑領鄭冠英在巴京開了一間頗有名氣的中餐館，青睞他的廚藝，延聘他到文華酒店當二廚，解決了失業的問題。(24）
1978年郜慶福親生的兒子已經三歲，視為己出的五個孩子，老大、老二、老三，皆自高中畢業，且找到一份能夠養活自己的工作，沉重的生活擔子，輕鬆了許多。
由於長期工作在廚房，受到油煙的熏蝕，視力受到嚴重傷害，醫生囑咐不能再工作下去，否則有失明的可能，於是被迫辭去文華酒店的工作。
沉寂了一段時間，1980年我在台北認識的一位商界朋友范金城先生，到巴拿馬來推銷手錶及其配件，想要物色一位推銷員，擴展業務，我把郜慶福推薦給了范金城。(25)
當了推銷員的郜慶福，像初期的台商一樣，拿著007手提箱，走遍巴京各鐘錶店，挨户推銷，這種早出晚歸、風餐露宿的日子，一晃就是三年。生意雖說不如預期，但勉強可以維持一家人的生活。此期間，經營的小吃店，且因生意競爭，安娜體力不能負荷而歇業。老郜(郜慶福)又面臨家庭經濟的壓力，以至寅食卯糧。
1983年，排行第六的小兒子，已是小學二年級的學生，老四、老五也進入初中。正值青春期的老四，卻因與同學談戀愛，傷了感情做出胡塗事，從50公尺高的美洲大橋，一躍而下，結束了生命。留下一封家信，尤其對這位視如親爸爸的老郜，感到愧疚。
這個家庭渡過了一段極為暗淡傷痛的日子，安娜得了躁鬱症，在老郜悉心照顧和勤於就醫之下，病情逐漸好轉。
老郜對親生子郜有成寄予厚望，一心想培育他功成名就，基本上能夠大學畢業。更希望孩子能夠接受一些中華文化，能說一些中國話，看懂一些中文。
老郜給孩子上第一堂中華文化課，是用講故事的方式傳授。用的是《孟子見梁惠王篇》，《叟，不遠千里而來，亦將有利吾國乎》。當時老郜給我講這段故事時，我很驚訝，孩子能領會嗎？老郜說，孩子似懂非懂，多講幾次就會懂了。對我而言，我只有這一點點學問。想當年我在少林寺學習時，因為背頌不出這篇孟子見梁惠王，被師父罸跪兩個時辰。(26)
民國76年（1987年)10月14日，中華民國執政黨中國國民黨中常會，通過開放《大陸探親政策》，次日，行政院通過這項政策。11月2日，中華民國紅十字會辦理探親登記，首批老兵於38年後，回到大陸故里。
1949年政府遷台，隨政府赴台的200萬名國軍、公教人員及眷屬，就斷絕了與滯留大陸親人的聯繫。被謔稱為《外省芋仔》的遊子而言，基於兩岸情勢的和緩與交流，此項大陸政策的實施，其意義與作用不容忽視。
與其同時，老郜的家庭卻在妻子病中、自己待業、孩子在學，經濟拮据的處境中，現實打斷了他的探親之路。
老郜日日以酒解愁，長夜不能入眠。頗有范仲淹筆下《黯鄉魂，追旅思，夜夜除非，好夢留人睡。明月樓高休獨倚，酒入愁腸，化作相思淚。》的情節。(27)
1989年12月20日，美國發動巴拿馬戰爭，重創巴拿馬的經濟，政府實施外匯管制，銀行凍結客戶存款，每人每月只能領取生活費美金50元，老郜一家人在此艱困的環境下，銀行存款最多只能維持半年，這個一家之主如坐針氈。
大約是1990年2月初，老郜到報社來找我，將他的情況告訴了我。使我吃驚的是，他結束軍職外調身分後，已屆士官退役年齡，卻沒有向國軍退除役官兵輔導委員會報備。事隔已經15年，國防部可能將他列為失蹤官兵名單，如想領取退休俸，將是一項艱難複雜的路程。我建議他，去找他的老長官宋長志大使。(28)
老郜邊講邊回憶他的從軍歷程，我一面聽一面作筆記，整理出一份約600字的報告，陪老郜到大使館覲見宋大使。
事先與使館秘書約好了時間，到達時宋大使正在會客，我們在會客室外等候。宋大使送走了客人，立即召喚我們直接到他的辦公室內談事情，宋大使沒有把老郜當客人看，正因爲老郜多年前是他的舊部屬。
宋長志大使看完了報告後，親切地詢問了老郜的生活情形，並且說：我可以試試看，給你爭取。當即指示副武官李建國少校，兼程赴台北國防部及輔導會接洽辦理。我們看到了一位四星上將，在他的辦公室內，與一名陸戰隊上士，溫馨對話的場景。
不到一個月好消息傳來，老郜接納建議，摒棄一次全領，改為每月領取，按八成發放，半年領取一次。兩個月後，老郜收到中國國際商業銀行巴拿馬分行近2500元美金，首次電滙款。老郜相當激動，直呼宋大使萬歲。這筆半年期首次款，在當時巴拿馬的物價指數下，對老郜來說，可以支撐家計了。(29)
民國79年(1990年)12月，宋長志大使因健康因素，回任總統府戰略顧問。這是中華民國延續清廷宣統元年(1909年)12月6日，與巴拿馬共和國建立外交關係81年以來，邦誼最為友好鞏固的時刻。
宋大使離任前，贈送老郜玉照一幀，民國80年(1991年)中華民國開國紀念日那天，老郜參加完大使館暨僑學各界的升旗典禮之後，將宋大使玉照置於案檯之上，每日晨昏向宋大使行舉手禮致敬，並云：報告大使，老兵郜慶福，向您問安了。
民國91年（2002年)8月21日，宋大使病逝台北，消息傳抵巴拿馬，老郜哀思落淚。從此，案檯上多了兩幀照片，國父孫中山先生像居中，先總統蔣公像在其左，宋大使像在其右。老郜晨昏問安從未中斷，從舉手禮改為行三鞠躬禮，每逢年節生辰忌日，備香燭素果祭祀。(30)
民國106年(2017年)6月12日，巴拿馬共和國背棄了維持近108年邦誼的中華民國，轉承認中華人民共和國。中華民國駐巴拿馬各單位暨僑胞，在大使館16樓頂樓陽台，在曹立傑大使主持下，舉行降旗典禮高唱國歌，青天白日滿地紅的國旗，在國旗歌聲中徐徐下降。在場百餘人個個涙垂襟袂，悲憤情傷。人群後，傳來抽泣聲，正是老兵郜慶福，掩不住心中悲痛，振臂高呼中華民國萬歲，然後嚎咷大哭。
一年後的民國107年(2018年)6月14日，老郜以97歲高齡辭世巴拿馬。
民國106年(2017年)11月24日，中國國民黨建黨123週年，適逢老郜96歲生日。老人預感來日不多，在友人為他舉辦的慶生會上，說出他的生日感言。
他民國28年9月離家，已近80年，從未回過故里。其間參加對日抗戰，並遠赴印緬作戰，再經國共內戰，前後12年，於1950年到達台灣，一直服務軍旅。1964年隨黃仁霖大使來到巴拿馬，迄今也有53年。自知老邁無法還鄉，空留遺憾。在外飄泊八十年，處處無家處處家，我思思念念中國大陸的那個故鄉，也會在夢中，找尋到我酷愛的台灣。
我信佛，活到這把年紀，有妻有兒有孫是老天爺的恩賜。領悟出《山川異地，日月同天，寄諸佛祖，再生來緣。》，我期望吾子有成，名如其人，做出一番事業，不忘自己是巴拿馬人，也是中國人。如有機緣，帶著媽媽孩子，作一次寶島台灣及中國大陸的尋根之旅，去看看當年我生活過的高雄旗山左營，以及咱們的老家河南南陽。(31，夲篇完)
第21篇：兩部電影看僑心
民國67年（1978年)12月18日，中華人民共和國最高領導人鄧小平，在中共第11屆中央委員會第三次全體會議中，提出《對內改革，對外開放》政策，次年開始落實。
在此一政策下，有著海外關係的大陸人士，以探親、依親方式，一批批到達巴拿馬。個個憧憬未來有個安定自由幸福美滿的生活。
這些人多半經歷是過三反五反、反右、大躍進、四清及文化大革命的中年人。對過往在民粹主義思想影響下的階級鬥爭、對立批判，回想起來有如一場驚恐的夢饜。
1980年 代，在台灣的中華民國經濟快速發展，不到十年，成為亞洲四小龍之首，各行各業齊頭並進，其中包括影視產業。
1981年，台灣的中央電影公司發行了兩部反映大陸社會及文化大革命為背景的影片，轟動海內外。一部是《皇天后土》，一部是《假如我是真的》。(1)
兩部電影發行後的民國71年(1982年)10月，中華民國行政院新聞局將影片拷貝，寄達包括駐巴拿馬大使館在內的全球駐外單位。
正因為這兩部電影在海內外造成轟動，巴拿馬的媒體也有報導，華文《共和報》也作了影片介紹。華僑引頸期盼，能夠早日在僑社放映。
巴拿馬中華總會每月都會在會所，安排電影欣賞會，放映來自台灣製作的影片，古裝、時裝、文藝、武俠皆有。有關反映大陸文革及社會官僚體系內幕的影片，還是首次。
中華總會議決另租大型場地，優先放映《皇天后土》，情商相關單位支援。
大使館新聞參事舒立彥、僑務秘書吳光定，中華總會秘書鄭華秋、助理吳秀蓮，共和報編撰陳昌智，立即著手放映事宜。並在共和報以8．5吋寛、14吋長的版面，刊登廣告連續一個月。(2)
無產階級文化大革命，開始於1966年5月，終止於1976年10月，是在中華人民共和國治理下的中國大陸，發生的政治運動。由毛澤東主席及中共中央文化革命小組，由上而下動員數十萬紅衞兵，發動的全方位階級鬥爭運動。
影片《皇天后土》The coldest winter in Peking，由台灣的中央電影公司出品，發行於1980年，文化大革命結束後四年。是以國家科學院人士的更替為主軸，將文化大革命和四個現代化，在中國大陸風起雲湧的經過為背景，歷經父母、子女三代，長達20年。導演是白景瑞，由趙琦彬編劇，由秦祥林、劉延方、郎雄、柯俊雄、胡慧中、歸亞蕾主演。
在香港只上映了一天，就被港英政府下缐禁映，理由是《影響與鄰近地區關係》。目前已可在大陸社群網站《豆瓣》點閲，2012年曾建置《皇天后土條目》，多次刪除及復元。
為便利僑胞觀賞及場地容量，放映地點選在巴博亞大道，近唐人街附近的大華酒樓。寬敞的大廳，用折疊椅排列，可以容納500餘人。(3)
影片放映時間是下午七時，五點鐘不到就有人卡位，一個小時之內，已坐滿所有座位。始料未及，放映前居然站立者，也近400人，整個大廳擠得水泄不通。人潮繼續湧來，不得不加以管制。
放映過程所有目光都聚焦在影幕上，個個情緒跟著情節起伏。一位大嬸在抽泣，她年邁的父親被鬥得上吊而亡。一位大叔掩不住心中怒火，他的兒子在武鬥中，被紅衛兵拳腳相加活活打死。
中場休息，聽到義憤填膺之聲此起彼落。一位僑團主席感慨萬千地說：這場浩劫，是全體中國人的夢魘，我們不能忘記歷史，但願歷史不會重演。
文革發起至今已有53年，漫長的歲月很難撫平人們心靈的創傷。我與一位來自福建的鄰居談及，如果沒有文革，現今的中國會是怎樣？他的回答是：那就不會有鄧小平的改革開放，中國的崛起會再慢20年。真會如此嗎？他說得還有點道理。(4)
兩個月後，一部描述中國大陸官僚特權，走後門、行關說等荒謬情形的電影《假如我是真的》If l were for real在巴拿馬中華總會大禮堂放映。
故事改編自轟動華人世界的中國大陸著名劇作家沙葉新的同名劇本。台灣永升影業公司出品，王童導演。譚詠麟、胡冠珍、常楓、葛香亭、崔福生主演。譚詠麟因此片獲得1981年第18屆電影金馬獎最佳男主角奬，同時獲得最佳劇情片及最佳改編劇夲獎。
《假如我是真的》劇本，是1976年四人幫垮台後，第一部大膽揭露大陸當局腐敗的文藝作品，不但驚動了海內外華人世界，也驚動了中共中央宣傳部。
時任中央宣傳部的部長是胡耀邦，對作家沙葉新採取保護態度，反對對文藝作品妄加罪名，保住了沙葉新不被批鬥，但其《假如我是真的》劇本禁止出版及改編演出。
因此這部由台灣出品的影片，在巴拿馬僑社如同《皇天后土》一般，在中華總放映時，引來一場近400人的觀賞。並巡迴至巴拿馬中部地區及西部智利基省、北部箇朗中華公所等僑社放映。(5）
兩部影片在僑社放映後不久，我收到自1979年11月我擔任《共和報》編撰以來的第一封讀者投書，敘述他的一位至親，在中國大陸屈就於某縣委書記，使用特權欺壓就範的經過，並説出《權力使人腐化，危害國家至深》的句子。
沙葉新病逝於2018年7月26日，享年79歲。他的女兒沙智紅接受中央社訪問，形容她的父親《一生不為錢活，不為權寫》。
網上瘋傳沙葉新在2009年中國戲劇文學學會第4次全國代表大會上的演講內容：權力使人腐敗，使人愚蠢，使人折騰，使人殘忍。不為權力寫作，不為權力的意識形態而寫。
沙葉新更進一步的說：一個稱職的作家，一個有尊嚴的作家，一個真正想為這片多災多難的熱土、為你深愛著的人民寫出好作品的作家，必須要獨立蒼茫，頂天立地。天馬行空，無傍無依。無拘無束，豪放不羈。不當奴才，不做工具。敢想敢說，敢於直筆。
沙葉新的這番話，是在十年前講的，迄今仍然發揮了影響力。可見在中華人民共和國治理下的中國大陸，言論自由的尺度開放不少。(6，夲篇完)
第22篇：一生為僑社服務的吳祕書
清光緒25年(1899年)11月，中法越南戰爭之後，法國軍艦開進廣州灣，強迫清廷簽訂《中法互訂廣州灣租界條約》，次年按約落實。
廣州灣，濱雷州半島東北岸，今屬廣東省湛江市。湛江港水深港闊，形勢天成，兼有軍港、商港之美。被法國租用45年，民國34年(1945年)中華民國對日八年抗戰獲得勝利，政府收回湛江。
1920年代，在法國殖民下的廣州灣，有一位世代經商致富的吳府耆老，因健康因素，將事業轉交給三個兒子經營，但么兒對做生意不感興趣，選擇了去法國留學，學成後在殖民政府，當上了一位事務官，這名法國留學生，名叫吳炳。(1)
美國為快速結束二次大戰，1945年8月6日及9日，分別在日本廣島、長崎，投下新武器原子彈，盟軍勝利已成定局。
8月15日，日本宣佈無條件投降。之前，法國政府照會中華民國，戰後將租期99年的廣州灣提前歸還中國。
這年七月下旬，在湛江的法國殖民政府發表人事命令，派吳炳前往越南海防，處理一宗與華人有關的偽鈔集團案。這時的吳炳，已是法國殖民政府內的一位副局處長級官員。
到任後的吳炳，公務纏身，除了協助偵辦偽鈔案外，還要處理華僑事務。公務家庭不能兼顧之下，1948年6月，將家眷接往越南。
吳炳妻陳善英女士，帶著四兒一女，離開故里湛江，搭船去了越南與夫婿團聚。
這四兒一女之中，二哥吳光定年僅八歲，幼女吳秀蓮三歲。民國60年(1971年)8月，吳秀蓮成了我的妻子，吳光定成了我的內兄。
1979年至1996年，我和秀蓮在巴拿馬，與中華民國駐巴拿馬大使館僑務秘書吳光定，相互支援僑務工作，長達十八年。(2）
1949年7月，隨著吳炳職務的調動，全家人遷往中越邊境的廣寧省省會硭街，廣寧省與中國的廣東、廣西接壤，也是華人的聚集地。
暑假過後，孩子們進了當地的華僑小學，吳光定讀三年級，吳秀蓮卻進入了一所法國幼稚園，因此有點法語基礎。
二次大戰結束後的第二年，胡志明領導越南共産黨掀起境內的越法戰爭，持續了八年之久。
1954年3月13日至5月7日，越南西北部奠邊府，爆發了越法戰爭中最激烈，也是最後一次的戰役。
越共武元甲將軍手下的越盟軍隊，戰勝了法國空降兵及法國外籍兵團，法國勢力完全退出中南半島，由美國接手。
1954年7月，法、美、越各相關國家，達成《日內瓦協定》，確定以北緯17度為界，越南分裂。北方為越南民主共和國，南方為越南共和國。北緯17度維持到1975年4月底，美軍撤離越南，結束了兩階段長達30個年頭的越南戰爭。
1954年8月，超過20萬人，經由美國海軍執行的《自由之路行動》，到達南越。
吳炳全家人也到達了西貢，吳炳轉任至南越政府，以原職原薪任用。鄰近西貢的堤岸阮豸街，成了吳府的新居。（3)
1955年越南共和國首任總統吳廷淡上臺，時任美國副總統的尼克森訪問西貢，建議吳廷琰，為加強抗共力量，應使華人歸化，華人當兵可以補充兵源，華人入籍可參與選舉。吳廷琰接受建議，頒布《國籍法》及《禁營令》，獲得國會通過。
華人移民越南，始自清道光年間(1821－1850)盛於咸豐時期（1851－1861)，多以經商為生，歷經數代，入籍歸化越南者微乎其微。《禁營令》也就是禁止外國人經營營利事業，配合《國籍法》實施。
處於戰爭狀態的越南，尤其是有適齡役男的華人家庭，面臨歸化入籍的抉擇。
華僑團體情商中華民國駐越南大使館協助，將有志於赴台灣就學的青少年，接運赴台。當時吳光定就讀於堤岸華興中學高中一年級，在父親的鼓勵下，搭上首批中華民國專機抵達台灣，安排進入道南中學。(4)
民國46年（1957年)7月28日，吳光定回國就學。五個月後的1958年1月1日，國立華僑高級中學、華僑初級中學、華僑女子中學合併成立國立道南中學於台北縣蘆洲鄉。被分發至高中部一年級，暑假過後升入二年級。
吳光定在道南中學，加入了校內的童軍團，番號為台北縣22團，編在17歲以上的羅浮童軍分團，在校兩年半中，被同學推選為學生領袖，代表道南中學參與多項活動，包括：接待越南青年訪問團、環島軍中服務團、暑期救國團金門勞軍團、菲律賓馬尼拉第十屆世界童軍大露營(1959年7月17日至26日)、越南第一次全國童子軍大露營(1959年12月24日至27日)、救國團寒假高山野營隊等等等等。
民國49年(1960年)9月，吳光定考入國立台灣大學農業經濟系，熱心公益服務僑生始終如一。
道南中學至台灣大學，前後六年半中，僑務委員會前後委員長鄭彦棻、高信，救國團主任蔣經國、執行長宋時選，都對他留下深刻良好的印象。
大學畢業後吳光定進入僑務委員會僑生輔導處服務。
民國58年(1969年)3月29日至4月9日，中國國民黨第十次全國代表大會在陽明山中山樓舉行，吳光定成為知青黨部僑生黨代表。(5)
民國59年(1970年)8月12日，美國在《美日安保條約》的框架下，片面在東京駐日大使館內宣佈，釣魚台列島是琉球群島的一部份。引發海峽兩岸三地包括中國大陸地區、台灣地區、港澳地區，以及海外華人的憤慨，紛紛向當地美日兩國使領館前示威抗議，是謂《保釣愛國運動》。
在台灣就學的僑生們更是義憤填膺，滿腔熱血，不落人後，發出正義的怒吼。
以台大、政大、師大為主幹的僑生，除了向外交部提出陳情書，表達誓為保衛國土的決心外，並向美日兩國駐中華民國大使館提出嚴正抗議。示威靜坐連續數日。
僑生們對外交部及駐日大使館對美日政府，表達抗議維護主權的力道不足，表示不滿。情緒高昂越演越烈，最後各大專院校的僑生們，集合在台灣大學傅園絕食抗議。
僑務委員會及教育部為防止事態擴大，派員進行安撫，僑委會高信委員長親臨現場慰問僑生。並派出以吳光定為召集人的安撫小組，進行平息工作。
吳光定以其僑生領袖，台大校友，道南中學學長的身分，向絕食的僑生們，說之以理、動之以情，最後將事件圓滿結束。(6）
1971年適逢中華民國建國六十年，台澎金馬地區軍民熱烈慶祝。全球五大洲的華僑，紛紛組團回國慶賀，人數近3000人。
雙十國慶當天，總統府廣場前，在立法院長黃國書主持的慶祝大會上，來自巴拿馬的僑領盧湛濤，代表華僑致賀詞。蔣中正總統及夫人宋美齡，親臨現場觀禮。
有趣的是，盧湛濤全程用廣東話致詞，蔣總統伉儷坐在講台右方首席。盧湛濤說了幾句開場話後，忽然停了下來，面向總統及夫人說：蔣總統蔣夫人，很不好意思，我不會講國語。夫人立即笑著用廣東話回答：沒關係，我們聽得懂。來賓給予熱烈掌聲。
下午，蔣總統及夫人，在陽明山中山樓以茶會方式接見華僑。僑委會派出近百人接待團，吳光定安排在中南美洲小組內，與盧湛濤有了頻繁接觸。
盧湛濤在台期間，兩度向僑委會高信委員長提及，派遣一位適當人選至巴拿馬，為僑胞服務。
民國61年(1972年)5月，人令發佈，派吳光定至中華民國駐巴拿馬大使館，出任僑務秘書。
民國61年6月17日，吳光定搭上了華航班機飛往舊金山，經邁阿密轉往巴拿馬到任。記得那天是個星期六，我到松山機場送機至機旁。(7)
僑務委員會駐外工作人員，分為七等職，依序是參事、組長、專員、一等秘書、二等秘書、三等秘書、雇員。吳光定以三等秘書派職，配屬大使館作業。
初到一個陌生國度，肩負政府與僑社的聯絡工作，以服務僑胞為宗旨。面對僑社僑胞，真是千頭萬緒不知如何做起。他要掌理的事項，無時無刻都在腦海中盤旋。1，輔導健全僑社組織，加強僑胞僑團聯繫。2，輔導僑社辦理華文教學、新聞傳播、宣揚中華文化。3，輔導華僑青年回國升學、觀摩、研習。協導僑胞回國參訪、考察。4，輔導華僑事業經營，促進僑商與祖國間的貿易、投資。5，策導華僑社團推展國民外交。
吳光定面對的是一個面積有7萬7千平方公里，華僑有10萬人，僑團有17個，華人國會議員、部長、律師、法官、會計師、理髮師傅、攤販、基層工人皆有的國家。有山有水的地方，就有華僑。(8)
比較中華民國駐外人員的待遇，各部會一向以僑務委員會為最低。同一職等與外交部相較，至少，少了三分之一。吳光定因非主官，既無外勤津貼，也無外勤加給。
初接派令的他，本擬擕眷前往巴拿馬，經再三考慮，妻兒暫留台灣，自己在外打拼。
隻身在巴拿馬的他，節儉度日刻苦自己，欲累積一點財富，改善家庭生計。
他窩居在共和報社的辦公室裡，一張行軍床晚上撐開白天收起。自行炊煮，三餐併成兩餐，不畏艱苦樂於為此。頭一年，外訪僑民，走遍巴京大街小巷，搭的是公共汽車。次年心一橫，以美金800元，買了一輛近20年車齡的Volkswagen 金龜車，終可，以車代步。(9)
吳光定履新後的第一個星期六，巴拿馬中華總會會長盧湛濤邀約各僑團主席，在巴京龍鳳酒樓，舉辦了一個迎新餐會，介紹吳秘書與大家見面，相互認識。在座的有黃仁霖大使、前會長陳奉天、箇朗中華公所主席李金奎、國民黨支部常委唐昭和等人。大家對這位年輕的僑民公僕，留下了良好的印象。
前會長陳奉天，在其富所，安排了一次家庭聚會，各僑團主席伉儷相聚一堂，談笑風生，是一場歡喜溫馨的聚會。
陳奉天安排了一位熟諳僑社的Kito譚，陪同吳秘書至各同鄉會、公所，作了密集式的拜會，得到了一個概略的認識。
巴拿馬的僑胞，分散至各行各業，以服務業為主幹，小本經營的雜貨舖、小型超市、餐館、酒吧、菜攤子皆有，也是最需要照顧的一群。因此勤走基層，了解僑情解決困難，成了吳秘書的首要工作。他也發現僑團組織重視排字論輩，選擇賢能領導，唯僑團之間欠缺互動，協助中華總會促進僑社和諧發展，刻不容緩。(10)
民國61年(1972年)8月，依據巴拿馬中華總會組織章程，吳秘書成為會員，在當月的一次理監事會議中，吳秘書以大使館僑務秘書，又是會員的身分列席會議。
吳秘書在會議中提議，這年9月22日舉辦全僑歡渡中秋佳節活動，獲得支持，並成立籌備委員會。經大使館袁武官情商美國南方軍區，當晚在巴拿馬市銅鑼灣（Amador Causeway)的阿瑪鐸半島上的美軍軍官俱樂部舉行中秋聯歡晚會。俱樂部餐廳以優惠價格供應豐盛的甫菲餐點。各同鄉會認購餐券，僑胞五百餘人踴躍參與。這是吳秘書首次與旅巴僑胞近距離接觸，也是他參與僑胞活動的起步式。
阿瑪鐸半島是利用開鑿運河時，挖掘的泥沙，填海造陸，連結銅鑼灣中的三個小島而成的人工島。經過近百年的建設規劃，島上椰林成蔭，遍地青薈，花木扶疏，鳥語花香，打造成一座海上花園。左岸可觀日出，右岸可見落日，北眺美洲大橋，船隻、帆船、遊艇穿梭灣內，置身其中令人流連忘返。
活動當晚，僑胞歡欣鼓舞，載歌載舞，盡情至深夜。(11)
僑界中秋聯誼之後，慶祝雙十國慶籌備工作隨即展開。活動包括各同鄉會、公所，國慶當日升中巴兩國國旗，集合各僑團主席向國父孫中山銅像獻花致敬，晚會，釣魚比賽，由吳秘書擔任籌劃人，各僑團人力支援。
巴拿馬全僑慶祝中華民國61年國慶晚會，首先於10月9日星期六在巴京國際酒樓舉行。各僑團認購餐券近60桌，超過預期。晚會安排歌唱、巴拿馬土風舞等節目。
晚會開始前，始料未及出了狀況。問題出在座位安排上，中國洪門民治黨巴拿馬支部名譽主席馮蔭初，未被安排在首桌引發不滿，矛頭指向吳秘書，場面相當尷尬。
國民黨支部常委唐昭和見狀，表達與馮老互換座位之意，但未被接受，並起身離席。在黃大使、陳奉天等僑領斡旋下，總算平息下來。
事後，洪門民治黨主席蘇海山向吳秘書安撫說，馮老比孫中山先生小18歲，但在洪門兄弟職位上，同為坐堂紅棍，行事直爽豪邁有點霸氣，請勿見怪。(12）
在這次全僑國慶晚會，座位安排事件中，雖有美中不足有些遺憾，但對吳秘書推動僑務工作，卻有了新的思維，多層面了解僑社，才知僑胞所需。畢竟工作是千頭萬緖，推展要縝密行事。
巴拿馬僑團組織，大小各異，人力物力條件各有不同。有些僑團更是虛有其名，服務僑胞無能為力。
僑界三教九流各有所需，如何配合僑團，深入基層發掘問題解決問題團結僑心，是吳秘書最大的考驗。(13）
吳秘書在巴拿馬服務僑社24年，高信委員長卸任前發布派令，毛松年委員長上任當月赴任。這在中華民國僑務歷史上，一個人在同一地點擔任同一職務，如此之久，已創下紀錄。
駐外人員慣例一任三年，至少延長一任至六年，吳秘書在巴拿馬僑社複雜的環境下工作，居然成了八任元老，是機緣更是命運。
他在巴拿馬經歴過兩個階段，第一階段1972年至1980年，面對的是傳統僑社，數代人生活在此地。第二階段1981年至1996年，大批大陸新僑移民巴拿馬，服務僑社成了新舊一體，比起第一階段更為艱辛。
1979年1月1日，美國與中華人民共和國建立全面外交關係，鄧小平實施改革開放，為具備海外關係者，開了一扇門，大批新移民湧入巴拿馬。
這些新僑從未接觸過外面的世界，長期生活在共産社會裡，思想是單純的。來到新環境，居然能聽到不同的聲音，可以多角度思考問題，可以自由發揮己見，批判政府官員，簡直不可思議。
因此，如何輔導僑團，讓新僑從排斥到接受這個新的社會，成了吳秘書另一次的挑戰。冗長的過程，值得新一代的僑務工作者學習。吳秘書與巴拿馬僑胞互動的故事，寫不完數不盡。(14)
民國55年（1966年)1月27日，全球第一個跨國華僑社團組織《中美洲暨巴拿馬六國中華總會、華僑總會聯合總會》，在薩爾瓦多，由六國僑團代表，組成籌備委員會。同年8月，在巴拿馬舉行成立大會、第一屆年會暨懇親大會。之後，每年依序由瓜地馬拉、薩爾瓦多、宏都拉斯、尼加拉瓜、哥斯大黎加輪流舉辦。
民國61年(1972年)9月，第7屆年會暨懇親大會，再次輪值巴拿馬舉行。
經過前六屆的互動交流、切磋觀摩，六國僑團更趨融洽團結。在這屆年會上大會決議，由吳光定出任六國聯會秘書長。
吳秘書除了服務巴拿馬僑社夲職外，又成了僑委會派出的巡迴大使，不定期奔波六國之間，籌劃每年一度的年會暨懇親大會。(15）
巴拿馬中國城牌樓入口處，是一條名為Carlos A．Mendoza街的單行道，右邊第一幢是一所兩層樓磚木混合建築物。樓下一大間，樓上三小間，居然是一所學校僑立中國國民小學。學生只有50餘人，教師含校長在內3人。校長室兼教師休息室，也是教學器材室，華西雙語文教學。
這所學校成立於民國22年(1933年)，最初名為永興小學，對日抗戰時期更名為僑立中國國民小學，1980年再度更名爲僑立中華民國小學。民國33年(1944年)春天，學校新樓落成，遷校現址，也有了首屆畢業生。僑彥李澤瑩、何麟生、鍾麗珍皆是前三屆的校友。
學校與共和報社為鄰，兩棟陽台相距僅一公尺，上課日可見中華民國國旗飄揚於陽台旗桿之上。因此，吳秘書與學校師生有了近距離接觸。
吳秘書從師資、經費、教學內容、學生學習能力各方面進行了解。華語教課書還採用1950年代香港華僑語文出版社發行的國語會話課本，但是用廣東話教學，顯然已不符時代所需。畢業生受限於家庭因素，孩子在家能用母語與長輩溝通，就可滿足的觀念，大部份學生畢業後就不再升學。但也有少數例外，如曾任中華總會會長的何麟生，畢業於美國史丹福大學。(16）
吳秘書進一步邀約國民小學前校長鄭華秋、校長李麗華、教師阮紹英茶敘，對今後如何推展僑教工作，請益見解。
綜合意見後，他草擬了一份建議書，面呈中華總會前後任會長陳奉天、盧湛濤，對創立一所包括幼稚園、小學、初中、高中在內一貫教學，兼具僑社活動、類似華僑文教中心，多功能的學府交換意見。至此，確立了成立中巴文化中心的初步構想。
兩個月後的1973年5月間，中華總會召開理監事會議，依據原擬草案，彙集成建校提案，經熱烈討論後獲得通過。唯土地的取得、經費的籌措，一時無法解決。此案也只好存案備查。
四年後的1977年9月7日，美國卡特總統與巴拿馬實際領導人杜里荷將軍，在美國華盛頓DC簽訂《巴美杜卡運河條約》。1978年4月18日，美國參議院批准該條約生效。自生效日起至1999年12月31日期間，巴拿馬政府可逐步收回對運河及運河區的完全管轄權。
於是建校一案，土地的取得有了契機。陳奉天召集各僑團主席，組成建校籌備委員會。吳光定是發起人之一，也成了當然委員。
當時的巴拿馬總統羅岳，是陳奉天的摯友，批示教育部協助建校事宜。1980年初，撥出首批位於El Dorado運河區入口處約5公頃土地，闢為建校用地。租約50年，期滿優先續約。
1980年9月11日破土動工，一座由巴拿馬華僑組成的非營利民間文化組織《中巴交化中心Centro Cultural Chino-Panameno》孕育而成。(17)
民國68年（1979年)11月，吳光定返國述職，持陳奉天親筆函面呈僑委會毛松年委員長，期盼中華民國政府及民間企業，支助建校硬體設施所需之建材及浥注資金，為破土動工興建預做準備。獲得毛委員長鼎力支持，隨後建材及企業資助陸續到位。
中巴文化中心暨中山學校歷經曾憲揆、宋長志兩位大使協助，來自中華民國國內的資金支援，除建築材料外，在美金100萬元以上。
吳秘書為此一工程順利進展，數度返國奔走於各部會之間，備極辛勞頗受僑界讚揚。
民國72年(1983年)5月，巴拿馬教育部通過中巴文化中心暨中山學校立案成立。民國75年（1986年)8月，中巴文化中心開始運作，中山學校對外招生。
中巴文化中心暨中山學校，由理想至實現到運作，吳秘書全程參與長達23年，對僑教工作的熱心投入，不畏艱難，戮力從公的工作態度，深受僑胞愛戴感動，值得駐外僑務工作人員學習。(18)
僑務委員會輔導僑生回國升學，是工作重點之一。1960年代就有港澳、東南亞各地華裔青年赴台就讀，1970年代擴及美加、中南美洲。
民國62年（1973年)9月，巴拿馬中華總會新廈落成後不久，吳秘書在新址舉辦僑生回國講習會，家長及同學踴躍參加，對此一政策有了充分認識。次年起，每年均有二至三名同學，分赴臺灣各大專院校就讀。
吳秘書在巴期間，超過50名優秀青年，甄選回國升學。畢業後全部回到巴拿馬服務於各行各業，工作亮麗頗受讃掦。
其中三例，分別是Manuel Wu吳文偉、Jacinto譚、Fermin A．Chan陳志強。前兩位畢業於中央警官學校，後者畢業於輔仁大學。
民國86年（1997年)9月，李登輝總統訪問巴拿馬，吳文偉已官拜少校軍區副指揮官，授命擔任李總統的侍衛官。
Jacinto譚，曾貴為海空防衞局緝私緝毒主管。陳志強，也就是陳奉天先生的長孫，成了科技公司的電腦程式工程師。其中，譚先生、陳先生成了臺灣女婿。(19)
吳秘書長期耕耘僑務工作，在巴拿馬結識了三位華裔好友，前後任駐中華民國大使，分別是朱立基(任期：1986年1月至1990年4月)，葉祿生(任期：1990年5月至1994年4月)，莫新度(任期：2004年12月至2007年9月)。
朱立基，祖籍廣東花縣，在巴拿馬最大僑團組織花縣同鄕會，擔任過理事及常務理事。吳秘書走訪花縣僑胞，認識了朱立基，成了好朋友。朱立基除了熟諳廣東話外，也會講國語，為人處事誠懇盡責，平易近人，言語風趣。
葉祿生曾任巴拿馬中部Cocle省華僑會館主席，為服務中部近5000名僑胞，與葉祿生常有聯繫，也成了好友。
莫新度，曾任巴拿馬公共工程部長，中巴文化中心創辦時期的建築委員會召集人，與吳秘書私交甚篤。
朱立基早在1960年代，在Tocumen國際機場附近經營餐館。巴拿馬軍事強人諾瑞嘉，甫從秘魯軍校畢業，以少尉軍階任用，派駐在Tocumen軍區。常至餐館用餐，品酌小酒，無話不談，與朱立基成了莫逆之交。
1968年諾瑞嘉追隨長官杜里荷上校發動政變成功，深受杜的器重。杜里荷成了巴拿馬實際的國家領導人。
1981年7月，杜里荷將軍因飛機失事喪生，由巴雷達斯上校接任，諾瑞嘉已官拜中校。
1983年諾瑞嘉權謀逼退巴雷達斯，自任國防軍總司令，晉升上校，掌握了軍政大權，代替了杜里荷將軍的位置。1986年1月，諾瑞嘉想到了朱立基，任命朱立基出使中華民國。
派令未發布前，朱立基先去找吳秘書，請益如何當大使，讓吳秘書十分訝異，這是有違外交常軌的事。吳秘書表示，人事確定後，巴拿馬外交部必定會與你討論，擔任大使注意事項。有趣的是，朱立基不知道什麼是呈遞國書。(20)
民國70年代，在經國先生主政下，台灣十大經濟建設陸續完成，是中華民國歷史上第二個黃金十年，成為亞洲四小龍之首，駐外人員薪資逐年增加。吳秘書歷經三位大使，黃仁霖、曾憲揆至宋長志。
宋大使識才惜才，拔擢吳光定為二等秘書，並為他向僑委會爭取到一輛公務用車。民國72年(1983年)，吳秘書將家眷接到巴拿馬，結束了長達11年與妻兒分隔大洋兩岸，日日思念的生活。
民國78年(1989年)大使館在巴京國際會議中心舉辦五百餘人的雙十國慶酒會。吳秘書駕着一輛日製三菱SUV新車，順道接送僑彥鄭華秋、蘇海山赴會。
在車上，鄭蘇兩人談起對日抗戰時期，祖國外交官的待遇和生活點滴。當時的駐巴拿馬公使是沈覲鼎，整個公使館只有公使有一輛1935年出廠的福特Mercury中價位水星汽車。由於經濟拮据，使館人員的薪水，無法如期發放，先由僑團墊支，往往三至六月才能歸墊。國慶酒會也是由僑社人士，贊助舉辦。兩相比較，真是不可同日而語。(21）
大約是民國63年(1974年)二月間，吳秘書由一位勞姓僑胞陪同，至Los Santos省及Chiriqui省遍遠地區探慰僑胞。在泛美公路的一條支線上，有一個海拔八千英尺，相當於2400公尺的山區小鎮Tole，這是巴拿馬境內公路的最高點，由泛美公路出口大約15分鐘車程可以到達。
這個小鎮人口不到千人，只有一條柏油馬路，也是商業中心，商店不過十家。其中就有一家華人雜貨舖，店主鄭先生是吳秘書此行探訪的僑胞。
鄭先生祖籍廣東香山，他的祖父早年是開鑿運河的華工，1920年代，由巴京遷來此地，替一位富農當長工，經二十年的努力，累積了一點財富，購得兩英畝山坡地，種植高山蔬菜及水果，收成賣至省城大衛市。
吳秘書參觀了他的橘園，碩大的冬橘汁多味甘。在角落處，居然發現了兩株梅花樹，在寒風中綻放著鮮紅美麗清香撲鼻的花朵，似乎在歡迎一位來自祖國的親人。
此情此景，吳秘書心有感觸，心有感動。直覺地想一首由劉家昌作曲，唱遍國內及國外僑社的愛國歌曲《梅花》。
梅花梅花滿天下，越冷它越開花。梅花堅忍象徵我們，巍巍的大中華。通常我們稱華僑為革命之母，從那時起，吳秘書對華僑多了一個稱呼《華僑是梅花，開遍滿天下，有土地就有它》。(22)
幼兒時期在越南的吳秘書，常隨母親到關帝廟膜拜，每逢陰曆六月二十四日關帝聖君生辰，信衆滙集熱閙的場景，留下深刻印象。
到達巴拿馬的吳秘書，頭一個月，就對此地僑胞信仰關公的情形，進行了解。
160年前的清咸豐年間（1851-1861)，一批離鄉背井的華人先民，飄洋過海到達巴拿馬，建築縱貫兩洋鐵路，當時就有人把關公聖像帶到巴拿馬，以求神明保佑工作順利。
以發揚關公忠義精神為宗旨的巴拿馬第一個華僑組織《人和會館》成立於清咸豐八年(1858年)，建了一座關帝小廟。40年後的清光緒24年（1898年)，隆重立殿設龕祭祀。次年(1899年)古岡州會館跟進，也在館內設殿供奉。兩個會館都成了華僑信仰中心，信徒祭祀膜拜香火延綿不絕，虔誠不落越南之後。
唯兩個會館祭祀關帝生辰時期各異，古岡州會館在陰暦五月十三日，不同與越南。人和會館在陰暦六月二十四日，於是出現兩個關帝生日。各會館各有依據，6月24日出自於元朝胡琦編撰的《關羽年譜》及清朝民間事務筆記。5月13日則出自於《明史禮志》及《清史稿禮志》。關帝聖誕日雖有爭論，但中和處理一團和氣。每年兩個關公生辰祭祀，吳秘書均以陪祭官身分出席大典。(23)
1989年中外有三件大事，6月4日天安門事件，11月9日推倒柏林圍牆兩德統一，12月20日美國入侵巴拿馬。
巴拿馬自1903年脫離哥倫比亞獨立以來，在美國扶持下，雖經兩次世界大戰，但一直平穏和平成長。86年後，卻遭到美國的入侵。
回憶這場戰爭，重創了巴拿馬的經濟。戰後的燒殺擄掠，給華僑帶來難以彌補的傷害。從戰爭發起到恢復平靜，時間長達數年。尤其是前兩個月，巴京及箇朗兩地，一片狼藉觸目驚心。
吳秘書職責所在，如同戰場上的軍人，冒著生命危險，駕駛那輛方便通行掛著CD（Cuervo Diplomatico)外交使館車牌的SUV，由僑團主席陪同，深入受災受難僑胞家庭商店，進行慰問。(25)
吳秘書將僑胞傷亡受災情形，向宋長志大使作了報告。宋大使當即作出決定，次日親率武官丁大山少將，在吳秘書陪同下，連續三天分赴巴京各醫院，慰問住院僑胞，並分發慰問紅包，叮嚀靜養，早日康復，場面溫馨感人。
三個星期後，首筆僑胞救助金25萬美元，由中華民國政府撥款到位。僑界並發揮同胞愛，慷慨解囊，成績斐然。
吳秘書在硝煙瀰漫危機四伏的惡劣環境下，馬不停蹄走訪受害僑胞。某晚，與花縣同鄉會主席侯觀祥，探訪戰爭受傷住院僑胞。步出醫院上車之前，遇三人結夥搶匪，為首者槍抵吳秘書腦袋，令交出汽車鑰匙。攸關性命，吳秘書不作抵抗，使用不到一年的SUV公務新車被劫。外交車牌也沒啥用，匪徒駕車揚長而去。(26）
民國61年(1972年)9月，中美洲暨巴拿馬六國華僑總會第7屆年會及第1次懇親大會，在宏都拉斯首都德古斯加巴舉行。此次懇親大會中，增加六國華埠小姐選拔，第一名代表中美洲華僑小姐出任親善大使，赴台北出席雙十國慶大典，及遊覽全台旅遊景點。
民國83年(1994年)第29屆年會及第23次懇親大會，在薩爾瓦多京城聖薩爾瓦多市舉行，旅巴拿馬台商呂文忠先生千金呂純如小姐，榮獲中美洲六國華僑小姐冠軍。是23年以來，巴拿馬華裔小姐第四度獲得此項殊榮。
次年（1995年)5月，巴拿馬僑界歷來最熱烈的一次華埠小姐選拔，在中巴文化中心中正體育館舉行。（27)
由於呂純如效應，加上媒體報導，以及巴拿馬戰後連續數年嘉年華節中，全國各地頻繁舉行選美活動帶來的熱情。華僑各界順著風潮，紛紛甄選青春洋溢美麗年少的鄕親晚輩，報名參加1995年華埠小姐選拔活動。
五月上旬一個週末晚上，中巴文化中心中正體育館內的觀眾台上，一下湧入包括各同鄉會、社團、各人選手，選手的家長、同學、親友組成的拉拉隊，超過兩千人。
活動自下午六時起陸續登場，八隊拉拉隊代表參選人有八位，分別安排在觀眾台兩邊。主辦單位中華總會，對拉拉隊也作比賽評分。各隊各顯身手，各有創意，表演精采，使整個場子活絡起來。(28)
八名參賽者中，吳曉茹小姐在姑姑吳秀蓮鼓勵下，媽媽贊成下報了名，角逐這年巴拿馬華埠小姐，進而爭取中美洲六國華僑小姐榮銜。
姑姑的意思是，青春不留白，讓人生有一段美好的回憶。母親對自己的女兒有信心，參加比賽公平競爭。為難的是，吳曉茹的父親身分特殊，一來是大使館的僑務秘書，再來是中美洲六國華僑聯合總會的秘書長。基於一位父親，自然希望女兒能順遂其願，一旦拔得頭籌，僑界必有雜音，責怪其母責怪其姑，為何沒有三思而行。
每支拉拉隊真是八仙過海各顯神通，利用各種道具，敲鑼鼔、吹喇叭、作韻律操、唱加油歌。
吳曉茹組成百人拉拉隊，製作了一條巨型紅底白字橫幅，懸於體育館護欄之前，上寫《一二三．三二一，吳曉茹．得第一》。
同學們看著姑姑的手勢，姑姑拿著揚聲器唱《一二三》，同學們應《三二一》，姑姑唱《吳曉茹》，同學們應《得第一》，盛況熱烈歷史空前。(29）
主辦單位邀請了蘇秉照大使伉儷、華裔巴拿馬副市長劉玉珍及各僑團主席暨夫人觀禮。蘇大使夫人、劉玉珍是六人評審團之一。
八位參賽者在激烈競爭中，經過旗袍走秀、才藝表演、機智問答三項過程後，最終在些微差距中，吳曉茹脫穎而出，獲得冠軍，全場High至極點。
頒授桂冠時，以蘇大使夫人為首的各方夫人，包括吳曉茹的母親柴惠君女士以及何麟生會長、侯觀祥主席依序上了舞台。司儀數次唱名吳秘書，卻未見上台。(30）
整個選美過程，吳秘書沒有離開過體育館，而是遊走各拉拉隊間問候同學。左一聲吳秘書好，右一聲吳秘書好，此起彼落。還有吳曉茹得第一的聲音，吳秘書咧著大嘴一直在笑，說道：勝負不重要，能參與就是好事。
宣布名次的那一刻，大家引頸期盼自己心目中的人選。最後兩名冠亞軍中，吳曉茹就在其中。名單交給了劉玉珍，劉咳了兩聲看看四周，純粹是吊胃口，宣布第二名是Senorita Lao，全場一片歡呼，那冠軍就是吳曉茹囉。那一刻吳秘書正在我面前，喜溢眉宇，充滿高興。
中美洲六國華僑總會聯合總會第30屆年會暨24次懇親大會，於1995年8月在瓜地馬拉京城瓜地馬拉市舉行，在母親和姑姑的陪同下，吳曉茹代表巴拿馬，角逐中美洲六國年度華僑小姐榮銜。(31)
1995年8月，中美洲六國華僑總會年會暨懇親大會，在瓜地馬拉京城舉行。懇親大會最大的熱點，非選美活動莫屬。
各國華埠小姐，各個風姿綽約，才華洋溢。比較之下，吳曉茹無論在儀態容貌、談吐應對各方面都是情態天成，有望奪得六國華僑小姐選美冠軍。
各國鄉親引頸期盼，各自代表能夠脫穎而出。最緊張的一刻終於到來，角逐者中最後兩名要爭取冠亞軍。當宣布第二名由巴拿馬的吳曉茹獲得時，地主國鄉親一片歡呼，1995年中美洲六國華僑小姐，由瓜地馬拉獲得。吳曉茹立即趨前展開雙臂，給冠軍小姐一個大大的擁抱，大方展現風度。
回到旅館，吳曉茹抱著媽媽和姑姑，傷心地哭了。吳秘書安慰女兒：勝負不重要，能夠參與就是好事。
事前，巴拿馬中華總會何麟生會長對吳秘書說過：六國小姐中曉茹最具冠軍相，但要有心理準備，不會得第一。
吳秘書回道：這是最好的結局，可以大大地減輕了我心中的負擔。(32)
截至 民國85年(1996年)6月，吳秘書奉調回國為止，僑委會駐外人員，編制內共有46人。分別為文教中心21人，辦事處代表處16人，華僑旅運社相濟會5人，使領館4人。按地區分，美國加拿大22人，亞洲10人，歐洲7人，中南美洲5人，澳大利亞1人，南非1人。區區46人要服務全球四千萬華僑，簡直不成比例。
在四個使領館中，均以僑務秘書職稱任用。僑務人員以其職務範圍，除推行常軌任務外，視個人工作熱忱、敬業精神，可伸可縮。
吳光定秘書在巴拿馬服務長達24年，僑委會曾三度徵詢僑團，調職吳秘書回國。均被各同鄉會主席、各業僑胞聲援慰留。一向親中共的最大僑團，受吳秘書照顧服務最多的花縣同鄉會，更以《僑委會如不從僑意，調吳秘書回國，同鄉會將升五星紅旗抗議。》當時吳秘書的心境，真是進退維谷左右為難。
吳秘書如此受到僑胞愛戴，其來有自，並非偶然。全在他勤奔基層，了解僑情，反應僑需，解決問題。(33)
民國85年(1996年)6月8日，中華民國第八任駐巴拿馬大使袁健生上任。兩天後的6月10日，第十二任僑務委員會委員長祝基瀅履新。再過三天的6月13日，吳秘書接獲僑委會調職令，回會服務，遺缺由洛杉磯華僑文教第一服務中心一等秘書鄧毅雄接任。
僑委會未按慣例徴詢僑界意見，率先發布人令，令人費解，引起僑界強烈不滿。雖力請收歸成命，但無功而返。
僑界盛大設宴餞行，送別之日僑胞近百人聚集機場，依依離情流露無遺。隔天6月21日週五晚，飛抵台北。休息兩天後，於星期一回到僑委會報到。(34)
吳秘書對此次的調職，令出突然疑惑不解，其中必有蹊蹺。
數日後，吳秘書接獲政風室通知，密室輪番約談疲勞轟炸兩日一夜。範圍涉及家庭背景、求學過程、個人生活習慣，在巴拿馬期間如何購屋置產、如何送三個女兒赴美求學，與親共僑領互動有無洩漏國家機密，等等等等無所不包。更嚴重的是，牽連中巴文化中心二期工程，某筆工程款的去向問題，要求交代清楚。
這真是晴天霹靂當頭重擊，然而吳秘書心地光明，心若止水，唯真不破，泰然自若。深感世態炎涼，暗箭傷人，趨炎附勢，心灰意冷。
吳秘書逐一據理説明，最後工程款去向水落石出，受了不白之冤。
民國87年(1998年)2月，焦仁和委員長上任，器重吳光定才德兼備，僑務輕車熟道，派駐越南胡志明市辦事處僑務秘書。(35)
美不美故鄉土，親不親 故鄉人。吳秘書回到青少年時期成長的地方越南，熟悉的鄉音，熟悉的語言，熟悉的環境。在職三年，一本初衷，勤走僑社工作得心應手。
民國89年(2000年)5月，政黨輪替。陳水扁就任中華民國第十任總統，張富美接任僑務委員會委員長，其僑胞三段論引起僑社強烈不滿，僑務工作有了新思維。曾廣順時期以來，一貫的僑務《新舊一體》政策，窒礙難行。
民國90年(2001年)2月，吳秘書再次奉調回國。僑委會有了一批新人，新人新作風。自感《亷頗老矣，尚能飯否》，工作雖心有餘而力不足，不如歸去。(36)
民國94年（2005年)吳秘書依齡退休，但老驥伏櫪退而未休，兩度遊走中美洲六國，與老朋友歡聚。在台北加入華僑協會總會，竭盡餘力全力以赴，一直擔任理事、監事職務近十年。
民國102年(2013年)，身體不適，積勞成疾，住臺大醫院一年餘，後轉休士頓MD安德森癌症治療中心，但病入膏肓回天乏術，於民國104年(2015年)3月11日逝世，享年七十五歲。
一週後，喪禮於休士頓永福殯儀館舉行。中華民國駐休士頓辦事處副處長齊永強，僑教中心主任莊雅淑、副主任李美姿，國民黨中央評議委員林國煌，僑教中心前主任梁柏堅，皆前往弔唁。僑委會陳士魁委員長特頒褒揚狀矜式表揚吳秘書，義溥全僑，懋績孔昭。
包括駐巴拿馬大使周麟在內的中美洲各國使節，馳電弔念。中美洲六國僑團、僑領或贈花籃或題輓聯哀悼。巴拿馬中華總會章辭修會長，在巴京召集各僑團主席各界僑胞，舉辦了一次追思彌撒，場面莊嚴隆重。
喪禮中，休士頓黃繼榮牧師引用聖經《箴言書》的一段話勸慰家屬：死亡在聖經裡不是永遠的消失，而是神為我們準備好一個永生的世界。死亡就像一次戰爭，軍人在戰場不怕死亡。人生也是一次戰爭，我們離開世界，我們打勝了，安息了。
愛家、愛僑、愛國，鞠躬盡瘁 死而後已，是吳光定先生一生的寫照，哲人其萎，留給我們永遠的懷念，無盡的追思。(37，本篇完)
第23篇：酸甜苦辣皆是福
民國 68年(1979年)10月30日，我提著簡單的行囊，由桃園中正機場前往巴拿馬，接受一份新的工作。經過30多個小時的飛行，途經大阪、洛杉磯、邁阿密，到達一個全然陌生的地方。行李中我帶了兩本書，一本是民國42年(1953年)有母親題字的《新約聖經》，另一夲是1920年代美國考門夫人(Mrs．Charles E．Cow an)中譯著作《荒漠甘泉》。
雖然經過縝密的考慮，做了最後的決定，就算是登上了飛機，我仍然抵擋不住心中的疑惑和憂鬱。不經意地翻閱著《荒漠甘泉》，看著 那用紅字標註出來的經典語句，力求心中的平靜。
偉大的人物都是在艱苦中成長，你的波浪洪濤漫過我身。(詩篇42章7節)。
最屬靈的信徒當受最劇烈的痛苦，恩典獲得最多的人，也是受苦最多的人。(啓示録3章19節)。
如果我們勤勤懇懇工作，不沮喪，不失望，總有一天會發現，我們生命中最美好的工作，是在黑暗中完成。一切酸甜苦辣，必將化成幸福。(以賽亞書45章3節)(1）
這是我第一次搭乘國際航線，首站不但是日本的領土，而且是日亞航的飛機，懊惱之情油然而生。
次站改乘泛美航空前往美國，機上巧遇三名船員，航程班次與我相同，目的地都是巴拿馬。一路上相談甚歡，沖淡了一些離鄉背井愁緒難隠的心情。
入境洛杉磯，過了海關，移民官已經等候我們，提了行李後，被帶往轉機廳看管，防止我們跳機，頓感人格受辱。
廳內見一位中年亞裔女士，從相貌衣著看應是中國人。我用國語趨前請教轉機事宜，她卻回答：Sorry ，I Can not speak Chinese。我很訝異，這個世界沒有我想像得那麼單純。
再經過六個小時的飛行，橫跨4300公里，由美西南的洛杉磯到達美東南的邁阿密。我們一行人，同樣被移民官帶往轉機廳，由落地窗向下看，又向遠望，近處是車水馬龍，遠處是高樓林立，相較台北，真是難望項背。我坐在沙發上時而閉目養神，時而四處張望。不得了，居然天花板上，有數隻蟑螂流竄，這是世界一等強國的國際機場嗎？太不可思議了。(2）
到達邁阿密，已近午夜，算算台灣時間已是31日中午，腦子裡想的全是台北的家人。
我們在轉機廳的咖啡座裡，與一位拉丁裔的移民官，用生疏的一點點英語與他聊起天來，彼此還能溝通。此人風趣幽默熱情洋溢談及他的故鄉古巴，如數家珍，還唱了一首古巴民歌《La Paloma鴿子》給我們聽。
不知不覺到了登機時間，移民官交還了我們的護照，互道珍重再見。我們搭上了Braniff布朗尼夫航空公司的班機，飛行兩個半小時，直飛巴拿馬。(3)
巴拿馬Panama一詞出自於印地安原住民土語，意思是有著豐富的魚、花卉和蝴蝶的地方，而且有一種稀有的熱帶雨林喬木，也被命名為巴拿馬。
我在飛機上沒有睡意，一直憧憬著未來，抱著理想追尋夢想，艱辛必然但求平安。
我坐在靠窗的位置，在夜空中，滿天星斗圍繞著漸盈的月亮，在月光星光照耀閃爍下，白雲隨風而逝。地面上的燈光，由稀疏漸至稠密，意識到將要抵達巴拿馬市。
飛機飛經海灣，作業船隻上的燈光清楚可見，我一直欣賞著這難得一見的迷人海景。轉瞬之間看見地面一片燈海，像無盡數的珍珠灑滿大地。聽聞中交通發達、經貿活絡、紙醉金迷的巴拿馬城就在眼底。
飛機即將落地，忐忑之中帶有一絲喜悅，畢竟這不是一次旅遊，而是一趟海外謀生的探索。步出機門，一眼就看到我的內兄吳光定先生。(4）
辛苦了，路上還好嗎？這是中華民國駐巴拿馬大使館僑務秘書吳光定先生與我見面時的第一句話。我回答：不錯，很平順。
使我訝異的是，他引我去晉見在場的曾憲揆大使，旁邊還有一位領務秘書侯平福(2005年至2008年，出任駐巴拿馬大使)。曾大使是來迎接早我先下飛機的三位官員，交通部電信總局長及兩名隨員，兼程到巴拿馬，為簽署中華民國與巴拿馬共和國電訊技術合作條約而來。
我到巴拿馬第一時間，有緣與大使見面，感到榮幸。曾大使很親切地對我說：歡迎來到巴拿馬，加入我們的大家庭。
步出機場坐上吳秘書的金龜車，開往我的工作地點僑報《共和報》。(5)
在黎明的前刻，出篤姑門國際機場，經San Miguelito南下海邊的巴拿馬舊城Panama Viejo，再經豪宅區Punta Paitilla，順海濱大道Avenida Balboa進入唐人街，共和報社就在唐人街入口處。
巴拿馬舊城於1997年被聯合國列為世界文化遺產城市，歴史可追溯到1671年(清康熙10年)，舊城廢墟是觀光景點，西班牙式的天主教堂仍然完好無缺，周邊有博物館、藝品店和餐館。Paitilla位於一座小半島上，高樓林立是巴拿馬的地標。Balboa大道沿巴拿馬灣，由東向西行，綠蔭夾道一片蔥蘢，花木扶疏美景如畫，道路西段是使館區，美國及英國大使館，英式古典建築氣勢恢宏。(6）
海外華埠皆由鄉親聚居逐步而成，相較於美洲最早規模最大的舊金山華埠，巴拿馬唐人街的成形，雖然晚了近十年，但全盛時期卻緃橫街巷十餘條，可以與今日的舊金山華埠分庭亢禮。
早在1840年代，美國中央太平洋鐵路，由提案國會審議(1845年)，到勘察報告完成(1855年)，再到動工興建（1863年)，過程長達18年。築路公司所雇用的近半數華工，却因巴拿馬兩洋鐵路的提前開工(1851年)，到了巴拿馬。
兩洋鐵路建成於1855年，大部份華工謀生落戶於現今的Santa Ana區近海邊公共市場周邊道路，逐漸形成了今日的巴拿馬唐人街。(7)
放下行李，稍事休息，天還沒亮。單行道上已有車輛行駛，最先開門營業的鳳凰飯店已有人用餐。
吳秘書，早晨，今日咁早嘅?店老闆謝先生前來打招呼。內兄將我這位新客介紹給他認識，他笑容可掬直說幸會歡迎。
中意食乜嘢？
兩碗皮蛋瘦肉粥，兩碟叉燒腸，唔該。一問一答。廣東話還可以聽得懂，學起來可不容易。
謝老闆是我到巴拿馬，認識的第一位華僑。(8)
早餐後，順着單行道前往海邊的公共市場Mercado Publico及家禽市場參觀，順便採購一些食材果蔬。沿途所見，店鋪招牌中西文並列，店主全是華人。
《早晨，吳秘書》的招呼聲縈迴耳際，停下來寒暄幾句在所不免，不到三百公尺的路程，卻走了半個小時。雖然耽擱了一點時間，我卻認識了一些新朋友。
巴拿馬公共市場建成於1871年，經過數次擴建，發展成今日包括蔬果、肉品、魚產批發兼具零售的綜合市場。
西行一百公尺，是一座鄰海而建的家禽市場，鷄鴨、鴿子、鷄蛋，批發零售現購現殺隨即清理，無任歡迎。工作人員刀法快速俐索，嘆為觀止。
這是我初到巴拿馬，熟悉環境的第一課，頗有收穫。(9)
返回報社後，吳秘書趕赴大使舘上班，我則向打字員陳鐳光請教報社的經營情形。從發行到銷售，從盤面撿字的中文打字機到一分鐘可印一百張的美製紙膠印刷機。
報社規模雖小，但報紙刊登的國內外新聞、僑社活動、藝文娛樂、保健養生和商業廣告等等，無疑地給僑胞們提供了最佳的服務。(10)
老友陳鐳光為我洗麈，例外地展現了他的廚藝，做了三份海南雞飯，等吳秘書回來一起享用。
享受了美味之後，吳秘書陪我去觀賞巴拿馬的落日夕陽。蜿蜒三公里長的巴博亞海濱大道Avenida Balboa像一輪彎彎的月亮，絢麗的彩霞映紅了海面，湛藍清澈的海水中，清晰可見魚群穿梭。落日照射在遠方拜地亞的樓群中，像一座金碧輝煌的城堡。海鷗在空中展翅飛翔，不停的鳴叫。秋風迎面吹拂，一番秋高氣爽景象。數隻名叫燕鷗的海鳥，從天而降垂直俯衝海面，精準的捕獲到快速移動的魚蝦，特技式的表演令人激賞。我陶然於這般夢幻似的美景之中。(11）
面對這般美景，我目酣神醉，閑悠信步邊思邊想，將一景一物一靜一動繪織成一個夢。想起那首秘魯民歌El Condor Pasa將老鷹、海鷗、燕雀連在一起，歌詞縈繞腦際盤旋往復。
我寧可是隻麻雀，也不願做一隻蝸牛。我寧可是隻鐵錘，也不願是一根鐵釘。我願航行到遠方，像來了又去的天鵝。我寧可感受大地就在你的腳下。
我臆想憧憬我在巴拿馬的未來，像老鷹一樣展翅飛翔。
萬萬沒想到一個小賊，一路跟隨我這個目標，還真像那隻燕鷗一樣，説時遲那時快，迅速地將我的手錶搶走。是我到巴拿馬的前幾天，舅舅送給我 做紀念，以高價購得的一隻Piaget。
沒有心思再走下去，在回報社的路上卻遇見一位新朋友，李彌將軍的舊屬團長杜志堅上校，隨華僑妻子由汶萊來到巴拿馬，經吳秘書的介紹認識了他。杜先生經營一間雜貨舖，生意不俗。寫得一手好字草書如行雲流水，平時也寫點文章，熱衷京劇，拉得一手好胡琴。他正要到報社，遞交一份稿件，我們幸會於途中。(12）
這一天是蔣公(1887-1975)92歲誕辰，巴拿馬中華總會舉辦紀念活動，由中華民國憲法制憲國大代表鄭華秋先生主持，僑胞尊稱他為秋伯。
我以一本中英文《中華民國憲法》送給他作為見面禮，秋伯精神矍鍊目光炯炯，神采奕奕意氣風發。會中講述蔣公行誼，鏗鏘有聲節奏分明引人入勝。
會後援例放映國產電影及分發壽桃，吳秘書與我全程參與。這是我到巴拿馬頭一天多采多姿的經歷，印象深刻永生難忘。(13)
次日連續三天，由吳秘書陪同進行拜會活動，晉見了僑界大老陳奉天、盧湛濤及曾憲揆大使。陸續認識了包括大使館、農技團、漁技團、中國國際商銀、同鄉會在內的許多新朋友。
第一個星期六的晚上，受邀至大使舘高鵬主事家中作客，高太太燒得一手好菜。晚餐後，幾位同好唱了數段京劇，有搜孤救孤、武家坡、宇宙鋒，由中央社駐中美洲特派記者劉昌孝及杜志堅先生輪番清唱，高鵬操琴。我和吳秘書當了忠實聽眾，助陣叫好。
十一月五日星期一，我披褂上陣，開始執行在共和報的編輯工作，外行人做內行事，動作顯得慢了一點。從審稿到交稿打字、校對、排版至印刷，還算順利。看見次日就要出版的報紙，理所當然，成就感不在言下。(14)
巴拿馬華文《共和報》成立於民國19年(1930年)，隸屬於中國國民黨巴拿馬支部，至民國85年(1996年)5月1日停刊，期間曾三度暫停營業，慘澹經營66年，發行至14319號。其命運有如民國17年(1928年)2月創立於上海，民國95年（2006年）2月歇業於台北的《中央日報》。
我在《共和報》擔任編輯撰稿17年(1979-1996)，也是最後一位總編。
吳秘書於民國62年(1973年)兼任《共和報》社務至停刊日。我半路分擔其編務及部份行政工作至終，談往事感慨唏噓不堪回首。猶常言道要害一個人，叫他去辦報紙。(15）
參與《共和報》每日運作的人，除掛名社長外另有五人，三人內宿報館包括吳秘書、我、打字員陳鐳光，譯稿一人，派報一人。
相較於仍然停留在刻鋼板、油印機時代的另外兩份華文報紙《嚴報》、《大公報》，《共和報》的規模、人力、物力就大得多了。
《嚴報》及《大公報》是老僑一人報館，對其辦報的不畏艱難的精神，堅持自己的理念，非常敬佩。
《共和報》的中國大陸、台港澳新聞，來自於新聞局的每週時事報導及航空版的中央日報和聯合報。世界新聞、美加新聞及巴拿馬新聞，譯自於本地的西班牙文報紙。
在我任內的譯稿人，先後有大使館參事俞中原、中央社特派劉昌孝(兩人均不支譯稿費)、交換學生劉德立（2015年10月至2017年5月中華民國駐巴拿馬大使)、僑彥陳敏孫、中央社記者黃礦春、僑領陳發昌。(16）
出任編輯一週後漸入佳境，第十日，吳秘書陪同一個僑商五人小組至台灣採購，順道返國述職。辦公室內暫時少了一張行軍床，多出一點空間，我工作至每晚九時。
住在儲藏室闢為房間的陳鐳光，打字稿校對後，幾乎每晚都去過他的夜生活，週末更與他的巴拿馬妺，人約黃昏後月上柳梢頭。
入夜後報社所在地的這條小街，只見多日未修還在一亮一滅光線柔弱的街燈，靜得讓人窒息。
下班後沒有我可去的地方，只有伴著辦公桌上的那盞孤燈，看書、寫信、聽音樂。吳秘書留下了兩枚國語歌曲卡帶，包括劉家昌早期的作品。每晚反覆地聽著月滿西樓、庭院深深、秋詩篇篇、雲河、我家在那裡。我想家、想爹娘、想妻兒，用這夜半歌聲來慰藉我的寂寞。(17)
擔任編輯進入第二週，某日收到一份讀者投書，是投稿人陳昆慶的詩選之一。內容是1979年2月至3月間，中越共在中越邊境戰爭中，解放軍勝利凱旋的歌頌詩。雖然是一件好事，但基於《共和報》的反共立場，未予刊登。
數日後，我在中華總會見到本尊。原來是大老陳奉天的胞弟，兄弟兩人政治立場各異，我當面向他解釋獲得諒解，頗感欣慰。
巴拿馬僑界有詩壇三傑，另兩位是李劍及蘇海山。三位都是國學豐厚的飽學之士，詩風各異，三人皆是《共和報》的長期投稿人。
我保存了一首蘇海山《愛國詩林》中的一首。標題為《贈陳昌智君》，抄錄於後。
其一
陳申志願効劬勞
昌盛文章氣節高
智慧交情多莫逆
君心如鏡察秋毫
其二
愛護中樞勤報政
羣情倚重現光明
偉績從軍扶社稷
大同正義復中興
中華民國七十年九月十二日
蘇老謝世多年，見詩思人，留下無限追憶。(18）
報社的派報工是一位非洲裔的巴拿馬人，祖父於1920年代自牙買加移民來巴，母親拉丁裔巴拿馬土生土長。工人的西班牙文名字叫Jacinto，英文名字叫Thomas，西、英語均佳。清晨4時就到了報館裝釘8開7張14版面的報紙。
此君工作認真，動作純熟迅速，深得同仁好感。從5點鐘起，就將報紙分派到各銷售點，並挨店挨戶派送至中午。交通工具除了公共汽車外，就是步行。
有一天增加版面至16版，為了獎勵他的辛勞，答允給獎金五元美金，月底併薪水一起發放。他高興地說：現在給好不好。我說為什麼。他笑著答：假如今天我死了怎麼辦。充分展現了巴拿馬人的率真爽直，我當場給了他這五塊錢。（19)
一位名叫Elisa的單親媽媽，每週日帶著兩個同母異父分別為9歲及7歲的姐弟，到報社打掃清潔。Elisa年輕時是位散發著青春活力的細女辣妹，男朋友一籮筐，寵捧得像天上的月亮。可惜婚後體態走了樣，光鮮退色成了大肥婆。連同三歲女兒一起被老公拋棄。
一年後為生活所迫，嫁了一位50餘歲的中年人，生下一男，不幸又被第二任丈夫拋棄。不少巴拿馬男人喜新厭舊司空見慣不足為奇，造成許多單親。時而可見帶著四、五個同一母親不同父親，四處奔波討生活的單親媽媽，社會問題教育問題衍生而至。Elisa無一技之長，只能做清潔工養家糊口。
Elisa有位姑媽，年輕時嫁了一位華裔雜貨舖老闆，是對恩愛夫妻，不幸只維持了一年的婚姻，丈夫病逝。這位名叫Gloria的可憐女子，另嫁一位巴拿馬人，卻遇人不淑，生意被騙一走了之。更不幸的是，一次車禍後又來了一場大病，莫名其妙的脊椎側彎，九十度駝背，雙眼斜視，生活立即陷入困境。但她意志力堅強，不畏環境艱困而氣餒。先搬家至Chorrillo貧民窟，選擇到唐人街一帶賣彩券Loteria為生。
某日中午，我到唐人街鳳凰飯館用餐，遇見Gloria在兜售彩票。她以生硬的廣東話對我說：先生，恭喜發財，買張桑標(彩票)好嗎？我援例意思意思，用一塊錢買了一張，卻意外地中了頭獎，獎金美金兩千元。
巴拿馬的彩票每週開獎兩次，同一號碼有20張，後悔沒有多買，我這一生只遇到這一次財運高照。
再次遇見她仍在鳳凰飯館，同樣買了一張，並且贈送她20元酬謝金，這可能超過她一日的淨所得，她卻拒收。飯館老闆謝先生對我說：她是不會收的，她要自食其力，靠勞力養活自己。我對這位奇女子，肅然起敬。(20）
當年（1980年代)巴拿馬的三家華文報紙，星期日是不出報的，週六整天至次日上午，不必上班。可以相邀結伴至鄰近省區作一日遊。遠離塵囂走訪農村、莊園、森林、離島、漁港。看原住民編織巴拿馬帽，在熱帶雨林內划獨木舟聽鳥兒爭鳴，看蝴蝶在河邊飛舞，看奇花異草爭豔，在紅樹林中捉螃蟹，到Taboga島享受海風海釣、灣中看夕陽，在Playa Chame觀賞各種各樣的蘭花。在Gamboa乘遊艇，看湖中穿梭的巨輪，在柳岸邊賞蓮花。
有一次還邂逅到鄉村嫁娶，以白馬代替禮車，親友相聚熱情洋溢幸福美滿的場景。更有一次到老僑農莊的魚塘中，自釣出碩大肥美的鯉魚，一魚三吃。
在家書中，我描述了巴拿馬的迷人風采，這個有魚、有花、有蝴蝶的地方，七個月後妻兒到了巴拿馬。(21)
為了迎接妻兒到巴拿馬，吳秘書也為了妻女團圓，在Bella Vista美景區44街42號，覓得一座兩房一廳廚衞齊全有後院的獨立屋。屋主是位老華僑，以優惠價格承租，月租美金400元，兩人平分。
環境清幽靜謐，向南步行五分鐘可達喜鵲公園Parque Urraca，越過巴博亞海濱大道面對巴拿馬灣。1995年建商利用灣邊新生地，建成五星級觀海酒店Hotel Miramar又稱美麗華酒店，曾是1997年9月李登輝總統訪問巴拿馬下榻之處。
住宅家具從簡，睡床、書桌、餐桌，以二手貨購入，餐具房東贈送，木椅代替沙發。
後院一墻之隔，住一木匠劉師傅夫婦，膝下無一子一女，親切善談，成了好鄰居。
相較台北市文山區興隆路二段住處，此處環境必受妻兒喜愛。(22）
民國69年(1980年)5月25日星期日，吾妻秀蓮帶著兩個孩子Anthony (將滿8歲）、Anderson 5歲，辭別了爺爺奶奶， 踏上了海外飄泊 謀生求發展的迢迢之路。飛行30餘個小時，桃園中正機場出發經大阪、舊金山、邁阿密，過境未停留於次日中午抵達巴拿馬。同行的還有吳秘書的華燊大哥、侄女燕瓊、侄兒觀明。
新家兩個房間两個家庭，先湊合住著。從來沒有出過國的Anthony 、Anderson 兄弟倆，從出機場到新家，忘掉了旅途的疲憊，一路神清氣爽、新鮮好奇、情難自禁。
在飛機上，秀蓮反覆對孩子述說叮嚀：為了我們這個家，爸爸媽媽一定會全力以赴，努力打拼。孩子啊，你們只管好好讀書，自己的前途自己創造。這個家的興衰要靠大家一起努力了。
孩子巴拿馬到了，秀蓮喚醒睡眼惺忪的孩子。在旋轉盤取行李時，Anderson 一眼就認出了我們的大皮箱。
媽媽媽媽妳別動，我和哥哥替妳拿。孩子啊，箱子豎起來比你人還高，你們拿不動的。秀蓮感動得流下淚來。(23)
我揮別了七個月睡行軍床的生活，終於可以和妻兒一起吃個像樣的飯了。新家距離大使館近在咫尺，吳秘書下班後可以順道來家吃頓晚飯。秀蓮掌廚，兩家八口人、一張長方桌，邊吃邊聊其樂融融。
為了每天能回家吃個晚餐，我調整了上班時間，改為早七晚五。就近在公共市場按單採購次日所需食材果蔬。
巴拿馬沒有四季，只有乾雨二季，除了大學外，學制與英、美、中等國不同，沒有寒暑假，採一次放假，每年聖誕節起至次年三月底。因此兩兄弟一個入學報社隔壁的僑立中國小學，一個進入住家街頭的一所幼稚園，我和妻可以就近照顧。
僑立中國小學西班牙語文及中文廣東話雙語文教學，幼稚園純以西班牙語文施教。在學習上，均有語言上的障礙。(24)
上課頭一天兄弟倆各有不同反應，Anthony 像鴨子聽雷，西班牙語一句也不懂，也不明白老師講的廣東話是什麼意思。媽媽給予鼓勵：沒有關係，多聽多學很快就會了。
上幼稚園的弟弟則向媽媽說：我很喜歡這個幼稚園，老師同學都很好。我聽不懂他們說些什麼，我就跟著他們說，老師說一句我也照樣說一句，同學們說一句我也同樣說一句，同學們都對著我笑，我也不管，我看他們講話後的動作和表情，我大概知道是什麼意思了。
秀蓮接孩子回家，老師用英語對秀蓮說：Anderson 學習力領悟力都很強，也很合群一點也不怕生。恭喜妳有一個極聰明的孩子。
數天後，這孩子居然能夠和老師同學溝通了。有一次老師分發作業給同學，他幫忙老師分發，說出了第一句完整的西班牙語：Maestra，Para Cada Uno?（老師，每人一份是嗎？）(25)
到巴拿馬的前一個月，秀蓮帶著孩子去看了一場美國電影1977年發行的星際大戰《曙光乍現》，人物中有天行者阿納金、天行者盧克及萊婭公主，給孩子留下深刻印象。
到了巴拿馬在Machetazo超級市場，孩子發現了貨架上有星際大戰中的人物卡通玩具。
媽媽，能不能給我買一個阿納金?Anderson 央求媽媽。孩子，等爸爸月底拿到薪水後再買好嗎。
Anderson 將拿在手上的阿納金放回原處。説道：媽媽，沒有關係等我們有錢時再買。秀蓮心中一陣痛楚。
晚餐後逛公園成了每天的生活習慣，有一天看見一對母女在散步，小女孩要將一個缺了半隻眼睛的唐老鴨絨毛玩偶，丟進垃圾桶。
可以送給我嗎？在沒有扔進垃圾桶前Anderson 急忙向小女孩說道。可以呀，那就送給你吧。這個只有一隻半眼睛的唐老鴨，成了孩子到巴拿馬後，擁有的第一個玩偶。時過39年了，Anderson 仍然呵護著這隻唐老鴨，留住童年的回憶。(26)
台北市興隆路二段居家對面有一家《愛爾蘭西服店》，店家林師傅台灣光復前從師於一位日本老師，習得一身好手藝。知悉吾家孩子將隨母移民海外，將庫存多年的一點碎布料，以優惠特價為兩兄弟裁製白色小西裝各一套。沒想到，到了巴拿馬卻派上了用場。
民國69年(1980年)9月3日至8日，行政院長孫運璿率團訪問巴拿馬，隨員有經濟部長張光世、外交部政務次長錢復夫婦、新聞局長宋楚瑜、國貿局副局長蕭萬長等人。
近200名僑胞恭迎於下榻的巴拿馬酒店，我是迎賓工作人員之一，秀蓮及孩子也在歡迎行列之中。孫院長頻頻握手致意，孫夫人俞蕙萱女士佇足於身著白色小西裝的兩兄弟前，面帶微笑慈祥和藹地說道：好帥氣的孩子呦，你倆是兄弟嗎？兩兄弟回答：是。你們會講國語呀？回答：會。夫人親吻了兩個孩子。一位華僑叔叔拍下了珍貴的鏡頭，迄今還存放在相冊裡。
兩兄弟第一次見到如此大的場面，深刻烙印在腦海。孩子的視野擴大了，影響到他們未來的人生規劃。
在台北的爺爺奶奶姑姑叔叔們，看到了電視新聞，各各欣喜雀躍喜上眉梢。
為了配合孫院長的訪問，中華民國交通部郵政總局於9月4日至8日，在巴拿馬國際會議中心Centro Convencion Atlapa舉行郵展。
僅有一張八人長方桌和數張木椅的客廳兼餐廳，成了郵展前置作業的工作室。郵政總局秘書胡全木，技正戴德在此工作，後院木匠劉師傅提供木料，協助戴德製作展覽木架，並提供交通工具，有幸認識了郵政總局局長簡爾康。
兩兄弟從郵票中看到了世界，認識到中華文化的博大精深。(27)
孫運璿是中華民國行憲後的第10任行政院長（1978年6月至1984年5月)，孫院長訪問巴拿馬期間的各項活動，共和報均作了詳盡報導。榮幸的是，我和秀蓮參與了全僑歡迎晚宴的籌備工作，負責會場佈置和音樂播放。記憶深刻的是，孫院長在晚宴上對僑胞們講的一段話。
孫院長說：民國65年(1976年)我國的貿易開始出超，每年維持十位數成長，今年(1980年)我們的外滙存底近80億美元，預計三年後可以突破100億美元。(事實上不但達標，兩年後的1985年更突破200億美元，1987年更飛躍跳到700億美元。)
孫院長又說：今年(1980年)年底，籌建四年多的新竹科學工業園區，將正式啓用。對中華民國科學、工業的發展升級有長遠的影響。僑胞們的掌聲，數度打斷孫院長的講話。
感動的是，一位老僑帶著孫兒，專程到機場看訪問團的專機，機尾有青天白日滿地紅國旗的華航波音747巨無霸飛機。
溫馨的是，在大使館酒會中，僑胞稱呼訪問團的女士為《夫人》，俞蕙萱及田玲玲均謙虛的說：叫我孫太太，叫我錢太太就可以了。(28)
繼民國69年（1980年)3月兼任國民黨支部有給職祕書之後，次年秀蓮也在僑立國民小學當了中文教師，家庭經濟有了改善。
1982年兩個孩子由一位高儀小姐引薦，甄選進入運河區天主教聖瑪麗中小學St Mary’s high School，哥哥讀三年級，弟弟讀一年級。
民國73年(1984年）6月，時任國民黨海外工作會主任的曾廣順，出任僑務委員會委員長，提出《華僑新舊一體》，《僑務黨務並重》政策。適逢中國大陸改革開放，大批新僑湧入巴拿馬之時，吳秘書的僑務工作份量加重，我也適時給予支援。
民國75年(1986年）3月，我被時任海工會主任的鄭心雄，拔擢為國民黨駐巴拿馬地區黨務聯絡員，次年7月又被華僑救國聯合總會聘為無給職駐巴拿馬地區辦事處主任。我的工作逐年增加，除本職報務、黨務工作外，全力支援僑務。(29)
民國71年（1982年)2月，報館的人事有了一些異動，打字員陳鐳光另有高就，吳秘書的華燊大哥應允接替，但需要二至三個月時間，練習操作打字。權宜之下請到一位曾經是廣播電台節目主持人的劉韞先生來擔綱。
這位劉先生是位單親爸爸，帶著一女一兒從台灣到了巴拿馬，在公共市場後街開了一家小餐館，一家三口全部投入生意，可以維持生活。
劉韞寫得一手好字，尤其是楷書蠅頭小楷，看其字如同欣賞一幅畫。因此共和報有兩個月，版面暫時由手抄代替打字，艱苦的日子也走過來了。
華燊大哥及其長公子觀明，由44街搬到報館，其女燕瓊因不習慣巴拿馬生活返回台灣，兩年後結了婚。
這年暑假吳秘書將家眷母女四人，接到了巴拿馬。結束了長達十年，兩地懸念的日子。
我把家搬遷到唐人街，距離報館僅百尺之遙的一幢建築物四樓，月租250元美金，一住就是16年，房租一直未漲。(30)
唐人街家居四樓，兩房一廳廚浴齊全，推開主臥窗戶，視野可及遠方的拜地亞。燈光閃爍的巴拿馬夜空，皓月高掛海風吹拂，時而看見漫漫星海，時而看見流星一剎那失去蹤影，彷彿置身於綺麗的夢中。我有更多的時間，像一位造景設計師一樣，專注於報紙內容的充實，版面的改革。
首版安排為巴拿馬新聞及國際重大消息，次版為中港台新聞，三版闢為專欄摘自航空版中央日報及每半月一次由自己撰寫的社論。四版是僑社新聞及各僑團通告，五版是讀者投書詩詞文藝作品。
為了充分發揮製版機可以文圖並茂的功能，一改過去只見文字不見圖像的遺憾，每週一至週六的第六版，分別以旅遊、體育、影視、健康、園藝、美食，呈現給讀者。七至十版則是分類廣告、訃聞、謝啓。
為了爭取新聞時效，我調整了我的作息時間自購了一部八波段的短波收音機及録音機。凌晨二時半起床，三時收聽《自由中國之聲》發自台北的海外廣播，新聞及評論節目。我一面收聽一面録音，隨後一字一句抄寫録音內容，在打字員上班之前交到報館。因此爭取了新聞刊登的時間，可以和台灣的報紙同日出現。四十出頭的年紀，拼命三郎似的工作，到了忘我的境地。(31)
1982年10月初的中秋節，各僑團主席夫婦應邀出席大使官邸的賞月晚會。曾大使夫人雷愛珞女士垂詢秀蓮的生活情形。從兩家孩子成了同學談起，到秀蓮在國民小學擔任教師的待遇。
使雷女士訝異的是，秀蓮的月薪僅150美元。每月授課60小時，時薪只有兩元五角。於是她召來曾大使轉知陳奉天先生。
經了解秀蓮係以代課老師任用，加以學校經費拮据，暫時支付如此低額薪資。
曾大使應允在僑團活動經費中給予支援，次月起調整為月薪300元。
扣除兩兄弟每月學費150元，學校巴士費70元，房租250元，所剩生活費寥寥無幾。這對月收不到千元的一個家庭來說，確實事事難為。
直到1986年，中巴文化中心中山學校開始運作，秀蓮成了專職教師，以巴拿馬教育部核薪標準領薪。
我在報館及黨部的薪水也作了調整，生活有了改善，銀行也有了一點小額儲蓄。(32)
我的前任黨務承辦人是與相聲大師同姓同名的吳兆南，身高中等稍胖的體型像似大師，卻有著與韓國瑜一般的禿頭。是我救國團的同事，團務黨務經歴比我資深，我到任時他已至舊金山高就。移交的文件、文物、照片整整三大箱由吳秘書轉交給我。
我逐箱瀏覽一遍，再將急辦、緩辦事項分類。先從找回失聯黨員做起，在黨員名冊內發現黨支部的全盛時期是在抗戰勝利後的數年中，黨員人數近400人。
1949年中國共產黨成立中華人民共和國，人數逐漸減少。至1980年代，可以聯絡上的不足百人，實際能參加活動的不超過60人。
我的首要工作是，按址找回失聯黨員，再從他們的口述中，試圖找到更多的黨員。
我用了兩年時間，先從巴京開始，搭乘公共汽車，60多條公車路線，逐街逐巷走遍巴京各個角落，順道探訪華人商店舖頭，瞭解僑情。還好，兩年只被搶劫五次。(33）
當我首次踏進我的工作地點共和報社的那一刻，讓我難以置信的是，大廳凌亂至極，舊雜誌舊報紙還有全套的經典民國史及各類的線裝書，堆得像一座一座的小山，散落四處。
沙發桌椅蒙上了一層厚灰，製版機、裝訂機、印刷用紙、油墨塞滿了整個會議桌，進入辦公室、廚房、浴室，可以用舉步維艱來形容。
我將近用了一個月的時間，清理出一個頭緒，物物歸位幾凈窗明，還得了熱感冒，拖了一星期。
我將舊雜誌、最近三個月內的中央日報和派剩的共和報，隨著我的探訪之行，分贈給各個角落的僑胞。
有不少僑胞建議，可以價購一些金庸、古龍的武俠小說，瓊瑤的言情作品，國語歌曲、廣東大戲、學習西班牙語的卡帶等等。（34)
為了滿足僑胞們的需求，我到電信局花了16美元，5分鐘時間，打越洋電話給父親，代購一些書籍和音樂卡帶。
兩個月後，收到中華郵政三箱海運國際包裹，內有武俠小說、華西字典、國語歌曲卡帶等等。於是隨著我的探訪之行，當起了推銷員。沒想到兩個星期內，就銷售一空。我以低於華人超市百分之十的售價，送貨上門的優異服務，創造了生意不錯的成績，之後每週補貨一至兩箱。
因此，在本職工作正常運作之下，兼顧了家庭經濟的改善。
兩年後，結束了餐風飲露日曬雨淋的日子。1984年9月，巴拿馬第一家中文書店《華夏書坊》在唐人街中華總會隔鄰的木屋二樓開幕營業。（35)
用了兩個月的時間，完成了《華夏書坊》的籌備工作，掛上了招牌燃放了鞭砲。沒有大人物剪綵，只有鄰居的道賀。
360平方英尺相當於33平方米、10個台灣坪的空間，五面牆一面朝向陽台的隔間。老鄰居劉師傅製作了一大四小的可移動書櫃、六張小板凳，兩張辦公桌椅是二手貨。
兩千本各類書籍塞滿了書櫃，利用格式轉角櫃擺放各式可出售的文具、藝品、小擺飾，充分利用了空間。一下子進來十人以上，就顯得十分擁擠。
書籍分三類，一為出售、一為出租、一為免費借閲。借閱書係歴年來僑委會、海工會寄來的文史參考書籍。
報社、店面、住家都在200公尺生活圈內，徴得黨務會議同意，我的辦公時間可以靈活運用，可在書店內撰稿審稿及代收廣告。（36）
華夏書坊將一些來自四面八方志同道合的愛書人串連在一起，均因對好書良書歆動愛慕均得其樂。
一位來自廣東台山的年輕人，將全套金庸武俠小說看了三遍。一位來自台灣的美軍太太，看了兩遍瓊瑤全集。一位來自北京法政大學的同學，與我討論兩岸憲法。一位大陸民運學生，跟我談中國統一。更有一位來自哈爾濱的楊先生，教我和秀蓮包老邊餃子。
我還先後免費提供場地，為一位曾習周易多年的劉半仙駐店為僑胞相面批字。更有兩位中西良醫在店候診，均成良師益友。
這都是30年前的陳年往事了，多已失聯。一世懸命回味舊事，懷念那些老友，懷念那段苦中帶樂的日子。(37)
中華民國僑務委員會為推廣僑教工作傳承中華文化凝聚僑社團結，每年派遣資優教師至各僑居地巡迴教學，為期三個月至一年不等。
民國70年(1981年）9月20日，僑委會甄選三位教師到了巴拿馬，進行為期四個月的教學活動。吳秘書情商我與秀蓮給予工作上的支援，這是我們在巴拿馬首次與僑教老師接觸。
三位老師分別是舞蹈老師江錦珠、功夫老師李豐章、國文老師黃貴豪，以僑立國民小學為主的同學，接受學習培訓。為民國77年（1988年）開始招生運作的中巴文化中心中山學校的舞蹈、體育、國語教學，打下了基礎。往後每二至三年，僑委會都會派出僑教老師到巴拿馬，作短暫教學，我和秀蓮的支援工作從未間斷。傳為佳話的是，有兩位舞蹈老師在巴拿馬找到了如意郎君，有情人終成眷屬。
前些日子清理家中文件，驚喜發現1982年2月間，分別由江錦珠及李豐章寄自台北的來信，都附上了數張在巴期間的活動照片，有一張彌足珍貴，是三位老師與大使館俞中原代辦全府及我們一家人，遊覽運河風景區的大合照。
俞中原這位受人尊敬的大俠型人物，2017年7月已經謝世，其公子俞大㵢當年還是一位大一的學生，2015年10月至2018年4月，卻成了中華民國駐巴拉圭共和國特命全權大使。
江錦珠在回秀蓮的信上說：來日重遊巴拿馬高興與大家再見。妳懇切的一番談話讓我心中激盪良久。謝謝妳的鼓勵，雖然我們不能常相聚，但我相信工作的熱誠和情緒却是一致的，只要巴拿馬需要，我很願意回去服務，即使是義務教學也欣然前往。(38)
由黃自作曲韋瀚章作詞的抗戰歌曲《旗正飄飄》曲詞熾烈深沉慷慨激昂：旗正飄飄，馬正蕭蕭，槍在肩刀在腰，熱血熱血似狂潮。快團結，快奮起，快團結，快奮起。國亡家破在眉梢，挽沉淪全仗吾同胞。
每當我聽到這首歌的時候，會將無數個場景和國旗連結在一起。回想起父親口述中的淞滬會戰、八百壯士死守四行倉庫、遠征軍出征、抗戰勝利還都南京。
我和秀蓮在巴拿馬二十年，辦活動佈置會場是常軌工作。這面在會場中，喚起國家意識的國旗，凝聚了僑心。
每年中華民國開國紀念和雙十國慶的前一天，我和秀蓮會將中巴兩國綢質串式國旗，將唐人街中華總會週邊縱橫100公尺，離地20公尺，從左樓到右樓佈置成旗海，並在總會陽台升起青天白日滿地紅及巴拿馬共和國兩國國旗。(39)
中華民國開國紀念及雙十國慶這天，包括中華總會及國民黨支部在內的唐人街周邊三條街九個華僑團體，都升起中巴兩國國旗。
黨支部在全僑升旗典禮之前，黎明之時，先行在陽台升旗，巴拿馬國旗居中，其左為中華民國國旗，其右為中國國民黨黨旗，我們全家人就近參加升旗儀式，年年如此。
我與秀蓮曾經和孩子判讀世界國旗，比較之下美國、法國、巴拿馬和中華民國的國旗最為美麗。尤其是青天白日滿地紅國旗，以宇宙運行為設計基礎，每年十二個月，每日十二時辰，又有十二生肖的輪替，十二道光芒象徵天行健 君子以自強不息。
又談到蘇聯解體後的俄羅斯聯邦國旗設計，兼顧意義和美觀。由上至下白、藍、紅三色，採用傳統的泛斯拉夫顏色，相較原先的鐮刀斧頭旗，要美觀多了。
1990年8月，兩兄弟負笈美國求學，臨行前我將數面不同尺寸的中華民國國旗塞進行李。這面青天白日滿地紅國旗，分別在求學的休士頓Bellaire Senior High School餐廳及休士頓大學國際學生交誼廳升起。(40)
我在巴拿馬期間，撰寫了三本皆以團體名義發行內部參考的册子。一本是1983年巴拿馬地區三民主義統一中國大同盟成立大會會議實錄，另一本是1984年拉丁美洲三民主義統一中國大同盟成立大會會議實錄，第三本是1997年9月李登輝訪問巴拿馬時，編撰的世界李登輝總統之友會聯合總會成立大會活動須知。
民國75年(1986年)以中國國民黨駐巴拿馬地區黨務聯絡員身分，在海工會內參刊物中，發表了數篇有關海外情勢的文章，並在中外畫刋Cosmorama及僑委會發行的宏觀雜誌上發表了近十篇有關僑領、僑情的文章。很欣慰能夠為巴拿馬僑社及國民黨留下了一些活動紀錄。
民國80年（1991年）僑選立法委員曾芙美女士推薦我參加南美洲華文作家協會為會員，又得到世界華文作家協會總會秘書長符兆祥先生的大函相邀。
當時正值報務、黨務繁忙之時，深感還不到作家的程度，給予婉拒，這是我寫作生涯中的一段軼事，至今對曾芙美、符兆祥兩位前輩仍存歉意。(41)
民國84年(1995年)6月，弟媳陳麗瓊女士來到巴拿馬，為世界華人工商婦女企管協會，在巴拿馬成立分會的可能性，進行為期五天的測溫之旅。
在大使館僑務秘書吳光定和僑教老師吳秀蓮的接待安排下，晉見了蘇秉照大使、僑界大老陳奉天父子，參訪了中巴文化中心中山學校。並前往大西洋岸的箇朗自由貿易區，拜訪了台商會會長江顯鎮夫婦、中國國際商業銀行箇朗分行經理陳初。
第三天，在巴京麗宮酒樓舉辦了一場座談會，集巴拿馬四十餘位華裔及台商女企業家於一堂。除蘇大使夫人外，還有華裔國會議員Gloria Young，房屋部長Zia Lee李詩雅，巴拿馬副市長Edith Lao劉玉珍，各僑團主席夫人章南西Nancy等人。
會場唯一的一位男士是大使館經濟參事劉志英，向貴賓們簡報中華民國與巴拿馬共和國的貿易狀況，以及分析中美洲經貿發展的趨勢。
第二年(1996年）6月9日，中華民國第一屆立法委員、大陸時期上海明星花露水香皂公司創辦人、世界華人工商婦女企管協會理事長的周文磯女士，由秘書長陳麗瓊陪同，率領一個十餘人的參訪團到達巴拿馬。
次日(6月10日)在巴京龍鳳酒樓，舉辦了一個盛大的宴會，世界華人工商婦女企管協會巴拿馬分會宣布成立。
宴會以吳秀蓮為首策劃，當日工商名流雲集，還包括巴拿馬工商部長、外交部次長。
在事後的理監事選舉中，吳秀蓮獲選為常務理事，婉拒後改為監事。
陳麗瓊女士此行圓滿成功，愉快地結識了許多好朋友，在往後的日子裡，為歷任巴拿馬駐中華民國大使及夫人，提供了多方面的協助。(42)
人無遠慮 必有近憂，當初把孩子帶到國外生活，為的是求得一個好的讀書環境，當然首選就是美國。
但命運作弄人，諸多的客觀因素我們到了巴拿馬。在巴20年我們被酸過、被坑過、被誤解過，還被懷疑對國家的忠誠度。
秀蓮為了孩子求得一個更好的求學環境，四處打聽赴美之路。被一位來自台灣的太太譏諷，懷疑我們的條件不足讓孩子平順赴美讀書。
為了因應未來可能要支付一筆可觀的學費和生活費，秀蓮到了Rio Abajo河下區，距離居家40分鐘公共汽車車程，僑領譚瑞進的一間超市兼差打工，每晩至少十點鐘才能回到家。（43)
中華總會對街有一家漢昌公司，由一對50餘歲的中年夫婦主理。我跟老闆的女婿旅居加拿大溫哥華的陳先生，在台北有一面之緣，巴拿馬再度重逢。經他的介紹，認識一位從台灣來的年輕人，其人正跟他的妻妹(小姨子)打得火熱。
某日這位張姓年輕人，跟我談起在工作之餘，做點小貿易，攢點錢改善改善生活，我欣然接受與他合作，並請吳秘書出面，由陳奉天擔保，以他的公司名義向銀行貸款美金一萬元。
兩個月後，一個20呎貨櫃(集裝箱）的電器用品到達巴拿馬。滙還台灣出口商貨款後，運用資金還有四千餘元。平時由他，假日他我兩人挨家逐戶推銷，成績不俗。
巴京近郊多採一月期全額付款，偏遠地區一次付款九折優待，預計三個月內可進第二次貨櫃還清貸款。
始料未及一個月後出了狀況，由這位張某的朋友轉給我一封信。得悉他兩天前去了美國，還直截了當的說，他用錢孔急，應收帳款已收，一切出於無奈，希能見諒。對於這突如其來的噩訊，我簡直是叫天不應叫地不回。
次年(1982年)2月2日，距離貸款日已逾半年。銀行致函陳奉天先生，函曰：貸款公司未按規定月付利息，迄今累積本利1萬2千516元。請台端履行保證人責任或洽請該貸款公司負責人償還。
負責人已逃之夭夭，留下這個爛攤子怎麼辦，總不能讓陳老償還吧。於是請吳秘書協助，揍了錢先行結案。我和秀蓮用了五年時間，才還清了這筆幾乎要命的債。
一位來自台灣的程醫生告之，張君在邁阿密近郊娶了一位西裔美籍婦人，並且有了一個孩子。漢昌公司老闆，對女兒感情受騙，感到憤憤不平。(44)
在巴拿馬期間，我沒有抱怨生活的不易，繁重的工作壓力，反而莫名的困擾給我帶來沮喪。生活中時刻都有無奈，太多的無奈充滿在我的生活之中。
1994年2月9日癸酉年除夕，巴拿馬坊間出版了一本名為《風釆》的半月刊，在試刊號內，鼔吹個人崇拜，在搞神化毛主席運動。其中竟有三篇之多，矛指共和報的友報《拉美快報》，大加撻伐。
《拉美快報》事先未明底蘊，在氣浮、怨多、情急的情況下發表文章，竟臆測這本刊物與國民黨和共和報有牽連， 還冠上《國共一家親》的大標題。這在當時國共兩黨緊張的政治氛圍下，是一項很嚴重的抺紅，給我帶來不少困擾。這與柯文哲在上海台北雙城論壇中所提出的《兩岸一家親》不可同日而語，我不得不撰文反擊。
1982年4月至1993年6月，中共發展太空事業進入第三階段。1986年某月，我在台北發行的一份雜誌上，摘錄一篇有關中共航天戰略發展的前景文章，在共和報發表。隨後數日，又報導了一則中共投資巴西煤炭、紡織事業的新聞。結果引來僑社某人的撻伐，說我《為匪宣傳》。(45)
1986年9月9日，人和會館主席謝順彩先生推薦一位有四年打字經驗的饒女士，到報館試機。被打字員劉太太(譚女士）遇見，這位譚女士情緒激動臉色難看，立即連撥三通電話，分別給她的契爺（乾爹）盧湛濤、報務董事長鄭華秋、社長方兆倫。
盧湛濤有所不悅，說了一些使我聽了很無奈的話。鄭華秋、方兆倫沒有表示任何意見。
我回報事由，用意在為譚女士找個職務代理人，在其人請假情況下，使報紙能夠順利出刊，且係臨時暫代，況且打字員之任用在我權責之內，更何況任用尚須報務會議通過。
事後我遞交了一份措辭嚴厲的報告給各報務委員，表達我的立場。
文曰：這本來就是一件很單純的事情，沒有什麼越權問題。如果在一個有制度有紀律的單位裡，絕對不會發生這種引為笑柄的事。
期待各位委員能夠確認編輯權責，就像此次事件，事事要向多頭領導報備，實無必要。這種行政開 倒車的做法還談什麼 革新，報館今日婆婆太多，承辦人難做事。(46)
民國83年(1994年)9月，我在中華總會第13屆理監事選舉時，當選為五名候補常務理事之一，順位排第四。
民國85年(1996年）11月，我為了在總會的一次常務理監事會議中，維護發言權，向總會鍾震邦會長展開論戰。
該年11月最後一個週末，在中巴文化中心召開常務理監事會議，事關僑社權益至關重要。我依照總會組織章程之規定，提出參加會議申請，但被鍾會長刁難，感到十分驚訝。
經詢總會秘書長陳發昌證實，鍾會長質疑我以國民黨黨員身分為黨發言之正當性，並針對我在歷次僑團會議中，發言過多有所不滿。
該次會議我臨場憤然退席，將備妥之書面聲明分發各出席人員。對鍾會長之處置，表達我的抗議。
聲明如下：
1，本人自移民巴拿馬以來，一直景仰鍾會長學養豐厚，且畢業於美國知名高等學府，一向強調自由、民主思想，為僑界德高望重之士。
2，本人依總會章程3章22條規定，有權出席常務理監事會議，給予應得之發言權益，不受排名順位之限制。並沒有規定有黨派黨員身分之理監事，不得出席總會會議之政治歧視。
3，會議應鼓勵出席者發言，集思廣益促進團隊進步，發揮會議功能。不能因發言過多而限制開會。
4，人人都有信仰的自由，選擇政黨的自由。本人信奉的中國國民黨及我的人格尊嚴，不應被鄙視。
5，本人當一本忠誠服務僑胞之初衷，追隨各位賢明領導，繼續為巴拿馬中華總會奉獻心力，促進僑社團結而努力。(47）
我誕生在一個父母親三代人都是深藍的家庭，為了中國國民黨可以鞠躬盡瘁 死而後已，此話絕不誇張，我的祖父和外祖父的事蹟足以證明。
The 我在海外四十年，孤陋寡聞得直到民國104年(2015年)10月換柱事件以後，才知道中國國民黨有《醬缸文化》這個新詞，回首前塵往事，深覺還真有點道理。
民國85年(1996年）12月3月，我向大使館申請《共和報在職證明》認證。告之礙於規定不予認證，對此我至感訝異。
次日，我向袁大使提出申訴書，分述於後。
1，共和報雖於本年5月1日停刊，但並未在巴拿馬新聞處辦理註銷登記，隨時可以復刊。本人之總編輯兼副社長職務，並未解除。
2，無論返國開會、講習、受訓，或私人探親，每次出境都須向巴拿馬移民局申請出入境許可簽證。
3，巴國法律規定，外國人不得在巴國境內從事黨務活動，我只能以共和報在職證明申請。
4，本人於民國38年隨父親服務之部隊，自青島撤退至台灣，在台完成小學、中學及軍校學業。先後服務軍旅、中國青年反共救國團及國民黨海外工作會長達35年，對黨對國的忠貞程度，應無顧慮。
5，尚請承辦人能察本人工作需要，作出彈性權宜決定。(48)
1986年12月，我與秀蓮出席三民主義統一中國大同盟在休士頓舉行的第四屆全球會議，會後辦理了兩項對家庭至關重要的事情。
一是在費城向美國移民局提交第四類親屬移民申請，一是為孩子赴美求學預作準備，覓得監護人。1990年8月，兄弟倆順利進入休士頓著名高中Bellaire High School就讀。
1998年5月，我和秀蓮通過美國大使館移民問話，取得長期居留身分。兩個孩子卻因超過21歳，至少五年後父母任何一方，成為美國公民後，轉換為綠卡身分。
五個月後的1998年10月，我們夫妻倆離開了巴拿馬，到了休士頓與孩子團圓。二十年甜酸苦辣的日子，千言萬語說不盡講不完。（49)
《荒漠甘泉》一書引伸聖經詩篇42章7節的話說：偉大的人物都是在艱困中成長，你的波浪洪濤漫過我身。
初中時代，讀清代文學家文康所著的《金玉緣》，又名《兒女英雄傳》，內有一命、二運、三風水、四積陰德、五讀書的精句。當時我只知看故事，不知其中真理。
1977年，秀蓮帶著兩個孩子到美國大使館，申請探親簽證被拒，心情十分沮喪。心想，也許上帝給我們安排了一條更好的路，關了一扇窗又開了一道門。
1980年，命運遇到了轉折的機會，我們一家人在巴拿馬團聚。
無庸置疑，比較台灣、美國、巴拿馬三地，由於我們的生活和工作環境，巴拿馬要比其他兩地來得更好。我們的國際視野寬闊了，接觸到的大人物也多了，處理事物的能力豐富了，見到的場面也夠大了。
收獲更多的是兩個孩子，在一個優質的學習環境下，能說流利的華語、能閲讀報章雜誌上的中文、也可以用中文表達自己的意思。英語文、西班牙語文可以融會貫通，口譯英語和西班牙語。
由於工作關係，近二十年的歷練，Anderson 可以流暢筆譯英翻西、西翻英，更有英西文翻譯成葡萄牙文、法文、義大利文的優良紀錄。這對自己的事業進展，提供了最佳的條件。
感謝天主，安排我們在巴拿馬工作生活學習歴練了20年。我們幸運平順進階，一命、二運、三風水、四積陰德、五讀書，是聽天命還是儘人事，或是天人乾坤的調和。(50，夲篇完)
第24篇：懷念張必剛神父
巴拿馬是一個天主教國家，國家重大的決策，都會尊重總主教或主教團的意見。
華僑入境隨俗，清同治年間，已有天主教信徒，至光緒年間約有五分之一的華人成為教友。
截至21世紀初，巴拿馬華僑社會，出現了兩位華裔司鐸(神父）。一位是1914年誔生於巴拿馬箇朗的李神父Ting Pong Lee，1936年在羅馬傳信大學獲得宗教學博士學位，1946年回到出生地傳播教理長達半個世紀。
另一位是1921年誕生於中國安徽桐城，畢業於安徽師大，抗戰時期加入青年軍，勝利後遠赴教廷進修，同様得到宗教學博士學位的張必剛神父。
1986年教廷派張神父到中南美洲巡迴佈道，在巴拿馬Christo Rey教堂，首次以華語（廣東話)為華人信衆，主持彌撒。
兩年後(1988年)10月，張神父由倫敦教區轉派巴拿馬為駐堂神父，積極籌備建立首座華人Sagrado de Ancon天主教堂，1992年6月開始首次彌撒。1993年10月，調升至加拿大溫哥華教區。2003年，我在洛杉磯羅蘭崗天主堂，得悉他去世的消息。(1)
1987年8月，我們一家人在巴京Iglesias del Carmen天主堂，首次目睹張必剛神父的風釆，聆聽他解說《宗教與人生》，留下深刻印象。
由於孩子在運河區一所天主教學校就讀，每週都有神父為同學解說教理，並在校區後山的一座小教堂內，參與宗教活動。因此，孩子對張神父的話語，很容易了解。
1990年8月，孩子赴美升學前，除非僑社舉辦的活動必須參加外，每週日一家人必定會到張神父主持的教堂望彌撒。
1989年及1990年的春節期間，教堂擺設祭壇立靈位，備鮮花素果，在張必剛神父的引導下，上香向中華民族列祖列宗祈福國泰民安風調雨順。我們對天主教，有了更深一層的認識。(2)
1991年11月17日(星期日），張神父在西班牙大道Carmen教堂主持了一次意義重大的彌撒。包括新僑在內的華裔華人逾三百人參加，全程用華語進行，教友分別以粵語、國語恭讀經文。
張神父在證道中，引用聖經《聖馬爾谷》福音的話，闡述塵世間沒有《最後》的意義，我們 要追求的是一個永遠長存的生活。他並且拿明朝哲儒顧炎武的銘言《國家興亡匹夫有責》來引伸這個道理，他強調在宗教的領域裡，要擴大我們的責任感，我們追求的最高目標是精神價值，在宗教教育裡，建立我們的宇宙觀，提升我們的民族道德，也才能夠改變我們世俗的價值觀念。
彌撒後，熱心的教友們，特別為參加彌撒的朋友，安排了一個茶會，除了閒話家常外，張神父還即時解答一些教外朋友的提問，內容也很廣泛。張神父歡迎旅巴華僑，尤其是新僑朋友，多多參與天主教活動，能夠實際體驗精神生活的喜悅。
1992年6月21日(星期日)，張神父為我及秀蓮主持聖洗聖事，陳奉天及夫人馮翠蘭是我們的代父母。天主教特設代父母的職責，代領代子女常在生活中追隨基督，與基督同在。(3，本篇完。第二章采風巴拿馬全篇完)
Parts of this introduction that were in Chinese were translated by AI (Claude) in November 2026. Not yet reviewed by the author.
Translated from the Chinese by AI (Claude) in November 2026. Not yet reviewed by the author. The three PDFs lost 81 characters their font couldn’t show; they were filled in from context before translating.
Contents目錄目录 (6)
- The Honking of Migrant Wild Geese, Chapter Two: Scenes from Panama (continued)
- Essay 20: An Old Soldier Eighty Years Away from Home
- Essay 21: The Hearts of Overseas Chinese, Seen through Two Films
- Essay 22: Secretary Wu, Who Served the Overseas Chinese Community All His Life
- Essay 23: Sour, Sweet, Bitter and Spicy, All Are Blessings
- Essay 24: In Memory of Father Zhang Bigang
The Honking of Migrant Wild Geese, Chapter Two: Scenes from Panama (continued)
Essay 20: An Old Soldier Eighty Years Away from Home
The old soldier Gao Qingfu (郜慶福) was a close friend of mine during the twenty years I lived in Panama (1979-1998). His family came from Nanyang in Henan, so he was a fellow native of my own home district.
Like the old soldiers who retreated to Taiwan with the army in 1949, he spent most of his life cut off from his own flesh and blood, "with no home left to ask whether they lived or died" (無家問死生), gazing silently at the bright moon and weeping as he longed for his hometown.
October 14, 2017 (year 106 of the Republic) marked thirty years since family visits across the Taiwan Strait had been opened. In the seventy-nine years since he joined the army to serve his country in 1939 (year 28 of the Republic), he had never once been back to his hometown. On June 11, 2018 (year 107 of the Republic), he died in Panama at the great age of 98 (1).
Gao Qingfu was born on November 24, 1921 (year 10 of the Republic), in a farming village ten li west of the Wuhou Shrine in Nanyang, Henan. The Gao family had once been a prominent family in Nanyang, but its fortunes declined from his grandfather's generation on. His father had four sons and one daughter. Gao Qingfu was the third child, with an elder sister and an elder brother above him and two younger brothers below. As a boy he was hyperactive. Ganging up with others to fight and make trouble was normal for him, and his parents could do nothing with him.
In 1930 (year 19 of the Republic), a native of Dengfeng, Henan, who was from the same area as his maternal uncle, recommended him to the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song. There he studied martial arts under a master for eight years, mastered Shaolin kung fu, and also read through the Analects and Mencius. (2)
In the summer of 1937 (year 26 of the Republic), a fire at the Shaolin Temple destroyed the meditation halls and sleeping quarters on the south-facing side. Close on its heels came word from home that Gao Qingfu's father had died. He hurried home day and night for the funeral, and his ordination, when he was to take the precepts and have his head shaved, was postponed.
When he got home and saw his mother lying sick in bed, he threw himself into her arms and wept aloud. By then his elder sister had married and moved far away to Xinyang. His elder brother worked as a bookkeeper for a trading firm in Xiangyang, Hubei, and his family had moved there too. His two younger brothers were apprentices in the county town and seldom came home. His mother kept urging him, now gently, now firmly, and to everyone's surprise the headstrong Gao Qingfu gave in to her wishes and dropped the idea of shaving his head and becoming a monk.
The following year (1938), before the Spring Festival, he married a young woman surnamed Xue from a neighboring village. The two had been promised to each other before they were born, and she had been waiting at home, still unmarried. The next year she bore him a daughter.
Gao Qingfu remembered clearly that on September 18, 1939, two junior officers and five soldiers, accompanied by the township head, came to a mulberry field. Gao Qingfu and his wife were working there, and the men explained why they had come.
Gao Qingfu was taken to a recruit training center under the Nationalist army's 13th Army (corps commander Zhang Xuezhong (張雪中)) and assigned to the New 1st Division. His wife had collapsed weeping in the field, and the township head comforted her: the township office would pay conscripts' families a household allowance every quarter to help them get by. (3)
Once he reached the recruit training center, Gao Qingfu's spirits sank to rock bottom. He felt bewilderment, shock, gloom, despair and hatred, and was even seized by the urge to go on a killing spree. This was not an isolated case but a common one. The government of the day had no complete system of military service, and this caused a great deal of public resentment.
The military could not change these facts. All it could do was shape the recruits through strict discipline and iron training. The center's political instructors also used simple, easily understood examples from history to reason with the men and appeal to their feelings.
Gao Qingfu caught on faster than his comrades. He came to see that "the rise and fall of the nation is every man's responsibility" (國家興亡，匹夫有責), and his outlook changed. This had to do with the martial arts and Chan training he had received at the Shaolin Temple. He did exceptionally well in training, and when it ended he was promoted from private second class to corporal and deputy squad leader.
At the end of January 1941 (year 30 of the Republic), the Japanese army was following a strategy of using war to feed war. It launched the Battle of South Henan against southern Henan, the region richest in daily necessities and strategic materials. The Nationalist army's 5th War Zone (commander-in-chief Li Zongren) committed 18 armies, 250,000 troops in all, against a Japanese force of six divisions, one brigade and two tank regiments, totaling 150,000 men (overall commander Sonobe Waichiro (園部和一郎)).
The Japanese advanced north from Wuhan along the Beijing-Hankou Railway and fought fierce battles at Wuyang with the Nationalist 13th Army Group (commander Tang Enbo (湯恩伯)). The 2nd Army Group (commander Sun Lianzhong (孫連仲)) and the 33rd Army Group (commander Feng Zhi'an (馮治安)) came in support and encircled them, and the Japanese were routed and fell back.
In this battle Gao Qingfu was like the newborn calf that does not fear the tiger. He led his men in charging the enemy lines and fighting at the front, captured a Japanese army truck and killed more than ten Japanese soldiers. His superiors praised him highly, and he was awarded a major merit citation for battlefield achievement. (4)
The Battle of South Henan began on January 24, 1941 and ended on February 13, lasting 21 days in all. It was a great victory for the Nationalist army and an important battle of the middle years of the War of Resistance against Japan.
From that summer until the spring of 1943 (year 32 of the Republic), Henan suffered a great drought, and most areas had no harvest at all. A plague of locusts followed the drought. Famine spread through all 110 counties and cities of the province, and three million people starved to death. The news was kept suppressed until after victory in the War of Resistance.
The Army's New 1st Division, the unit in which Gao Qingfu served, was stationed around Yu County and Yiyang. The troops were desperately short of food. Three meals a day were cut to two, both of them sweet-potato gruel, and dried radish counted as a delicacy.
The Japanese army, by contrast, was affected too, but its supplies never ran short. That year Taiwan had a bumper rice harvest. The rice was shipped from Kaohsiung Harbor to Xiamen, and from there north to the Japanese garrisons in Henan. The Japanese had taken Xiamen as early as May 1938 (year 27 of the Republic) and held it until victory in the War of Resistance.
In the autumn of 1941, salmonella bacteria spread, and the Nationalist troops were threatened by what was commonly called intestinal fever, that is, typhoid. More than half the officers and men in Gao Qingfu's company were infected, and the company's fighting strength was badly affected. Left untreated, the disease can cause bleeding and perforation of the small intestine, and even death.
In those days the Nationalist army was gravely short of medicine, and the medical officers were helpless against so widespread an infection. Gao Qingfu had picked up a little medical knowledge from his uncle, a doctor of Chinese medicine. He led the men of his company into the mountains to catch wild dogs, which they stewed and ate. It was a matter of "treating a dead horse as if it were alive" (死馬當活馬醫), trying anything however hopeless, yet little by little the men actually recovered. (5)
After the Battle of South Henan, Gao Qingfu was transferred in a reorganization to the New 8th Division, under the 14th Army Group (Commander-in-Chief Liu Mao'en (劉茂恩)). From May 7 to June 2, 1941, he fought in the Battle of the Zhongtiao Mountains in southern Shanxi. He was wounded while fighting bravely and left with a second-class disability. After several months of treatment he was reassigned to the New 22nd Division (division commander Qiu Qingquan (邱清泉)), under the 5th Army (corps commander Du Yuming (杜聿明)).
On December 8, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The next day the Nationalist Government declared war on Germany, Italy and Japan.
On January 3, 1942 (year 31 of the Republic), the Allied Supreme Command of the China Theater was established, with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek as Supreme Commander.
On February 16, 1942, the Nationalist 5th, 6th and 66th Armies were sent to Burma to support the British forces. So Gao Qingfu went to Burma with his army, becoming a member of the first Chinese Expeditionary Force. (6)
The troops entered Burma by the Burma Road. Gao Qingfu was young, quick to react and a fast learner, and he could be trusted with heavy responsibilities. He was assigned to a transport company as a driver, carrying guns, artillery shells and ammunition, heavy equipment and military supplies. They drove across the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and through the deep valleys of western Yunnan, along the China-Burma road as it wound for a thousand li over towering mountains, and so into Burma.
The Chinese surveyed, designed and built this wartime supply route themselves, using engineer units and a million civilian laborers over nearly four years. It ran from Kunming in Yunnan to Lashio in Burma, a total of 1,453 kilometers. Construction began in the spring of 1938, and the whole road was opened in 1941.
The armies that reached Burma were quartered for the time being by area in British army barracks at Lashio, Maymyo, Mandalay and other places. A few months later they had camps of their own.
In the early stage of the campaign in Burma, the Nationalist troops were in high spirits and full of fight. Wave after wave pressed forward, defeating the Japanese many times and winning the battles for Toungoo, Yenangyaung, the Sittang valley, Tanggu and other places. (7)
The Nationalist army sent the Expeditionary Force to Burma to secure the international route through India and Burma and to protect China's rear. The British aim was to use the Nationalist troops to cover their own withdrawal from Burma and save India.
On top of this, the commander, Joseph Stilwell, directed the campaign poorly and coordinated badly with the British. After half a year of savage fighting, the Nationalist army had suffered heavy casualties. On the orders of Supreme Commander Chiang Kai-shek, the main force had no choice but to make its way back to China across the Savage Mountains.
Earlier, on April 19, Sun Li-jen, commander of the New 38th Division, had sent Colonel Liu Fangwu (劉放吾), commander of the 113th Regiment, with three infantry battalions, only 1,121 men, on a surprise attack against the Japanese 33rd Division at Yenangyaung. Thanks to skillful tactics, the few defeated the many. The Japanese were badly beaten and withdrew in haste. More than 7,000 men of the encircled British 1st Division were rescued, along with more than 500 captured journalists, missionaries and others. The international press reported the battle widely and praised it, and this single battle made Sun Li-jen famous.
By this time Gao Qingfu's unit had been absorbed into the expanded New 1st Army (with Sun Li-jen promoted to corps commander). He went with it to India, where he drove tanks in the 1st Tank Battalion. The battalion commander, Zhao Zhenyu (趙振宇), thought highly of him, and he was promoted to sergeant first class and squad leader.
Three things from his time in Burma stayed vividly in Gao Qingfu's memory. First: when they first arrived in Burma and ate in the British barracks, the officers and men were not used to Western food such as milk, cheese and coffee. Nor did they know how to use a knife and fork, and nearly a third of them came down with diarrhea.
Second: at a joint Chinese-British evening of entertainment, Gao Qingfu demonstrated Shaolin qigong. He drew a five-pound vase two feet up off the table and held it in midair for a full minute. Then, on the spur of the moment, he took on four British soldiers alone and bare-handed, and threw every one of them to the ground.
Third: in March 1942, the Battle of Toungoo was a great Nationalist victory, and the troops freed the women held in a Japanese "Hometown" comfort station designated by the army's supply depot (《兵站指定慰安所故鄉》). Among them were several comfort women from Korea, Taiwan and mainland China. The Chinese and British set up a special team to establish the facts of the Japanese army's forced recruitment of comfort women, bearing witness for history. (8)
After the Chinese Expeditionary Force's New 22nd and New 38th Divisions withdrew to India, they were expanded into the New 1st Army. Its commander was first Zheng Dongguo (鄭洞國) and later Sun Li-jen. At the start of 1944 (year 33 of the Republic), the Nationalist Government airlifted in the 14th and 50th Divisions to form the New 6th Army under Liao Yaoxiang (廖耀湘). This brought the total strength of the Nationalist forces in India to 100,000 men.
At the same time, back in China, the 11th and 20th Army Groups in Yunnan formed a second expeditionary force under the command of Wei Lihuang (衛立煌). On May 11 it forced a crossing of the Salween River and attacked the Japanese.
On March 3, 1944, the Nationalist forces in India entered Burma and successfully struck the Japanese 18th Division. Two days later they took Maingkwan in a single stroke. After that nothing could stop them: they took Walawbum on March 9 and Myitkyina on August 1. By this time, under the call for "a hundred thousand young men, a hundred thousand soldiers" (十萬青年十萬軍), young volunteers had joined the ranks of the Expeditionary Force.
On January 27, 1945 (year 34 of the Republic), the Chinese Army in India and the second expeditionary force met at Mong Yu in Burma. This opened the Ledo Road and restored the Republic of China's international route in the southwest.
Before this, for nearly two years, all aid to China had been flown in from India by American transport planes over the Himalayas, to keep the rear secure and the international supply line open. This was known as "the Hump airlift." (9)
When Gao Qingfu reached India with his unit, he was stationed at the American training base at Ramgarh. He was immediately re-equipped and put through three months of intensive training. The opening ceremony was presided over jointly by Stilwell, commander of the Chinese Army in India, and the two corps commanders, Liao Yaoxiang and Sun Li-jen.
Before the opening ceremony the officers and men were issued new equipment. The Zhongzheng (Chiang Kai-shek) rifle was replaced by the Thompson submachine gun. Cloth caps and straw sandals gave way to steel helmets and leather boots, and cotton service uniforms to light khaki field uniforms. Company-grade officers were paid US$30 a month, NCOs $20, and enlisted men $10. (In 1953, year 42 of the Republic, an army sergeant first class in the ROC armed forces earned NT$30 a month, and one US dollar was worth NT$40.)
Gao Qingfu received tank warfare training from American instructors, with a quarter more training hours than ordinary officers and men. The training tanks were American-made M3A3s, and in combat they used M4A4s.
Saturday afternoons and Sundays were free. The officers and men spent most of that time at the American servicemen's club on the base. They could also go into the center of Ramgarh to stroll around, eat and shop.
Gao Qingfu studied hard and picked things up quickly. Before long he could talk with the Americans using simple English sentences, single words or gestures. (10)
On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War broke out, and the Republic of China's War of Resistance against Japan entered its later phase. By the spring of 1944, the Japanese had suffered one setback after another in the Pacific, and signs of their defeat were showing. In the Asian theater the Nationalist army fought bravely. Together with the American and British Allies, it counterattacked in Yunnan and Burma and opened the international road between China and India.
Gao Qingfu remembers driving tanks in India and the counteroffensive into Burma. In five assaults on towns, the tanks led the way, the infantry and signal troops followed behind, and warplanes gave reconnaissance and cover overhead (the Expeditionary Force's tank battalion had five radio vehicles that could talk to the aircraft). Three of those battles are still fresh in his memory. First, in February 1944 (year 33 of the Republic), in the Hukawng Valley of northern Burma, after three days of fierce fighting with the Japanese, they took Maingkwan.
Second, in March 1944, came the great victory of the Battle of Walawbum. Two Japanese colonels (regiment commanders, commanding infantry regiments) and one lieutenant colonel (commanding a tank regiment) were killed, along with more than 450 officers and men. They also captured the official seal and other important documents of the Japanese 18th Division (commanded by Mutaguchi Renya).
Third, on 10 December 1944, the 1st Tank Battalion waded through the jungle near Myitkyina to storm the Japanese base at Bhamo, and it completed its mission.
On 1 May 1945 (year 34 of the Republic), the Nationalist army supported the British forces in India and Burma in retaking Rangoon. The Republic of China's troops stationed in India were ordered home, and Gao Qingfu returned with the army to Kunming. On 15 August that year, Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. On 9 September, Okamura Yasuji, representing the Japanese forces in China, surrendered at the Military Academy in Nanjing to General He Yingqin, the representative of Generalissimo Chiang, Supreme Commander of the China war zone. (11)
The Republic of China's War of Resistance against Japan ended in a bitter victory, and opinion at home and abroad began to call for cutting the size of the army. For a Nationalist army worn out by eight years of war and badly needing to recover its strength, this was surely good news. Gao Qingfu had been away from home for six years by then, and he longed to take off his uniform, go home and be with his family again.
But in the very month after victory, the Chinese Communist Party launched an all-out "war of liberation," and by the end of 1945 civil war had broken out in Northeast China. China should have turned to rebuilding after the war, but it lost its chance for peace.
Forced by circumstances, the Nationalist Government did not reduce its forces. Instead, it expanded them.
The Expeditionary Force's New 1st Army, famed as "the Finest Army Under Heaven" (天下第一軍), was ordered to the Northeast to fight in the civil war, and so Gao Qingfu came to Jinzhou in Liaoning. (12)
In the Northeast, Gao Qingfu took part in two campaigns: the Battle of Siping and the defense of Changchun. Siping, also called Siping City, lies in the middle of the Songliao Plain in Northeast China. In 1946 it had only 100,000 people, but it was where the China Changchun Railway met the Siping-Meihekou Railway, and it was a key military stronghold of the Northeast. Chiang Kai-shek once said that without Siping there would be no Northeast. During the Battle of Siping, Mao Zedong issued nearly ten urgent orders that Siping must be taken at any cost.
Under Lin Biao's command, the Communist army threw 300,000 troops against 280,000 men in seven Nationalist armies, among them the New 1st Army, the New 6th Army and the Youth Army.
By this time Gao Qingfu was a second lieutenant and deputy platoon leader in the New 1st Army's tank company.
In the first round of the Battle of Siping, Sun Li-jen's New 1st Army used just one regiment to hold off an assault by four divisions and two regiments of Lin Biao's. At the mere mention of Sun Li-jen, Lin Biao was struck with fear.
Each of the three rounds that followed was fiercer than the one before. In the fourth round the Communists used human-wave tactics, driving civilians ahead of them as the first wave, and the bodies piled up like mountains. It was so terrible that the Nationalist troops could not bear to fight on. Gao Qingfu, tears streaming down his face, could not pull the trigger, and they were ordered to withdraw. On 13 March 1948 (year 37 of the Republic), Siping fell into Communist hands. Counted from 11 June 1947 (year 36 of the Republic), the battle had lasted 277 days in all. (13)
After the Battle of Siping, Company Commander Zhai, who had been Gao Qingfu's direct superior in the New 1st Army in India, was transferred to the New 7th Army. Gao Qingfu followed him to the New 7th Army, which was stationed in Changchun.
From May to October 1948, the Communist People's Liberation Army laid siege to Changchun. Its commander, Lin Biao, passed down the order from above: "Make Changchun a dead city." The Nationalist commander Zheng Dongguo led the 60th Army and the New 7th Army in the defense and imposed a curfew, and civilians were not allowed to leave the city.
Changchun lies about 100 kilometres northeast of Siping. The Yitong River runs to its east, and its branches flow past the South Gate, Wuhutun and the Northwest Gate, so the city has rivers on all four sides. The People's Liberation Army surrounded Changchun completely with 200,000 men, and as tactics went, it was indeed the best possible move.
The People's Liberation Army dug trenches outside the city and cut off the groundwater that supplied it, for more than five months. The Nationalist troops ran out of ammunition and food, and 160,000 civilians starved to death. It was like hell on earth. The Nationalist army tried several times to break out, all without success, and Gao Qingfu was one of the few stragglers who got away. The siege of Changchun cost the Nationalist army terrible losses, and the situation in the Northeast fell apart. Changchun fell on 18 October. On 2 November Shenyang and Yingkou fell to the Communists. On 12 November 100,000 Nationalist troops were trapped at Jinzhou, and only some of them broke out. The People's Liberation Army took the whole of the Northeast. This ended the Liaoshen Campaign, one of the three great "liberation campaigns" the Communists launched in the second civil war between the Nationalists and Communists. Next came the Pingjin Campaign and the Huaihai Campaign (the Battle of Xuzhou-Bengbu).
On 16 September 1947, the ROC Marine Corps was re-established at Mawei in Fujian, with six marine battalions directly under Navy Headquarters. Gao Qingfu, a straggler, was taken into the 3rd Battalion. On 19 March 1949 (year 38 of the Republic), the 1st Marine Division was formed, and Gao Qingfu served in the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Brigade, which moved to Hainan Island. In May 1950 (year 39 of the Republic), the Nationalist army withdrew from Hainan, and Gao Qingfu came to Zuoying in Taiwan. (14)
Gao Qingfu worked in Taiwan for fifteen years (1950–1964). While serving in the 1st Marine Brigade, he held the rank of second lieutenant and was a liaison officer in the brigade's liaison office for officers and men on the outlying islands, stationed at the Kaohsiung docks.
In the early years after the government moved to Taiwan, it issued a regulation on re-ranking soldiers who came from the mainland (大陸來台軍士官全面補辦核階任職條例). Because he had no military-school education, he was reduced in rank to marine sergeant first class. In 1955 (year 44 of the Republic) he was transferred to the ROC Naval Academy, to its vehicle dispatch office. The superintendent at the time was Rear Admiral Soong Chang-chih.
In his spare time, Gao Qingfu often went with friends to Qishan in Kaohsiung, near today's Kaohsiung Leisure Farm, to hunt wild boar, which made a fine treat for his comrades' mess.
Gao Qingfu was a gourmet and also a skilled cook, especially of seafood. He had learned it as an apprentice at a seafood restaurant in Cijin, Kaohsiung. (15)
In April 1955, while Gao Qingfu was still in the 1st Marine Brigade, Admiral Arthur Radford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the Republic of China, and a visit to the Zuoying naval district was part of his schedule.
The touring troupe of the MND Recreation Corps was invited to perform at Sihaiyijia in Zuoying. The programme was carefully prepared. Besides acrobatics and magic, it included American popular songs of the 1940s and fashionable American dances of the 1950s.
That evening Sihaiyijia was full of Chinese and American generals and admirals, and Admiral and Mrs. Radford were relaxed and in fine spirits. At the end of the show, the whole troupe danced the twist, the American craze of the day, and invited the guests and the officers and men in the audience to join in. Mrs. Radford was delighted and decided on the spot to go up on stage. To everyone's surprise, Gao Qingfu also jumped onto the stage and danced with her. The audience broke into applause and cheers. The director of Navy Headquarters' Political Department, though, looked rather nervous, afraid that Gao Qingfu might lose his composure and something would go wrong. Instead, Mrs. Radford praised Gao Qingfu's dancing as graceful and elegant. J. L. Huang, then commander of the Combined Logistics Command, was also there, and he was deeply impressed by the skill, spirit and fine showing of this Nationalist NCO. (16)
J. L. Huang had a former subordinate from the Officers' Moral Endeavor Association during the War of Resistance, a man surnamed Liao (廖) from Jiaoling in Guangdong, who had graduated from the College of Agriculture of National Wuhan University. After leaving the army, he and two old comrades-in-arms started a farm together in Qishan, Kaohsiung. They got on well with the local farmers and swapped farming know-how with them, and they did well in both growing and selling.
In the summer of 1957 (year 46 of the Republic), J. L. Huang and his wife were invited to the farm to escape the heat. They enjoyed the beauty of the wooded hills and the countryside and tasted mountain delicacies and wild game.
One day, while Huang and his party were eating at a restaurant on Qishan Old Street, a group of men back from hunting in the mountains happened to come in to eat as well, carrying wild hares and pheasants. General Huang recognized Gao Qingfu among them at a glance, and they had a lively talk.
After that, almost every Lunar New Year, Gao Qingfu visited the Huang home in Taipei to pay his New Year respects. He would cook a whole table of fine dishes with his own hands for General Huang's guests, and one of them, a shark's fin soup, was especially popular.
In November 1964 (year 53 of the Republic), J. L. Huang was appointed envoy to Panama and needed an aide and a driver. General Huang thought Gao Qingfu would be just right, so he arranged to borrow him from the military, and Gao Qingfu went with Ambassador Huang to Panama. (17)
When he arrived in Panama, Gao Qingfu was only 43, at the most vigorous time of his life. His work required him first of all to get to know the city and learn Spanish. Luckily the driver of the previous ambassador, Ma Hsing-yeh, a Panamanian who had just retired and knew a little English, showed him around. He learned the routes from the embassy to the airport, the Presidential Palace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the headquarters of the US Southern Command and other places.
At the embassy there was a Salvadoran woman, Miss Ana, nearly twenty years younger than Gao Qingfu, who did odd jobs. She was hardworking and kind, and seeing Gao Qingfu's bright eyes, quick reactions and strong build, she formed a good impression of him. When he asked her, she gladly agreed to teach him Spanish for nothing. Within a few months he could hold simple conversations in Spanish, but he mixed up masculine and feminine and muddled his tenses, which made for many funny mistakes.
Around the spring of 1965 or the summer of 1966, at a meeting of the diplomatic corps in the lobby of the Hotel El Panama, Gao Qingfu made two new friends: the drivers of the American and Japanese ambassadors. At that time the Republic of China had diplomatic relations with both the United States and Japan. (18)
Ana was a self-reliant woman who would not stoop to living under anyone's protection. She held herself to strict self-discipline, and she was upright, generous and truly loving. Yet she was unlucky in the men she married, which is hard to understand.
She married three times, and in seven years she bore her first two husbands five sons. Neither man had a proper job, and both were self-indulgent, falling for every woman they met. After each divorce the children stayed with their mother, while the father simply walked away and disappeared, and the whole burden of making a living fell on Ana. Seeing this, Gao Qingfu helped her with money from time to time, and Ana was of course deeply grateful. (19)
On 16 December 1969 (year 58 of the Republic), in a military coup, Colonel Omar Torrijos took power and chose Demetrio Lakas (Demetria Basilio Lakas) as president. Torrijos was promoted to general and became the real leader of the Republic of Panama.
In November 1970 (year 59 of the Republic), Ambassador J. L. Huang gave a banquet at his residence for President Lakas. Gao Qingfu helped the chef cook a seafood banquet, and Ana also helped in the kitchen.
Every dish had its spines, bones and shells removed to suit the guests' eating habits. Host and guests talked and laughed all through the meal and enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
President Lakas was especially fond of the three-shred shark's fin soup, and he asked how it was cooked and what went into it. He was full of praise for Gao Qingfu's cooking.
Who could have guessed that early the next morning the chef of the Presidential Palace would bring a box of about 20 pounds of fresh shark fins to the ambassador's residence and ask Gao Qingfu to teach him in person how to make three-shred shark's fin soup? No one knew whether to laugh or cry. (20)
Ambassador Huang was not at all put out by the Presidential Palace chef who had turned up so early. Instead, he chatted with him happily. It turned out the chef was professionally trained, a graduate of a well-known cooking school in Barcelona, Spain, Coquus Escuela de Cocina.
So Ambassador Huang called Gao Qingfu over to meet him, so that the two could swap cooking skills. That is how Gao Qingfu also learned one or two famous Spanish dishes, including seafood paella and Andalusian gazpacho.
Around 1975, on the last day of his term, President Lakas had the original idea of inviting more than two hundred children to visit the Presidential Palace: disabled children from poor families all over the country and children from orphanages. He encouraged them to study hard and grow up to contribute to Panamanian society, and he had lunch with them.
Gao Qingfu was invited to the Presidential Palace for this luncheon and made more than five hundred spring rolls for the children. Chinese spring rolls are much loved in Panama, and the children ate them with great relish. (21)
Ana met Gao Qingfu in 1964. As colleagues they came to know each other well, and day by day, almost without meaning to, they formed a true affection. Each cared deeply for the other; they understood and looked after one another, and every small kindness turned into deep love.
In 1971 Gao Qingfu was already 50, and Ana was about 35, still in the bloom of her years. Gao thought about how he would live the second half of his life and what would become of Ana. There was no hope of retaking the mainland, and the mainland was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, so he could never be reunited with the wife in his hometown. He decided to marry Ana.
Ana brought her five children, the youngest only seven, into the cheap rented flat with two bedrooms and a living room that Gao Qingfu had in the San Felipe district, and Gao became a ready-made father of five. (22)
For this newly formed family of seven, money was the greatest worry. The eldest and second children had left school after finishing the sixth grade, and the third, fourth and fifth were still in public primary school. The couple's dearest wish was that all five would at least finish high school, and the next ten years would be the hardest.
After some thought, Ana gave up her job and rented a small stall near the public market of Panama City, the Mercado Publico. She sold popular food, mainly fried chicken, fried fish, French fries and chicken rice, along with spring rolls and wontons that Gao Qingfu made himself, nearly ten dishes in all. Because the food suited local tastes and the service was friendly, business was good.
Precisely because business was good, two petty thieves with bad intentions waited for a chance to rob the stall. Unluckily for them, Gao Qingfu happened to be there helping out, and with a few quick moves he sent them fleeing. (23)
In 1975 Gao Qingfu was 54. On February 13 of that year Ana bore him a son, and he wept with emotion. Ambassador J. L. Huang gave the child a Chinese name, Gao Youcheng (郜有成). At the same time Ambassador Huang received orders to retire, and Gao Qingfu's secondment abroad from the military came to an end.
Gao Qingfu had to choose whether to stay in Panama or leave. His circumstances made returning to Taiwan impossible, so he had no choice but to stay in Panama.
To support the family, Ambassador Huang found him a job as a cook in a Chinese restaurant in Queens, New York. In two years he saved a little money, but he missed his family so badly that he went back to Panama.
The Panama community leader Zheng Guanying, who ran a well-known Chinese restaurant in Panama City, thought highly of his cooking and hired him as second chef at the Mandarin Hotel, which solved the problem of his being out of work. (24)
By 1978 Gao Qingfu's own son was three. Of the five children he treated as his own, the eldest three had all graduated from high school and found jobs that let them support themselves, and the heavy burden of providing for the family became much lighter.
But years of working in the kitchen, breathing in the smoke and fumes of cooking oil, had badly damaged his eyesight. The doctor told him he must stop working or he might go blind, so he was forced to give up his job at the Mandarin Hotel.
After a quiet spell, in 1980 a businessman friend I had known in Taipei, Mr. Fan Jincheng, came to Panama to sell watches and watch parts and wanted to hire a salesman to expand the business. I recommended Gao Qingfu to Fan Jincheng. (25)
As a salesman, Gao Qingfu was like the early Taiwanese businesspeople: carrying a "007" attaché case, he went to every watch shop in Panama City, selling door to door. Three years flew by like this, out early and home late, in all weather. Business was not as good as he had hoped, but it was just enough to keep the family going. During this time the food stall closed, because of competition and because Ana was no longer physically up to the work. Old Gao (Gao Qingfu) again faced money troubles at home, to the point of spending tomorrow's money today.
In 1983 the youngest son, the sixth of the children, was in the second grade, and the fourth and fifth had started junior high. The fourth, in the midst of adolescence, was hurt in a romance with a classmate and did something foolish: the child leapt from the 50-metre-high Bridge of the Americas and ended their life, leaving a letter to the family that expressed special remorse toward Old Gao, who had been like a real father.
The family went through a very dark and painful time. Ana developed bipolar disorder, but with Old Gao's devoted care and regular medical treatment, she gradually got better.
Old Gao placed great hopes in his own son, Gao Youcheng. He was determined to raise him to make something of himself, and at the very least to graduate from university. He hoped even more that the boy would take in some Chinese culture, speak some Chinese and read some Chinese.
Old Gao gave the boy his first lesson in Chinese culture by telling stories. He used "Mencius Meets King Hui of Liang" (孟子見梁惠王篇): "Venerable sir, you have not thought a thousand li too far to come; surely you bring something that will profit my kingdom?" (叟，不遠千里而來，亦將有利吾國乎). When Old Gao told me about this, I was surprised. Could the boy understand it? Old Gao said, "He half understands. Tell it a few more times and he'll get it. As for me, this little bit is all the learning I have. Back when I was training at the Shaolin Temple, I couldn't recite this passage, 'Mencius Meets King Hui of Liang,' and my master made me kneel for two double-hours [four hours] as punishment." (26)
On October 14, 1987 (year 76 of the Republic), the Central Standing Committee of the Kuomintang (KMT), the ruling party of the Republic of China, approved the opening of the Mainland Family Visit Policy (大陸探親政策), and the next day the Executive Yuan adopted it. On November 2 the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China began registering applicants, and the first group of old soldiers went back to their hometowns on the mainland after 38 years.
When the government moved to Taiwan in 1949, the two million Nationalist soldiers, civil servants, teachers and their dependants who went with it lost all contact with relatives left behind on the mainland. For these wanderers, teasingly called "mainlander taro" (外省芋仔), the easing of tensions and the opening of exchanges across the Strait made this mainland policy significant and its effects impossible to ignore.
At the same time, Old Gao's family was in hard straits: his wife was ill, he was out of work and the children were in school. Reality cut off his road home to see his family.
Every day Old Gao drowned his sorrows in drink, and he lay awake through the long nights. It was much like the lines Fan Zhongyan wrote: "My homesick soul is darkened, travel cares pursue me; night after night, unless a sweet dream holds me, I cannot sleep. When the moon is bright, do not lean alone on the high tower; the wine enters my sorrowing heart and turns to tears of longing." (黯鄉魂，追旅思，夜夜除非，好夢留人睡。明月樓高休獨倚，酒入愁腸，化作相思淚。) (27)
On December 20, 1989, the United States invaded Panama, which badly damaged Panama's economy. The government imposed currency controls and the banks froze customers' deposits, allowing each person only 50 US dollars a month for living expenses. In these hard conditions Old Gao's family's bank savings could last six months at most, and the head of the household was on pins and needles.
Around early February 1990, Old Gao came to see me at the newspaper and told me about his situation. To my surprise, after his secondment ended he had already reached the retirement age for NCOs, yet he had never reported to the Veterans Affairs Commission. Fifteen years had passed, and the Ministry of National Defense had probably listed him among missing personnel. Claiming a retirement pension would be a hard and complicated road. I suggested he go to his old commander, Ambassador Soong Chang-chih. (28)
As Old Gao talked, he recalled his military career, and I listened and took notes, putting together a report of about 600 characters. Then I went with Old Gao to the embassy to call on Ambassador Soong.
We had made an appointment in advance with the embassy secretary. When we arrived Ambassador Soong was receiving a visitor, so we waited outside the reception room. As soon as he had seen his guest off, Ambassador Soong called us straight into his office to talk. He did not treat Old Gao as a guest, precisely because Old Gao had served under him years before.
When Ambassador Soong Chang-chih had read the report, he asked kindly about Old Gao's circumstances and said, "I can try to get this for you." He at once instructed the deputy military attaché, Major Li Jianguo, to hurry to Taipei and take the matter up with the Ministry of National Defense and the Veterans Affairs Commission. We witnessed a four-star admiral in his own office having a warm conversation with a marine sergeant first class.
Good news came in less than a month. Old Gao accepted the advice he was given and chose not to take a lump sum but to draw a monthly pension, paid at 80 percent and collected every six months. Two months later Old Gao received his first wire transfer, nearly 2,500 US dollars, through the Panama branch of the International Commercial Bank of China. Old Gao was deeply moved and cried out, "Long live Ambassador Soong!" At Panama's prices then, this first six-month payment was enough to keep the household going. (29)
In December 1990 (year 79 of the Republic), Ambassador Soong Chang-chih returned home for health reasons to serve as strategy adviser at the Presidential Office. This was the moment when relations between the Republic of China and the Republic of Panama were at their friendliest and firmest in the 81 years since diplomatic ties were established on December 6, 1909 (the first year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing court), ties the Republic of China had carried on from the Qing.
Before he left his post, Ambassador Soong gave Old Gao a photograph of himself. On ROC Founding Day in 1991 (year 80 of the Republic), after attending the flag-raising ceremony held by the embassy together with the overseas Chinese community and schools, Old Gao placed the ambassador's photograph on a table at home. Every morning and evening he saluted it and said, "Reporting, Ambassador: old soldier Gao Qingfu pays you his respects."
On August 21, 2002 (year 91 of the Republic), Ambassador Soong died of illness in Taipei. When the news reached Panama, Old Gao wept in grief. From then on there were two more pictures on the table: the portrait of Sun Yat-sen, the Father of the Nation, in the centre, the late President Chiang Kai-shek on its left, and Ambassador Soong on its right. Old Gao never missed his morning and evening greetings, now bowing three times instead of saluting. At every festival, birthday and anniversary of a death he set out incense, candles and offerings of fruit and vegetarian food. (30)
On June 12, 2017 (year 106 of the Republic), the Republic of Panama abandoned the Republic of China, with which it had kept diplomatic relations for nearly 108 years, and switched its recognition to the People's Republic of China. The ROC's offices in Panama and the fellow overseas Chinese held a flag-lowering ceremony on the rooftop terrace of the embassy's 16th floor, presided over by Ambassador Cao Lijie. They sang the national anthem, and the Blue Sky, White Sun and Wholly Red Earth flag came slowly down as they sang the flag song. Every one of the hundred or more people there was in tears, filled with grief and indignation. From the back of the crowd came sobbing. It was the old soldier Gao Qingfu. Unable to hide his sorrow, he raised his arm and shouted, "Long live the Republic of China!" and then broke down weeping.
A year later, on June 14, 2018 (year 107 of the Republic), Old Gao died in Panama at the great age of 97.
On November 24, 2017, the 123rd anniversary of the founding of the Kuomintang, which was also Old Gao's 96th birthday, the old man sensed that he did not have many days left. At a birthday party his friends held for him, he shared his thoughts on his birthday.
He had left home in September 1939 (year 28 of the Republic), nearly 80 years before, and had never been back. In between, he fought in the War of Resistance against Japan, went as far as India and Burma to fight, and then went through the Chinese Civil War, twelve years in all, before reaching Taiwan in 1950, where he served in the army the whole time. In 1964 he came to Panama with Ambassador J. L. Huang, and it had now been 53 years. He knew he was too old to go home, and only regret remained. "I have drifted abroad for eighty years; nowhere was home, and everywhere was home. I think and think of my hometown on the mainland of China, and in my dreams I also go looking for the Taiwan I love so dearly.
"I am a Buddhist. To have lived to this age with a wife, a son and grandchildren is a gift from Heaven. I have come to understand this: 'Mountains and rivers lie in different lands, yet the same sun and moon share one sky; I entrust it to the Buddhas, that our bond may be renewed in a life to come.' (山川異地，日月同天，寄諸佛祖，再生來緣。) I hope my son Youcheng lives up to his name [有成, 'achieving success'], makes something of his life, and never forgets that he is Panamanian and also Chinese. If he ever has the chance, I hope he will take his mother and his children on a journey to find their roots on the treasure island of Taiwan and the mainland of China, to see Qishan and Zuoying in Kaohsiung, where I once lived, and our old home, Nanyang in Henan." (31, end of this chapter)
Essay 21: The Hearts of Overseas Chinese, Seen through Two Films
On December 18, 1978 (year 67 of the Republic), Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China, put forward the policy of "reform at home and opening to the outside world" (對內改革，對外開放) at the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and it began to be carried out the following year.
Under this policy, people on the mainland with connections abroad came to Panama in group after group, to visit or join relatives. Every one of them dreamed of a future of stability, freedom and happiness.
Most of them were middle-aged people who had lived through the Three-Anti and Five-Anti campaigns, the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, the Four Cleanups and the Cultural Revolution. Looking back on the class struggle, the hostility and the denunciations driven by populist thinking, it all seemed like a terrifying nightmare.
In the 1980s, the Republic of China on Taiwan developed rapidly. In less than ten years it became the leader of the Four Asian Tigers, and every trade and industry advanced together, the film and television industry among them.
In 1981, Taiwan's Central Motion Picture Corporation released two films set against the society of the mainland and the Cultural Revolution, and they caused a sensation at home and abroad. One was The Coldest Winter in Peking (皇天后土), the other If I Were for Real (假如我是真的). (1)
In October 1982 (year 71 of the Republic), after the two films had been released, the Government Information Office of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China made copies of them and sent them to its missions around the world, including the embassy in Panama.
Precisely because the two films had caused such a sensation at home and abroad, the Panamanian media also reported on them, and the Chinese-language LA REPUBLICA ran an introduction to them as well. The overseas Chinese waited eagerly to see them screened in the community as soon as possible.
Every month the Chinese Association of Panama arranged a film evening at its premises, showing films made in Taiwan: costume dramas, contemporary pieces, literary films and martial-arts films. But this would be the first time it showed films about the Cultural Revolution on the mainland and the inside workings of its bureaucracy.
The Chinese Association decided to rent a separate, larger venue and to show The Coldest Winter in Peking first, and it asked the relevant offices for their support.
Shu Liyan (舒立彥), the embassy's press counsellor, Wu Guangding (吳光定), the overseas Chinese affairs secretary, Zheng Huaqiu (鄭華秋), secretary of the Chinese Association, assistant secretary Wu Xiulian (吳秀蓮), and Chen Xoung-Chi, editor of LA REPUBLICA, at once set about arranging the screening. An advertisement 8.5 inches wide and 14 inches long ran in LA REPUBLICA for a whole month. (2)
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution began in May 1966 and ended in October 1976. It was a political movement that took place on the Chinese mainland under the rule of the People's Republic of China. Chairman Mao Zedong and the Central Cultural Revolution Group of the CCP mobilized hundreds of thousands of Red Guards from the top down and launched an all-out campaign of class struggle.
The film The Coldest Winter in Peking was produced by Taiwan's Central Motion Picture Corporation and released in 1980, four years after the Cultural Revolution ended. Its main thread is the turnover of personnel at the National Academy of Sciences, set against the turbulent course of the Cultural Revolution and the Four Modernizations on the mainland. Its story spans three generations, parents and children, over twenty years. It was directed by Pai Ching-jui and written by Chao Chi-pin, and starred Charlie Chin, Liu Yanfang, Lang Hsiung, Ko Chun-hsiung, Sibelle Hu and Kuei Ya-lei.
In Hong Kong it ran for only one day before the British colonial government pulled it and banned it, on the grounds that it would "affect relations with neighbouring regions." Today it can be viewed on the mainland social networking site Douban. In 2012 an entry for The Coldest Winter in Peking was created there, and it has been deleted and restored several times.
To make it easy for our fellow overseas Chinese to attend, and to have room enough, the screening was held at the Dahua Restaurant on Avenida Balboa, near Chinatown. In its spacious hall, rows of folding chairs could seat more than 500 people. (3)
The film was to start at seven in the evening. Before five o'clock people were already arriving to claim seats, and within an hour every seat was taken. No one had expected it, but before the screening began close to 400 more people were standing, and the whole hall was packed so tight that not even a drop of water could have got through. People kept streaming in, and the crowd had to be held back.
Throughout the screening every eye was fixed on the screen, and everyone's feelings rose and fell with the story. One woman was sobbing: her aged father had been struggled against until he hanged himself. One man could not hide the fury in his heart: his son had been beaten to death with fists and feet by Red Guards in the factional fighting.
At the intermission, cries of indignation rose on all sides. The chairman of one community association said, deeply moved: "This catastrophe was a nightmare for all Chinese people. We must not forget history, and we can only hope that history will not repeat itself."
It is now 53 years since the Cultural Revolution began, and even these long years can hardly heal the wounds in people's hearts. I once talked with a neighbour from Fujian about what China would be like today if there had been no Cultural Revolution. His answer was: "Then there would have been no reform and opening up under Deng Xiaoping, and China's rise would have come twenty years later." Could that really be so? There is some sense in what he said. (4)
Two months later, If I Were for Real, a film depicting the absurdities of bureaucratic privilege on the mainland, of getting things done through the back door and pulling strings, was shown in the main hall of the Chinese Association of Panama.
The story was adapted from the play of the same name by the well-known mainland playwright Sha Yexin (沙葉新), which had caused a sensation throughout the Chinese-speaking world. The film was produced by Taiwan's Yongsheng Film Company and directed by Wang Toon, and starred Alan Tam, Hu Kuan-chen, Chang Feng, Ko Hsiang-ting and Cui Fusheng. For this film Alan Tam won Best Leading Actor at the 18th Golden Horse Awards in 1981, and the film also won Best Feature Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The play If I Were for Real was the first literary work after the fall of the Gang of Four in 1976 to boldly expose corruption among the mainland authorities. It stirred not only Chinese people at home and abroad but also the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP.
The head of the Central Propaganda Department at the time was Hu Yaobang. He took a protective attitude toward the writer Sha Yexin and opposed pinning arbitrary charges on literary works, so Sha Yexin was spared from being struggled against. But his play If I Were for Real was banned from publication and from adaptation or performance.
So this film made in Taiwan, like The Coldest Winter in Peking before it, drew an audience of nearly 400 when it was shown at the Chinese Association in the Panama community. It then toured the overseas Chinese communities of central Panama, of Chiriquí province in the west, and of the Chinese Association of Colón in the north. (5)
Not long after the two films had been shown in the community, I received the first reader's letter since I had become editor of LA REPUBLICA in November 1979. It told how a close relative of the writer, on the Chinese mainland, had been forced to submit to a county Party secretary who used his privileges to bully him, and it included the words: "Power corrupts, and does the nation the deepest harm."
Sha Yexin died of illness on 26 July 2018, at the age of 79. His daughter Sha Zhihong, interviewed by the Central News Agency, described her father as someone who "never lived for money in his whole life, and never wrote for power."
The speech Sha Yexin gave in 2009 at the Fourth National Congress of the China Theatre Literature Society spread like wildfire online: "Power makes people corrupt, makes people stupid, makes people wreak havoc, makes people cruel. Do not write for power, do not write for the ideology of power."
Sha Yexin went further: "A writer worthy of the name, a writer with dignity, a writer who truly wants to write good works for this calamity-ridden, beloved land and for the people he loves, must stand alone amid the vastness, upright between heaven and earth; soar free like a heavenly steed, leaning on no one and depending on nothing; unfettered and unrestrained, bold and untamed; never a lackey, never a tool; daring to think, daring to speak, daring to write with an honest brush."
Sha Yexin said these words ten years ago, and they still carry influence today. This shows that on the Chinese mainland under the rule of the People's Republic of China, the limits on freedom of speech have opened up a good deal. (6, end of this chapter)
Essay 22: Secretary Wu, Who Served the Overseas Chinese Community All His Life
In November 1899, the 25th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty, after the Sino-French War, French warships sailed into Guangzhouwan and forced the Qing court to sign the Convention on the Lease of Guangzhouwan, which was put into effect the following year.
Guangzhouwan lies on the northeast coast of the Leizhou Peninsula and today belongs to the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province. Zhanjiang's harbour is deep and broad, naturally well placed, and fine both as a naval port and as a commercial port. It was leased to France for 45 years. In 1945 (year 34 of the Republic), when the Republic of China won the eight-year War of Resistance against Japan, the government recovered Zhanjiang.
In the 1920s, in French colonial Guangzhouwan, there was an elder of the Wu family, which had grown rich in trade over generations. For reasons of health he handed his business over to his three sons. But the youngest son had no interest in business and chose to go and study in France. When he had finished his studies, he became an administrative official in the colonial government. This young man who had studied in France was named Wu Bing (吳炳). (1)
To end the Second World War quickly, the United States dropped a new weapon, the atomic bomb, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan on 6 and 9 August 1945, and an Allied victory was certain.
On 15 August, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. Before this, the French government had informed the Republic of China by diplomatic note that after the war it would return Guangzhouwan, leased for 99 years, to China ahead of time.
In late July that year, the French colonial government in Zhanjiang issued a personnel order sending Wu Bing to Haiphong in Vietnam to handle a counterfeiting ring case involving Chinese. By then Wu Bing was already an official of deputy department director rank in the French colonial government.
Once at his new post, Wu Bing was swamped with official business: besides helping to investigate the counterfeiting case, he also had to handle overseas Chinese affairs. Unable to look after both his work and his family, in June 1948 he brought his family to Vietnam.
Wu Bing's wife, Madam Chen Shanying (陳善英), took their four sons and one daughter, left their home town of Zhanjiang, and went by ship to Vietnam to join her husband.
Among these four sons and one daughter, the second brother, Wu Guangding, was only eight, and the youngest, the daughter Wu Xiulian, was three. In August 1971 (year 60 of the Republic), Wu Xiulian became my wife, and Wu Guangding became my brother-in-law.
From 1979 to 1996, Xiulian and I, in Panama, and Wu Guangding, overseas Chinese affairs secretary at the embassy of the Republic of China in Panama, supported one another in overseas Chinese work for eighteen years. (2)
In July 1949, as Wu Bing was transferred, the whole family moved to Mong Cai, capital of Quang Ninh Province on the Sino-Vietnamese border. Quang Ninh Province borders Guangdong and Guangxi in China and was also a place where many Chinese lived.
After the summer holidays the children entered the local overseas Chinese primary school. Wu Guangding was in the third grade, but Wu Xiulian went to a French kindergarten, and so she has some grounding in French.
In the second year after the Second World War ended, Ho Chi Minh led the Communist Party of Vietnam in launching the First Indochina War inside the country, which went on for eight years.
From 13 March to 7 May 1954, at Dien Bien Phu in northwestern Vietnam, the fiercest and also the last battle of the First Indochina War broke out.
The Viet Minh forces under the Viet Cong general Vo Nguyen Giap defeated the French paratroopers and the French Foreign Legion. French power withdrew completely from Indochina, and the United States took over.
In July 1954, France, the United States, Vietnam and the other countries concerned reached the Geneva Accords, which fixed the 17th parallel north as the dividing line, and Vietnam was split in two: the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north and the Republic of Vietnam in the south. The 17th parallel held until the end of April 1975, when the US forces withdrew from Vietnam, ending the Vietnam War, which had lasted thirty years in two phases.
In August 1954, more than 200,000 people reached South Vietnam through Operation Passage to Freedom, carried out by the US Navy.
Wu Bing and his whole family also reached Saigon. Wu Bing moved to the South Vietnamese government and was employed at his former post and salary. Nguyen Trai Street in Cholon, next to Saigon, became the Wu family's new home. (3)
In 1955 Ngo Dinh Diem took office as the first president of the Republic of Vietnam. Richard Nixon, then vice-president of the United States, visited Saigon and advised Ngo Dinh Diem that, to strengthen the forces against the Communists, he should have the Chinese naturalized: Chinese serving as soldiers could fill out the ranks, and Chinese who took citizenship could take part in elections. Ngo Dinh Diem accepted the advice and promulgated the Nationality Law and the Decree barring foreigners from trades, which were passed by the National Assembly.
Chinese migration to Vietnam began in the Daoguang reign of the Qing (1821–1850) and flourished in the Xianfeng period (1851–1861). Most made their living in trade, and over several generations very few had become naturalized Vietnamese citizens. The Decree barring foreigners from trades, which prohibited foreigners from running profit-making businesses, was implemented together with the Nationality Law.
In a Vietnam at war, Chinese families, especially those with sons of military age, faced the choice of whether to naturalize.
The overseas Chinese associations asked the embassy of the Republic of China in Vietnam for help in taking young people who wished to study in Taiwan there. At the time Wu Guangding was in his first year of senior high at Hua Hsing High School in Cholon. With his father's encouragement, he boarded the first special flight of the Republic of China to Taiwan and was placed at Daonan High School. (4)
On 28 July 1957 (year 46 of the Republic), Wu Guangding came home to study. Five months later, on 1 January 1958, the National Overseas Chinese Senior High School, the Overseas Chinese Junior High School and the Overseas Chinese Girls' High School were merged to form National Daonan High School in Luzhou Township, Taipei County. He was placed in the first year of the senior high section, and after the summer holidays he moved up to the second year.
Wu Guangding (吳光定) joined the school's scout troop at Daonan High School, designated Taipei County Troop 22, and was placed in its Rover Scout unit for those aged 17 and over. In his two and a half years at the school, his classmates chose him as a student leader, and he represented Daonan High School in many activities, including hosting a Vietnamese youth delegation, an around-the-island service tour to the armed forces, the China Youth Corps summer troop-entertainment tour to Kinmen, the 10th World Scout Jamboree in Manila, Philippines (July 17–26, 1959), Vietnam's first National Scout Jamboree (December 24–27, 1959), the China Youth Corps winter high-mountain camp, and many more.
In September 1960 (year 49 of the Republic), Wu Guangding passed the entrance examination for the Department of Agricultural Economics at National Taiwan University, and he remained as devoted as ever to public service and to helping overseas Chinese students.
Over those six and a half years, from Daonan High School to National Taiwan University, successive chairmen of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, Cheng Yen-fen (鄭彦棻) and Kao Hsin (高信), as well as the director of the China Youth Corps, Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), and its executive director, Sung Shih-hsuan (宋時選), all formed a deep and favourable impression of him.
After graduating from university, Wu Guangding joined the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, working in its Department of Overseas Chinese Student Guidance.
From March 29 to April 9, 1969 (year 58 of the Republic), the Kuomintang (KMT) held its Tenth National Congress at the Chung-Shan Building on Yangmingshan, and Wu Guangding attended as a delegate of the overseas Chinese students for the Intellectual Youth Party Branch. (5)
On August 12, 1970 (year 59 of the Republic), the United States, within the framework of the US-Japan Security Treaty (美日安保條約), unilaterally announced at its embassy in Tokyo that the Diaoyutai Islands were part of the Ryukyu Islands. This provoked outrage among Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, in all three regions (mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and Macau), and among Chinese overseas, who demonstrated in protest outside the American and Japanese embassies and consulates wherever they lived. This became known as the "Defend Diaoyutai" patriotic movement (保釣愛國運動).
The overseas Chinese students studying in Taiwan were filled with righteous indignation and burning zeal; refusing to lag behind anyone, they raised a roar of protest for justice.
The overseas Chinese students, led mainly by those at National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University and National Taiwan Normal University, submitted a petition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declaring their resolve to defend the nation's territory, and they also lodged stern protests with the American and Japanese embassies in the Republic of China. Their demonstrations and sit-ins went on for several days in a row.
The students were dissatisfied with what they saw as the lack of force in the protests the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy in Japan had made to the American and Japanese governments in defence of sovereignty. Feelings ran high and grew more and more heated, until finally the overseas Chinese students from colleges and universities gathered in Fu Garden at National Taiwan University and began a hunger strike.
To keep the situation from escalating, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission and the Ministry of Education sent staff to calm things down, and OCAC Chairman Kao Hsin came in person to comfort the students. The Commission also sent a mediation team, with Wu Guangding as its convener, to bring the protest to a peaceful end.
As a leader of the overseas Chinese students, an alumnus of National Taiwan University and a senior classmate from Daonan High School, Wu Guangding reasoned with the hunger strikers and appealed to their feelings, and in the end the episode was brought to a satisfactory close. (6)
The year 1971 marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, and the soldiers and civilians of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu celebrated with great enthusiasm. Overseas Chinese from all five continents formed delegations and returned to join the celebrations, nearly 3,000 people in all.
On Double Tenth National Day, at the celebration rally held on the plaza in front of the Presidential Office and presided over by Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書), President of the Legislative Yuan, the community leader Lu Zhantao (盧湛濤) from Panama delivered the congratulatory address on behalf of the overseas Chinese. President Chiang Kai-shek and Madame Chiang, Soong Mei-ling, attended in person.
The amusing thing was that Lu Zhantao gave his whole speech in Cantonese, with President and Madame Chiang seated in the place of honour to the right of the podium. After a few opening remarks, Lu Zhantao suddenly stopped, turned to the President and Madame Chiang, and said: "President Chiang, Madame Chiang, I am very sorry, but I can't speak Mandarin." Madame Chiang immediately answered with a smile, in Cantonese: "That's all right, we can understand you." The guests broke into warm applause.
In the afternoon, President and Madame Chiang received the overseas Chinese at a tea reception in the Chung-Shan Building on Yangmingshan. The Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission had sent a hosting team of nearly a hundred people; Wu Guangding was assigned to the Central and South America group, and so came into frequent contact with Lu Zhantao.
During his stay in Taiwan, Lu Zhantao twice raised with OCAC Chairman Kao Hsin the idea of sending a suitable person to Panama to serve the overseas Chinese there.
In May 1972 (year 61 of the Republic), the appointment was announced: Wu Guangding was posted to the Republic of China embassy in Panama as overseas Chinese affairs secretary.
On June 17, 1972, Wu Guangding boarded a China Airlines flight to San Francisco, and from there travelled on via Miami to Panama to take up his post. I remember that it was a Saturday; I went to Songshan Airport and saw him off right up to the plane. (7)
The overseas staff of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission are divided into seven grades, in order: counsellor, section chief, specialist, first secretary, second secretary, third secretary and clerk. Wu Guangding was posted as a third secretary and assigned to work within the embassy.
Newly arrived in an unfamiliar country, he was responsible for liaison between the government and the overseas Chinese community, with serving his fellow overseas Chinese as his purpose. Facing the community and its people, he truly had a thousand things to deal with and did not know where to begin. The tasks he had to manage circled in his mind every moment: 1. guiding the community toward sound organisation and strengthening ties among the overseas Chinese and their community associations; 2. guiding the community in running Chinese-language teaching and news media and in promoting Chinese culture; 3. guiding overseas Chinese young people to return to Taiwan for further study, observation and training, and assisting overseas Chinese to return for visits and study tours; 4. guiding overseas Chinese businesses and promoting trade and investment between overseas Chinese merchants and the homeland; 5. guiding the community associations in carrying out people-to-people diplomacy.
What Wu Guangding faced was a country of 77,000 square kilometres, with 100,000 overseas Chinese and 17 community associations, a country with Chinese members of the National Assembly, ministers, lawyers, judges, accountants, barbers, street vendors and ordinary labourers. Wherever there were mountains and water, there were overseas Chinese. (8)
Among the Republic of China's overseas personnel, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission had always paid the lowest of all the ministries and commissions; at the same grade, its staff earned at least a third less than those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since Wu Guangding was not the head of a mission, he received neither a foreign-service allowance nor a foreign-service supplement.
When he first received his posting, he had planned to take his family with him to Panama, but after thinking it over again and again, he left his wife and children in Taiwan for the time being and went to make his way abroad alone.
Alone in Panama, he lived frugally and was hard on himself, hoping to save a little money to improve his family's livelihood.
He holed up in the office of the newspaper LA REPUBLICA, sleeping on a camp bed that he unfolded at night and put away in the daytime. He did his own cooking and made two meals out of three, unafraid of hardship and glad to do it. In his first year, when he went out to visit overseas Chinese, he travelled every street and alley of Panama City by public bus. The next year he made up his mind and spent US$800 on a Volkswagen Beetle nearly twenty years old, so that at last he had a car to get around in. (9)
On the first Saturday after Wu Guangding took up his post, Lu Zhantao, president of the Chinese Association of Panama, invited the chairmen of all the community associations to a welcome dinner at the Longfeng Restaurant in Panama City to introduce Secretary Wu to everyone. Among those present were Ambassador J. L. Huang (黃仁霖), the former president Chen Fengtian (陳奉天), Li Jinkui (李金奎), chairman of the Chinese Association of Colón, and Tang Zhaohe (唐昭和), standing committee member of the KMT Panama branch. Everyone was left with a good impression of this young public servant of the overseas Chinese.
The former president Chen Fengtian arranged a family gathering at his grand home, where the chairmen of the community associations and their wives came together, talking and laughing; it was a joyful, warm occasion.
Chen Fengtian also arranged for Kito Tan, who knew the community well, to accompany Secretary Wu on an intensive round of visits to the hometown associations and Chinese associations, which gave him a general picture of the community.
The overseas Chinese in Panama were spread across every trade, mainly in the service sector: small grocery shops, small supermarkets, restaurants, bars and vegetable stalls, all run on modest capital. These were also the people most in need of care. So going out often among ordinary people, understanding their circumstances and solving their difficulties became Secretary Wu's first task. He also found that the community associations attached great importance to seniority and generational rank, and chose capable and virtuous people as leaders, but that there was little interaction between the associations, so helping the Chinese Association promote the harmonious development of the community could not wait. (10)
In August 1972, under the bylaws of the Chinese Association of Panama, Secretary Wu became a member, and at that month's meeting of the board of directors and supervisors he attended as a non-voting participant, both as the embassy's overseas Chinese affairs secretary and as a member.
At the meeting, Secretary Wu proposed holding a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration for the whole community on September 22 of that year. The proposal won support, and a preparatory committee was set up. Through the good offices of the embassy's military attaché, Yuan (袁), who negotiated with the US Southern Command, a Mid-Autumn party was held that evening at the US military officers' club on the Amador peninsula along the Amador Causeway in Panama City. The club's restaurant provided a lavish buffet at a discounted price. The hometown associations bought meal tickets, and more than five hundred overseas Chinese eagerly took part. This was Secretary Wu's first close contact with the Chinese living in Panama, and the starting point of his part in their community activities.
The Amador peninsula is an artificial island, made by using the earth dug out during the building of the canal to reclaim land from the sea and join three small islands at the Amador Causeway. After nearly a hundred years of development and planning, the island is shaded by coconut palms and green everywhere, with flowers and trees growing in pleasing profusion, birdsong and fragrant blossoms; it has been made into a garden on the sea. From the shore on the left one can watch the sunrise, from the shore on the right the sunset, and to the north lies the Bridge of the Americas, with ships, sailboats and yachts moving back and forth across the bay. Once there, one hardly wants to leave.
That evening the overseas Chinese were jubilant; they sang and danced and enjoyed themselves to their hearts' content until late into the night. (11)
After the community's Mid-Autumn get-together, preparations for celebrating Double Tenth National Day began at once. The activities included raising the flags of both the ROC and Panama at the hometown associations and Chinese associations on National Day itself, gathering the chairmen of all the community associations to lay flowers in tribute before the bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen, the Father of the Nation, an evening gala and a fishing contest. Secretary Wu served as planner, and the community associations provided the manpower.
The whole community's evening gala celebrating the Republic of China's National Day of 1972 was held first, on Saturday, October 9, at the International Restaurant in Panama City. The community associations bought tickets for nearly 60 tables, more than expected. The programme included singing, Panamanian folk dances and other performances.
Before the gala began, an unexpected problem arose. It concerned the seating: Feng Yinchu (馮蔭初), honorary chairman of the Panama branch of the Chinese Hongmen Minzhi Party, had not been seated at the head table and was displeased, and his anger was aimed at Secretary Wu. It was a very awkward scene.
Seeing this, Tang Zhaohe, standing committee member of the KMT branch, offered to exchange seats with Mr. Feng, but the offer was not accepted, and Tang got up and left the table. Through the mediation of Ambassador Huang, Chen Fengtian and other community leaders, things were finally smoothed over.
Afterwards, Su Haishan (蘇海山), chairman of the Hongmen Minzhi Party, reassured Secretary Wu, telling him that Mr. Feng was 18 years younger than Dr. Sun Yat-sen, but that in the ranks of the Hongmen brotherhood both had held the same position of Red Pole; Mr. Feng was blunt, bold and a little domineering, and Secretary Wu should not take offence. (12)
Although the seating incident at the community's National Day gala was a flaw in an otherwise fine occasion and left some regret, it gave Secretary Wu new thinking about how to carry out his work for the overseas Chinese: only by understanding the community on many levels could he know what its people needed. After all, the work involved a thousand threads, and moving it forward called for careful, thorough action.
Panama's community associations differed in size, and each had different resources of people and money. Some existed in name only and could do nothing to serve the community.
The overseas Chinese of all walks of life each had their own needs. How to work with the community associations, go deep among ordinary people to find and solve problems, and unite the community's hearts was Secretary Wu's greatest test. (13)
Secretary Wu served the overseas Chinese community in Panama for 24 years. His posting was issued before Chairman Kao Hsin left office, and he took up his post in the very month that Chairman Mao Sung-nien took office. In the history of the Republic of China's overseas Chinese affairs, for one person to hold the same post in the same place for so long set a record.
By custom, an overseas posting lasts one three-year term and is extended by at least one more term, to six years. Yet Secretary Wu, working in the complex setting of Panama's overseas Chinese community, became a veteran of eight terms, which was a matter of opportunity and, even more, of fate.
He went through two stages in Panama. In the first, from 1972 to 1980, he dealt with the traditional community, whose families had lived there for several generations. In the second, from 1981 to 1996, large numbers of new immigrants from mainland China came to Panama, and serving the community meant treating old and new as one, which was far harder than in the first stage.
On January 1, 1979, the United States and the People's Republic of China established full diplomatic relations, and Deng Xiaoping launched reform and opening up. This opened a door for people with overseas connections, and large numbers of new immigrants poured into Panama.
These new immigrants had never had contact with the outside world. They had lived for a long time in a communist society, and their thinking was simple. In their new surroundings they could actually hear different voices, look at problems from many angles, speak their minds freely and criticize government officials. To them it was almost unbelievable.
How to guide the community associations so that the new immigrants moved from rejecting this new society to accepting it became another challenge for Secretary Wu. That long process is worth studying for a new generation of overseas Chinese affairs workers. The stories of Secretary Wu's dealings with the fellow overseas Chinese in Panama are too many to write down or count.(14)
On January 27, 1966 (year 55 of the Republic), representatives of the community associations of six countries met in El Salvador and formed a preparatory committee for the world's first transnational overseas Chinese organization, the Federation of Chinese Associations of Central America and Panama. In August of that year, its founding congress, first annual meeting and kinship convention were held in Panama. After that, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica took turns hosting it each year.
In September 1972 (year 61 of the Republic), it was Panama's turn again, and the seventh annual meeting and kinship convention were held there.
Six meetings of exchange and learning from one another had made the community associations of the six countries more harmonious and united. At this meeting, the congress resolved that Wu Guangding should become secretary-general of the six-country federation.
Besides his own work serving the overseas Chinese community in Panama, Secretary Wu now also became a roving ambassador sent out by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. He traveled among the six countries at irregular intervals to plan the annual meeting and kinship convention.(15)
At the entrance gate of Panama's Chinatown runs a one-way street called Calle Carlos A. Mendoza. The first building on the right was a two-story structure of brick and wood, with one large room downstairs and three small rooms upstairs. Surprisingly, it was a school, the Chinese Community Primary School. It had only about 50 students and three teachers, the principal included. The principal's office also served as the teachers' lounge and the storeroom for teaching materials. Teaching was bilingual, in Chinese and Spanish.
The school was founded in 1933 (year 22 of the Republic) under the name Yongxing Primary School. During the War of Resistance against Japan it was renamed the Chinese Community Primary School, and in 1980 it was renamed again as the Republic of China Community Primary School. In the spring of 1944 (year 33 of the Republic), the school's new building was completed, the school moved to its present site, and it had its first graduates. The distinguished community members Li Zeying, He Linsheng and Zhong Lizhen were all alumni of its first three classes.
The school was next door to LA REPUBLICA, and the balconies of the two buildings were only a meter apart. On school days you could see the flag of the Republic of China flying from the flagpole on the balcony. So Secretary Wu came into close contact with the school's teachers and students.
Secretary Wu looked into its teachers, funding, curriculum and the students' abilities. For Chinese, the school still used the Mandarin conversation textbooks published in the 1950s by the Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Language Press, yet taught them in Cantonese. This clearly no longer met the needs of the times. The graduates were held back by their family circumstances and by the idea that it was enough if children could talk with their elders at home in their mother tongue. Most students stopped their schooling after graduating. There were a few exceptions, such as He Linsheng, who later served as president of the Chinese Association and was a graduate of Stanford University in the United States.(16)
Secretary Wu went on to invite the school's former principal Zheng Huaqiu, its principal Li Lihua and the teacher Ruan Shaoying to tea, and asked their views on how to develop overseas Chinese education from then on.
After bringing their views together, he drafted a proposal and presented it in person to Chen Fengtian and Lu Zhantao, the former and the current presidents of the Chinese Association. They discussed founding a multi-purpose institution that would offer continuous schooling from kindergarten through primary school and junior and senior high school, and would also host community activities, something like an overseas Chinese cultural and educational center. With this, the first idea of founding the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center took shape.
Two months later, in May 1973, the Chinese Association held a meeting of its board of directors and supervisors. Based on the original draft, a proposal to build the school was put together, and after a lively discussion it was passed. But getting the land and raising the money could not be solved for the time being, so the proposal could only be filed for future reference.
Four years later, on September 7, 1977, US President Jimmy Carter and Panama's actual leader, General Omar Torrijos, signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in Washington, DC. On April 18, 1978, the US Senate ratified the treaties and they took effect. From that date until December 31, 1999, the Panamanian government could gradually take back full jurisdiction over the canal and the Canal Zone.
This gave the school project its chance to obtain land. Chen Fengtian called together the chairmen of the community associations and formed a preparatory committee for building the school. Wu Guangding was one of its founders and became an ex officio member.
Aristides Royo, then President of Panama, was a close friend of Chen Fengtian, and he instructed the Ministry of Education to help with building the school. In early 1980, a first parcel of about 5 hectares at the entrance to the Canal Zone at El Dorado was allocated as the school site, on a 50-year lease with priority for renewal when it ran out.
Ground was broken on September 11, 1980, and so was born the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Chino-Panameño), a non-profit private cultural organization formed by the overseas Chinese of Panama.(17)
In November 1979 (year 68 of the Republic), Wu Guangding returned to Taiwan to report on his work. He carried a handwritten letter from Chen Fengtian and presented it in person to OCAC Chairman Mao Sung-nien. It asked the government and private businesses of the Republic of China to provide building materials for the school's facilities and to put in funds, in preparation for breaking ground. Chairman Mao gave his full support, and the building materials and business donations then arrived one after another.
With the help of two ambassadors, Zeng Xiankui and Soong Chang-chih, the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center and Sun Yat-sen School received more than US$1 million in funds from the Republic of China, not counting the building materials.
To keep this project moving smoothly, Secretary Wu returned to Taiwan several times and went from one ministry and commission to another. He worked extremely hard and was highly praised by the overseas Chinese community.
In May 1983 (year 72 of the Republic), Panama's Ministry of Education approved the registration of the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center and Sun Yat-sen School. In August 1986 (year 75 of the Republic), the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center began operating, and Sun Yat-sen School began enrolling students.
From an ideal to reality to operation, Secretary Wu took part in every stage of the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center and Sun Yat-sen School, over a full 23 years. His dedication to overseas Chinese education, his courage in the face of difficulty and his devotion to public duty deeply moved the fellow overseas Chinese and won their affection. His example is worth following for overseas Chinese affairs staff posted abroad.(18)
Helping overseas Chinese students return to Taiwan for further study was one of the main tasks of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. As early as the 1960s, young people of Chinese descent from Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asia went to Taiwan to study, and in the 1970s this extended to the United States, Canada, Central America and South America.
In September 1973 (year 62 of the Republic), shortly after the new building of the Chinese Association of Panama was completed, Secretary Wu held an information session there on studying in Taiwan. Parents and students came in large numbers and gained a full understanding of the policy. From the next year on, two or three students went to colleges and universities in Taiwan every year.
During Secretary Wu's years in Panama, more than 50 outstanding young people were selected to study in Taiwan. After graduating, all of them returned to Panama and worked in many fields, where their fine work won much praise.
Three examples are Manuel Wu (吳文偉), Jacinto Tan and Fermin A. Chan (陳志強). The first two graduated from the Central Police College, and the third from Fu Jen Catholic University.
In September 1997 (year 86 of the Republic), when President Lee Teng-hui visited Panama, Manuel Wu, by then a major and deputy commander of a military district, was assigned as President Lee's aide.
Jacinto Tan rose to head anti-smuggling and anti-narcotics work at the Air and Naval Defense Service. Fermin A. Chan, the eldest grandson of Mr. Chen Fengtian, became a computer programmer at a technology company. Mr. Tan and Mr. Chan both married women from Taiwan.(19)
In his long years of overseas Chinese affairs work in Panama, Secretary Wu made three good friends of Chinese descent who in turn served as Panama's ambassadors to the Republic of China: Zhu Liji (term: January 1986 to April 1990), Ye Lusheng (term: May 1990 to April 1994) and Julio Mock (term: December 2004 to September 2007).
Zhu Liji's family came from Huaxian in Guangdong. He had served as a director and a standing director of the Huaxian Association, the largest community association in Panama. Secretary Wu got to know Zhu Liji while visiting the fellow overseas Chinese from Huaxian, and they became good friends. Besides speaking Cantonese fluently, Zhu Liji also spoke Mandarin. He was sincere and responsible in his dealings, easy to approach and witty in conversation.
Ye Lusheng had been chairman of the Chinese association hall in Coclé Province in central Panama. Secretary Wu, who served the nearly 5,000 fellow overseas Chinese in central Panama, was often in touch with him, and they too became good friends.
Julio Mock had been Panama's Minister of Public Works and had convened the building committee when the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center was being founded. He and Secretary Wu were close personal friends.
As early as the 1960s, Zhu Liji ran a restaurant near Tocumen International Airport. Manuel Antonio Noriega, later Panama's military strongman, had just graduated from a military academy in Peru and was commissioned as a second lieutenant and posted to the Tocumen military district. He often came to the restaurant to eat and have a drink, and they talked about everything. He and Zhu Liji became the closest of friends.
In 1968 Noriega followed his superior, Colonel Omar Torrijos, in a successful coup and was highly valued by Torrijos. Torrijos became Panama's actual national leader.
In July 1981, General Torrijos was killed in a plane crash and was succeeded by Colonel Rubén Darío Paredes. By then Noriega had risen to lieutenant colonel.
In 1983, Noriega forced Paredes out by political maneuvering. He made himself Commander-in-Chief of the Panama Defense Forces, was promoted to colonel, took control of military and political power and stepped into General Torrijos's place. In January 1986, Noriega thought of Zhu Liji and appointed him ambassador to the Republic of China.
Before the appointment was announced, Zhu Liji first came to Secretary Wu to ask how to be an ambassador. Secretary Wu was astonished, since this went against diplomatic practice. He told Zhu that once the appointment was settled, Panama's Ministry of Foreign Affairs would certainly go over with him what an ambassador needed to keep in mind. Amusingly, Zhu Liji did not know what presenting credentials meant.(20)
In the 1980s (the seventies of the Republic), under Chiang Ching-kuo's leadership, Taiwan's Ten Major Construction Projects were completed one after another. It was the second golden decade in the history of the Republic of China, and Taiwan became the leader of the Four Asian Tigers. The salaries of staff posted abroad rose year by year. Secretary Wu served under three ambassadors, from J. L. Huang and Zeng Xiankui to Soong Chang-chih.
Ambassador Soong recognized and valued talent. He promoted Wu Guangding to second secretary and obtained an official car for him from the OCAC. In 1983, Secretary Wu brought his family to Panama, ending eleven years of living on opposite sides of the ocean from his wife and children and missing them every day.
In 1989 (year 78 of the Republic), the embassy held a Double Tenth National Day reception for more than five hundred people at the international convention center in Panama City. Secretary Wu drove a new Japanese-made Mitsubishi SUV and picked up the distinguished community members Zheng Huaqiu and Su Haishan on the way to take them to the event.
In the car, Zheng and Su talked about the pay and daily life of the motherland's diplomats during the War of Resistance against Japan. The minister to Panama then was Shen Jinding, and in the whole legation only the minister had a car, a mid-priced Ford Mercury built in 1935. Money was so tight that the legation staff's salaries could not be paid on time. The community associations advanced the money, and it often took three to six months to be repaid. The National Day reception, too, was sponsored by members of the overseas Chinese community. The two times simply could not be compared.(21)
Around February 1974 (year 63 of the Republic), accompanied by a fellow overseas Chinese surnamed Lao (勞), Secretary Wu went to remote areas of Los Santos Province and Chiriquí Province to visit the fellow overseas Chinese there. On a branch of the Pan-American Highway lies Tole, a small mountain town at an altitude of eight thousand feet, about 2,400 meters. It is the highest point on Panama's roads, about fifteen minutes' drive from the Pan-American Highway exit.
The town had fewer than a thousand people and only one paved road, which was also its business center, with no more than ten shops. One of them was a Chinese general store. Its owner, Mr. Zheng (鄭), was the fellow overseas Chinese Secretary Wu had come to visit.
Mr. Zheng's family came from Xiangshan in Guangdong. His grandfather had been one of the Chinese laborers who dug the canal. In the 1920s he moved here from Panama City and worked as a hired hand for a rich farmer. After twenty years of hard work he had saved a little money and bought two acres of hillside land. He grew highland vegetables and fruit and sold the harvest in David, the provincial capital.
Secretary Wu visited his orange grove, where the big winter oranges were juicy and sweet. In a corner he was surprised to find two plum blossom trees. In the cold wind they were in bloom, with beautiful bright red flowers and a rich fragrance, as if welcoming a relative from the motherland.
The scene stirred Secretary Wu and moved him deeply. Instinctively he thought of a song composed by Liu Chia-chang (劉家昌), the patriotic song "Plum Blossom" (梅花), which has been sung at home and in overseas Chinese communities everywhere.
"Plum blossoms, plum blossoms, all over the land; the colder it grows, the more they bloom. The steadfast plum blossom stands for us, for our towering great China." We usually call the overseas Chinese "the mother of the revolution." From that time on, Secretary Wu had one more name for them: "The overseas Chinese are plum blossoms, blooming all over the world; wherever there is soil, there they are." (22)
As a small child in Vietnam, Secretary Wu often went with his mother to the Guandi Temple to worship. Every year on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth lunar month, the birthday of the Holy Lord Guandi, crowds of the faithful gathered, and the lively scene left a deep impression on him.
Within his first month in Panama, Secretary Wu set about learning how the fellow overseas Chinese there worshipped Lord Guan (Guan Yu).
About 160 years ago, during the Xianfeng reign of the Qing dynasty (1851–1861), a group of Chinese forebears left their homes, crossed the ocean to Panama and built the Panama Railroad. Even then, some of them brought a sacred image of Lord Guan to Panama, praying for divine protection so that their work would go smoothly.
Panama's first overseas Chinese organization, the Yan Wo association (Renhe Huiguan), was founded with the aim of promoting Lord Guan's spirit of loyalty and righteousness in the eighth year of Xianfeng (1858), and it built a small Guandi shrine. Forty years later, in the 24th year of Guangxu (1898), a hall was solemnly built and a shrine installed for his worship. The following year (1899) the Gugangzhou Association followed suit and also set up a hall in its building to enshrine him. Both association halls became centres of overseas Chinese faith, the incense of worshippers never ceased, and their devotion was no less than in Vietnam.
The two associations, however, celebrated Guandi's birthday on different dates. The Gugangzhou Association held it on the thirteenth day of the fifth lunar month, unlike Vietnam, while the Yan Wo association held it on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth lunar month, so there came to be two birthdays of Guandi. Each association had its own basis. The twenty-fourth of the sixth month comes from the Chronology of Guan Yu (關羽年譜) compiled by Hu Qi (胡琦) of the Yuan dynasty and from Qing-dynasty notes on folk affairs. The thirteenth of the fifth month comes from the Treatise on Rites, History of Ming (明史禮志) and the Treatise on Rites, Draft History of Qing (清史稿禮志). Although the date of Guandi's holy birthday was disputed, the matter was handled with moderation and everyone stayed on good terms. Every year Secretary Wu attended both of Lord Guan's birthday ceremonies as an assisting officiant. (23)
In 1989 three great events took place in China and abroad: the Tiananmen Incident on June 4, the toppling of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of the two Germanys on November 9, and the US invasion of Panama on December 20.
Since gaining independence from Colombia in 1903, Panama, with American backing, had grown steadily and peacefully, even through two world wars. Yet 86 years later it was invaded by the United States.
Looking back, that war dealt Panama's economy a heavy blow. The arson, killing and looting that followed caused the overseas Chinese harm that could hardly be made good. From the start of the fighting until calm returned took several years. In the first two months especially, Panama City and Colón were a shocking scene of devastation.
Duty-bound, like a soldier on the battlefield, Secretary Wu risked his life driving the embassy SUV, whose CD (Cuervo Diplomatico) diplomatic plates let it pass more easily. Accompanied by the presidents of the community associations, he went right into the homes and shops of fellow overseas Chinese who had suffered, to comfort them. (25)
Secretary Wu reported the casualties and losses among the fellow overseas Chinese to Ambassador Soong Chang-chih. Ambassador Soong decided at once that, starting the next day, he would personally lead the military attaché, Major General Ding Dashan (丁大山), with Secretary Wu accompanying them, on three straight days of visits to the hospitals of Panama City. They comforted the fellow overseas Chinese who were in hospital, handed out red envelopes of relief money, and urged them to rest well and recover soon. It was a warm and moving scene.
Three weeks later, the first relief fund for fellow overseas Chinese, US$250,000, arrived from the government of the Republic of China. The community also showed its love for compatriots and gave generously, with remarkable results.
Amid the smoke and lurking dangers of that grim time, Secretary Wu went without rest from one victim to the next. One evening he and Hou Guanxiang (侯觀祥), president of the Huaxian (Fa Yuen) Association, visited fellow overseas Chinese who had been wounded in the war and were in hospital. As they left the hospital and were about to get into the car, they ran into a gang of three robbers. The leader pressed a gun to Secretary Wu's head and ordered him to hand over the car keys. With his life at stake, Secretary Wu did not resist, and the new official SUV, in use for less than a year, was hijacked. The diplomatic plates were of no use at all, and the robbers drove off without a care. (26)
In September 1972 (year 61 of the Republic), the 7th annual meeting and 1st kinship convention of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Six Central American Countries was held in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. At this kinship convention a Miss Chinatown pageant for the six countries was added. The winner would represent the overseas Chinese of Central America as Miss Chinese of Central America and serve as a goodwill ambassador, travelling to Taipei to attend the Double Tenth National Day celebrations and tour Taiwan's sights.
At the 29th annual meeting and 23rd kinship convention in 1994 (year 83 of the Republic), held in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, Miss Lü Chunru (呂純如), daughter of Mr. Lü Wenzhong (呂文忠), a Taiwanese businessman in Panama, won the title of Miss Chinese of the six Central American countries. It was the fourth time in 23 years that a young Chinese-Panamanian woman had won this honour.
The next year (1995), in May, the liveliest Miss Chinatown pageant Panama's overseas Chinese community had ever seen was held in the Chiang Kai-shek Gymnasium at the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center. (27)
This came from the Lü Chunru effect, together with the media coverage, and the enthusiasm generated by the beauty contests held all over the country during the carnivals of the several years after the war. Riding this wave, every part of the overseas Chinese community picked out lively, pretty young people from among its own younger generation and entered them in the 1995 Miss Chinatown pageant.
On a weekend evening in early May, more than two thousand people poured all at once into the stands of the Chiang Kai-shek Gymnasium at the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center. They came from the hometown associations and other societies, and in cheering squads made up of each contestant's parents, classmates, relatives and friends.
The events began at six in the evening and followed one after another. Eight cheering squads represented the eight contestants and were seated on both sides of the stands. The organizer, the Chinese Association, also judged and scored the cheering squads. Each squad showed off its skills with its own creative ideas, and the fine performances brought the whole hall to life. (28)
Among the eight contestants was Miss Wu Xiaoru (吳曉茹). Encouraged by her aunt, Wu Xiulian (吳秀蓮), and with her mother's approval, she had signed up to compete for that year's Miss Chinatown of Panama, and beyond that for the title of Miss Chinese of the six Central American countries.
Her aunt's idea was that youth should not be left blank, and that this would give her a beautiful memory for life. Her mother had confidence in her daughter and believed she should take part and compete fairly. The awkward part was her father's special position: he was the embassy's overseas Chinese affairs secretary, and also secretary-general of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Six Central American Countries. As a father he naturally hoped his daughter's wish would come true, but if she took first place there would surely be grumbling in the community, blaming her mother and her aunt for not thinking twice.
Every cheering squad was truly like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing its own magic (八仙過海，各顯神通). They used all kinds of props, beat gongs and drums, blew trumpets, did rhythmic gymnastics and sang cheering songs.
Wu Xiaoru's side formed a cheering squad of a hundred people and made a huge red banner with white characters, hung in front of the gymnasium railing, which read: "One, two, three; three, two, one: Wu Xiaoru is number one!"
Her classmates watched her aunt's hand signals. With a loudspeaker, her aunt called "One, two, three!" and the classmates answered "Three, two, one!"; her aunt called "Wu Xiaoru!" and the classmates answered "Number one!" The excitement was greater than anything ever seen before. (29)
The organizer invited Ambassador Su Bingzhao (蘇秉照) and his wife, the Chinese-Panamanian deputy mayor Edith Lao, and the presidents of the various community associations and their wives to attend. The ambassador's wife and Edith Lao were among the six judges.
The eight contestants competed fiercely through three rounds: a qipao parade, a talent show and a quick-wit question round. In the end, by a narrow margin, Wu Xiaoru came out on top and won the crown, and the whole hall reached a fever pitch.
At the crowning, the ladies led by Ambassador Su's wife went up onto the stage one after another, including Wu Xiaoru's mother, Mrs. Chai Huijun (柴惠君), followed by Association President He Linsheng (何麟生) and President Hou Guanxiang. The master of ceremonies called Secretary Wu's name several times, but he never came up onto the stage. (30)
Throughout the pageant Secretary Wu never left the gymnasium. Instead he went around the cheering squads greeting the students. "Hello, Secretary Wu!" came from the left, and "Hello, Secretary Wu!" from the right, one after another. There were also shouts of "Wu Xiaoru is number one!" Secretary Wu kept grinning from ear to ear and said, "Winning or losing doesn't matter. Taking part is what counts."
When the moment came to announce the placings, everyone craned their necks, waiting for the name of their favourite. Wu Xiaoru was one of the last two, competing for first and second place. The list was handed to Edith Lao. She cleared her throat twice and looked around, purely to build the suspense, then announced that second place went to Senorita Lao. The whole hall erupted in cheers, which meant the winner was Wu Xiaoru. At that moment Secretary Wu was right in front of me, his face beaming and full of joy.
The 30th annual meeting and 24th kinship convention of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Six Central American Countries was held in August 1995 in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. Accompanied by her mother and her aunt, Wu Xiaoru represented Panama in the competition for that year's title of Miss Chinese of the six Central American countries. (31)
In August 1995 the annual meeting and kinship convention of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Six Central American Countries was held in the Guatemalan capital. The greatest attraction of the kinship convention was, without question, the beauty pageant.
The Miss Chinatowns of the different countries were all graceful and brimming with talent. By comparison, Wu Xiaoru's poise, looks, conversation and answers all seemed to come naturally to her, and she stood a good chance of winning the crown as Miss Chinese of the six countries.
The people from each country waited eagerly, hoping their own representative would come out on top. The tensest moment finally arrived, with the last two contestants vying for first and second place. When it was announced that second place went to Wu Xiaoru of Panama, the people of the host country burst into cheers: Miss Chinese of the six Central American countries for 1995 was from Guatemala. Wu Xiaoru at once stepped forward, opened her arms and gave the winner a big hug, gracefully showing her good sportsmanship.
Back at the hotel, Wu Xiaoru hugged her mother and her aunt and cried her heart out. Secretary Wu comforted his daughter: "Winning or losing doesn't matter. Being able to take part is what counts."
Beforehand, He Linsheng, president of the Chinese Association of Panama, had told Secretary Wu, "Of the six countries' young ladies, Xiaoru looks the most like a winner, but you should be prepared: she won't take first place."
Secretary Wu replied, "That is the best outcome. It takes a great weight off my mind." (32)
As of June 1996 (year 85 of the Republic), when Secretary Wu was transferred back home, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission had 46 staff posted abroad on its official establishment: 21 at cultural and educational centers, 16 at offices and representative offices, 5 at the overseas Chinese travel service and mutual aid associations, and 4 at embassies and consulates. By region, there were 22 in the United States and Canada, 10 in Asia, 7 in Europe, 5 in Central and South America, 1 in Australia and 1 in South Africa. A mere 46 people serving forty million overseas Chinese worldwide was simply out of all proportion.
At all four embassies and consulates, these staff held the title of overseas Chinese affairs secretary. Beyond carrying out their regular duties, what overseas Chinese affairs officers did within the scope of their post could stretch or shrink according to each one's enthusiasm and dedication.
Secretary Wu Guangding (吳光定) served in Panama for a full 24 years. Three times the OCAC consulted the community associations about transferring Secretary Wu back home, and each time the presidents of the hometown associations and fellow overseas Chinese from every trade spoke up to keep him. The Huaxian (Fa Yuen) Association, the largest community association, which had always leaned towards the Chinese Communists and had received the most care and service from Secretary Wu, went so far as to declare: "If the OCAC goes against the wishes of the overseas Chinese and transfers Secretary Wu home, the association will raise the five-star red flag (the PRC flag) in protest." Secretary Wu truly felt caught in a dilemma, unable to go forward or back.
Secretary Wu's popularity among the fellow overseas Chinese had good reasons and was no accident. It came entirely from his tireless work at the grassroots, understanding the community's situation, conveying its needs and solving its problems. (33)
On June 8, 1996, Jason Yuan (袁健生) took office as the eighth ambassador of the Republic of China to Panama. Two days later, on June 10, Chu Chi-ying (祝基瀅) took up his post as the twelfth chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. Three days after that, on June 13, Secretary Wu received a transfer order from the OCAC to return and serve at the commission. His post was to be filled by Deng Yixiong (鄧毅雄), first secretary at the Los Angeles Overseas Chinese Culture and Education Service Center No. 1.
The OCAC, contrary to its usual practice, issued the personnel order without first consulting the overseas Chinese community. This was baffling and caused strong resentment in the community. Although people urged hard for the order to be withdrawn, it was to no avail.
The community gave him a grand farewell banquet, and on the day he left nearly a hundred fellow overseas Chinese gathered at the airport, their sorrow at parting plain to see. The next day, Friday evening, June 21, he landed in Taipei. After two days' rest, he reported for duty at the OCAC on Monday. (34)
Secretary Wu was puzzled by how suddenly this transfer had been ordered, and felt sure there was something behind it.
A few days later, Secretary Wu was notified by the ethics office and questioned behind closed doors, by one interviewer after another, for two days and a night. The questions covered everything: his family background, his schooling, his personal habits, how he had bought a house and property while in Panama, how he had sent his three daughters to study in the United States, whether he had leaked state secrets in his dealings with pro-Communist community leaders, and on and on. More serious still, they brought up the second phase of the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center project and demanded a full account of where a certain sum of construction money had gone.
This came like a bolt from the blue, a heavy blow to the head. But Secretary Wu's conscience was clear and his heart was as still as water. Truth cannot be broken, and he remained calm and composed. Still, he felt keenly how fickle the world is, how people stab you in the back and fawn on those in power, and he was deeply disheartened.
Secretary Wu explained each point with facts and reason. In the end the whereabouts of the construction money came fully to light, and it was clear he had been wrongly accused.
In February 1998 (year 87 of the Republic), Chiao Jen-ho took office as chairman of the OCAC. He valued Wu Guangding's ability and character and his long, practised command of overseas Chinese affairs, and posted him to the office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as overseas Chinese affairs secretary. (35)
"Lovely or not, it is the soil of home; kin or not, they are the people of home" (美不美故鄉土，親不親故鄉人). Secretary Wu had returned to Vietnam, where he had grown up in his youth, to the familiar accents, the familiar language and the familiar surroundings. In his three years there, he held to his original purpose, visited the overseas Chinese community tirelessly, and did his work with ease.
In May 2000 (year 89 of the Republic), power changed hands between the parties. Chen Shui-bian took office as the tenth President of the Republic of China, and Chang Fu-mei became chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. Her "three-category" view of overseas Chinese provoked strong discontent in the community, and overseas Chinese work took on new thinking. The policy of "old and new as one," followed consistently since the time of Tseng Kwang-shun, now met obstacles at every turn.
In February 2001 (year 90 of the Republic), Secretary Wu was once again recalled home. The OCAC had a group of new people, and new people brought new ways. He felt like the old general in the saying, "Lian Po is old; can he still eat?" (亷頗老矣，尚能飯否). His heart was willing but his strength was not, and he thought it better to go home. (36)
In 2005 (year 94 of the Republic), Secretary Wu retired on reaching the age limit. But like the old warhorse in its stable that still longs for the long road, he retired without resting. Twice he travelled through the six countries of Central America to gather with old friends. In Taipei he joined the Overseas Chinese Association, gave it all his remaining strength, and served as a director and supervisor for nearly ten years.
In 2013 (year 102 of the Republic), his health failed after years of overwork. He spent more than a year in National Taiwan University Hospital and was later transferred to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But his illness was beyond cure, and he passed away on March 11, 2015 (year 104 of the Republic), at the age of seventy-five.
A week later, the funeral was held at the Yongfu Funeral Home in Houston. Qi Yongqiang, deputy director of the Republic of China office in Houston; Zhuang Yashu, director of the Overseas Chinese Culture Center, and its deputy director Li Meizi; Lin Guohuang, member of the KMT Central Advisory Committee; and Liang Bojian, former director of the culture center, all came to pay their respects. OCAC Chairman Chen Shih-kuei issued a special citation honoring Secretary Wu as an example to others: his devotion reached all overseas Chinese, and his outstanding achievements shine brightly.
Envoys of the Central American countries, including Zhou Lin, ambassador to Panama, sent messages of condolence. Community associations and community leaders in the six countries of Central America sent flower baskets or inscribed elegiac couplets in mourning. Zhang Cixiu, president of the Chinese Association of Panama, gathered the chairmen of the community associations and fellow overseas Chinese from all walks of life in Panama City for a memorial mass, solemn and dignified.
At the funeral, Pastor Huang Jirong of Houston comforted the family with a passage from the Book of Proverbs: in the Bible, death is not disappearing forever; it is God preparing a world of eternal life for us. Death is like a battle, and soldiers on the battlefield do not fear death. Life is a battle too. When we leave this world, we have won, and we are at rest.
Loving his family, loving the overseas Chinese, loving his country, and giving himself wholly until his last breath (鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已): this was the portrait of Mr. Wu Guangding's life. A wise man has passed away, leaving us our lasting memories of him and our endless remembrance. (37, end of this chapter)
Essay 23: Sour, Sweet, Bitter and Spicy, All Are Blessings
On October 30, 1979 (year 68 of the Republic), I took my simple luggage and set off from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taoyuan for Panama, to take up a new job. After more than thirty hours of flying, by way of Osaka, Los Angeles and Miami, I arrived in a completely unfamiliar place. In my luggage I had brought two books. One was a New Testament from 1953 (year 42 of the Republic), inscribed by my mother. The other was the Chinese translation of Streams in the Desert (荒漠甘泉), written in the 1920s by the American Mrs. Charles E. Cowman.
I had considered everything carefully before making my final decision. Yet even after boarding the plane, I could not hold back the doubts and gloom in my heart. I leafed absently through Streams in the Desert, reading the passages marked in red, trying to find peace of mind.
Great people all grow up through hardship. All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. (Psalms 42:7)
The most spiritual believers must bear the most severe suffering; those who receive the most grace are also those who suffer the most. (Revelation 3:19)
If we work diligently and earnestly, without discouragement or despair, one day we will find that the finest work of our lives was done in the dark. All the sour, sweet, bitter and spicy things will surely turn into happiness. (Isaiah 45:3) (1)
This was my first time on an international flight. Not only was the first stop on Japanese soil, but the plane belonged to Japan Asia Airways, and a feeling of vexation welled up in me.
At the next stop I changed to Pan Am for the United States. On board I happened to meet three seamen whose flights were the same as mine, all bound for Panama. We chatted happily the whole way, which eased some of the sorrow I could hardly hide at leaving home.
When we entered Los Angeles and cleared customs, immigration officers were already waiting for us. After we collected our luggage, we were taken to the transit lounge and kept under watch, to stop us from jumping flight. I suddenly felt my dignity insulted.
In the lounge I saw a middle-aged Asian woman who, from her looks and clothes, had to be Chinese. I went up to her and asked in Mandarin about my connecting flight, but she answered: "Sorry, I Can not speak Chinese." I was astonished. The world was not as simple as I had imagined.
After another six hours of flying, across 4,300 kilometers, we went from Los Angeles in the American southwest to Miami in the southeast. Our group was again taken by immigration officers to the transit lounge. Looking down through the floor-to-ceiling windows and then into the distance, I saw endless streams of traffic close by and rows of tall buildings farther off. Taipei could not begin to compare. I sat on a sofa, sometimes closing my eyes to rest, sometimes looking around. Good heavens: there were several cockroaches scurrying across the ceiling! Was this the international airport of the world's leading power? It was unbelievable. (2)
It was nearly midnight when we reached Miami. By my count it was already noon on the 31st in Taiwan, and my mind was full of my family in Taipei.
In the café of the transit lounge we struck up a conversation with a Latino immigration officer, in our halting bit of English, and we could still understand each other. He was witty, humorous and full of warmth. He talked about his homeland, Cuba, as if he knew every detail by heart, and even sang us a Cuban folk song, "La Paloma" (The Dove).
Before we knew it, it was time to board. The immigration officer returned our passports, and we wished each other well and said goodbye. We boarded a Braniff flight and flew two and a half hours straight to Panama. (3)
The word Panama comes from the language of the indigenous people and means a place with an abundance of fish, flowers and butterflies. A rare tree of the tropical rainforest is also named panama.
I could not sleep on the plane. I kept picturing the future: I was pursuing my dreams with ideals in hand, and hardship was certain, but I asked only for safety.
I sat by the window. In the night sky, stars filled the heavens around a waxing moon, and in the shimmering light of moon and stars the white clouds drifted away on the wind. The lights on the ground went from sparse to dense, and I realized we were about to reach Panama City.
The plane flew over the gulf, and the lights on the working boats were clearly visible. I gazed the whole time at this enchanting seascape, so rarely seen. In the blink of an eye, a sea of lights appeared on the ground, like countless pearls scattered over the earth. Panama City, which I had heard of as a place of busy transport, lively trade and lavish living, lay right below me.
As the plane was about to land, I felt a trace of joy amid my unease. After all, this was not a holiday but a venture to make a living overseas. Stepping out of the plane, I saw at once my brother-in-law (my wife's elder brother), Mr. Wu Guangding. (4)
"Tiring trip? Was everything all right on the way?" These were the first words of Mr. Wu Guangding, overseas Chinese affairs secretary of the Republic of China embassy in Panama, when we met. I answered, "Not bad, very smooth."
To my surprise, he took me to meet Ambassador Zeng Xiankui, who was there, along with the consular secretary Hou Pingfu (ambassador to Panama from 2005 to 2008). Ambassador Zeng had come to meet three officials who had left the plane ahead of me: the director general of the Directorate General of Telecommunications of the Ministry of Communications and two aides, who had hurried to Panama to sign a treaty on technical cooperation in telecommunications between the Republic of China and the Republic of Panama.
I felt honored to have the chance to meet the ambassador at my very first moment in Panama. Ambassador Zeng said to me warmly: "Welcome to Panama, and welcome to our big family."
Leaving the airport, we got into Secretary Wu's Volkswagen Beetle and drove to my workplace, the overseas Chinese newspaper LA REPUBLICA. (5)
Just before dawn, we left Tocumen International Airport and passed through San Miguelito, heading south to the old city of Panama, Panama Viejo, by the sea. We then passed the luxury residential district of Punta Paitilla and followed the seaside boulevard, Avenida Balboa, into Chinatown. The LA REPUBLICA office stood right at the entrance to Chinatown.
In 1997 the old city of Panama was listed by the United Nations as a World Heritage city. Its history goes back to 1671 (the tenth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty). The ruins of the old city are a tourist attraction; the Spanish-style Catholic church is still intact, surrounded by museums, craft shops and restaurants. Paitilla sits on a small peninsula, and its forest of tall buildings is a landmark of Panama. Avenida Balboa runs from east to west along the Gulf of Panama, lined with shady green trees and lush gardens, as lovely as a painting. The western stretch of the road is the embassy district, where the American and British embassies stand in imposing classical English-style buildings. (6)
Chinatowns overseas all grew gradually out of communities where people from the same home places settled together. Compared with San Francisco's Chinatown, the earliest and largest in the Americas, Panama's Chinatown took shape nearly ten years later. But in its heyday it spread over more than ten streets and lanes, enough to rival San Francisco's Chinatown of today.
As early as the 1840s, the American Central Pacific Railroad went from a proposal before Congress (1845), to a completed survey report (1855), to the start of construction (1863), a process lasting eighteen years. But nearly half of the Chinese laborers hired by the construction company went to Panama instead, because work on the Panama Railroad began earlier (1851).
The Panama Railroad was completed in 1855. Most of the Chinese laborers settled down to make a living along the streets around the public market near the sea, in what is now the Santa Ana district, and this gradually became today's Panama Chinatown. (7)
When I had put down my luggage and rested a little, it was not yet light. Cars were already moving along the one-way street, and the Phoenix Restaurant, always the first to open, already had customers eating.
"Secretary Wu, good morning! So early today?" The owner, Mr. Xie, came over to say hello. My brother-in-law introduced me, the newcomer, and he smiled broadly, saying again and again how glad he was to meet me and how welcome I was.
"What would you like to eat?"
"Two bowls of century-egg and lean pork congee and two plates of char siu rice rolls, thanks." One question, one answer. I could still understand Cantonese, but learning it would be no easy matter.
Mr. Xie was the first overseas Chinese I came to know in Panama. (8)
After breakfast, we followed the one-way street to the public market by the sea, the Mercado Publico, and to the poultry market, to look around and buy some groceries, fruit and vegetables. Along the way, the shop signs were all in both Chinese and Spanish, and the shopkeepers were all Chinese.
The greeting "Good morning, Secretary Wu" kept ringing in my ears, and of course we had to stop for a few words each time. The walk was less than three hundred meters, yet it took half an hour. Although it cost us a little time, I made some new friends.
The Panama public market was built in 1871. After several expansions, it has grown into today's general market, selling vegetables and fruit, meat and fish both wholesale and retail.
A hundred meters to the west is a poultry market built right by the sea. Chickens, ducks, pigeons and eggs are sold wholesale and retail, bought, slaughtered and cleaned on the spot, and every customer is welcome. The workers handle their knives with astonishing speed and skill.
This was my first lesson in getting to know my surroundings in Panama, and I learned a good deal from it. (9)
After we returned to the newspaper office, Secretary Wu hurried off to work at the embassy, and I asked the typist, Chen Leiguang (陳鐳光), how the paper was run: everything from circulation to sales, and from the Chinese typewriter with its tray of characters to the American-made offset press that could print a hundred sheets a minute.
The paper was small, but with its domestic and international news, community activities, arts and entertainment, health advice and business advertisements, it was without doubt the best service available to our fellow overseas Chinese. (10)
My old friend Chen Leiguang gave me a welcome dinner and, for once, showed off his cooking: he made three plates of Hainan chicken rice, and we waited for Secretary Wu to come back so we could eat together.
After this delicious meal, Secretary Wu took me to watch the sunset over Panama. The three-kilometre Avenida Balboa curved along the shore like a crescent moon. Brilliant clouds turned the sea red, and in the clear blue water you could plainly see shoals of fish darting about. The setting sun lit up the distant towers of Paitilla until they looked like a glittering golden castle. Seagulls wheeled overhead, crying without pause. An autumn breeze blew in our faces, and the air was crisp and clear. A few seabirds called terns dropped from the sky and plunged straight down into the sea, snatching fast-moving fish and shrimp with perfect precision, an acrobatic display that drew my admiration. I was carried away by this dreamlike scene. (11)
Before such beauty I was entranced. As I strolled along at my leisure, lost in thought, I wove every sight and object, every stillness and every movement, into a dream. I remembered the Peruvian folk song El Condor Pasa, which brings together the condor, the gull and the sparrow, and its words kept circling in my head.
I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail. I'd rather be a hammer than a nail. I'd rather sail away to a distant place, like a swan that's here and gone. I'd rather feel the earth right beneath your feet.
I dreamed of my future in Panama, soaring with outstretched wings like the condor.
I never imagined that a petty thief had been following me all the way as his target. Just like that tern, in the blink of an eye, he swooped and snatched my watch. It was a Piaget that my uncle had bought at a high price and given me as a keepsake a few days before I left for Panama.
I had no heart to walk any further. On the way back to the office, though, I met a new friend, Colonel Du Zhijian (杜志堅), a former regiment commander under General Li Mi (李彌). He had come to Panama from Brunei with his overseas Chinese wife, and Secretary Wu had introduced us. Mr. Du ran a general store that did good business. He wrote a fine hand, his cursive script flowing like drifting clouds and running water. He also wrote articles now and then, loved Peking opera and played the huqin very well. He was on his way to the paper to drop off a manuscript, and so we had the pleasure of meeting on the road. (12)
That day was the 92nd anniversary of the birth of the late President Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). The Chinese Association of Panama held a commemoration presided over by Mr. Zheng Huaqiu (鄭華秋), a delegate to the National Assembly that drew up the Constitution of the Republic of China, whom the community respectfully called Uncle Qiu.
As a gift on our first meeting, I gave him a Chinese-English edition of the Constitution of the Republic of China. Uncle Qiu was hale and hearty, with bright, piercing eyes, full of vigour and spirit. At the meeting he spoke about the life and deeds of President Chiang in a ringing voice and with a clear rhythm that held everyone's attention.
After the meeting, as was the custom, a film from home was shown and longevity peach buns were handed out. Secretary Wu and I stayed for all of it. That was my first day in Panama, full of colour, and I will never forget it. (13)
Over the next three days, Secretary Wu accompanied me on a round of courtesy calls. I met the community elders Chen Fengtian (陳奉天) and Lu Zhantao (盧湛濤), as well as Ambassador Zeng Xiankui (曾憲揆). Bit by bit I made many new friends at the embassy, the agricultural technical mission, the fisheries technical mission, the International Commercial Bank of China and the hometown associations.
On the first Saturday evening, I was invited to the home of Gao Peng (高鵬), an officer at the embassy, whose wife was a superb cook. After dinner, a few fellow enthusiasts sang several passages of Peking opera, from Searching for and Saving the Orphan (搜孤救孤), Wujia Slope (武家坡) and The Cosmic Blade (宇宙鋒). Liu Changxiao (劉昌孝), the Central News Agency's special correspondent for Central America, and Mr. Du Zhijian took turns singing the arias without costume, while Gao Peng accompanied them on the huqin. Secretary Wu and I were their loyal audience, cheering them on.
On Monday, November 5, I put on my armour and went into battle, starting work as editor of LA REPUBLICA (共和報). As a layman doing a professional's job, I was a little slow. But from reviewing copy to sending it for typing, proofreading, layout and printing, everything went fairly smoothly. Seeing the paper that would come out the next day, I naturally felt a sense of achievement that went without saying. (14)
The Panamanian Chinese-language paper LA REPUBLICA was founded in 1930 (year 19 of the Republic) under the Panama branch of the Kuomintang (KMT) and ceased publication on May 1, 1996 (year 85 of the Republic). In between it suspended operations three times. It struggled on for 66 years and reached issue no. 14319. Its fate was much like that of the Central Daily News (中央日報), founded in Shanghai in February 1928 (year 17 of the Republic) and closed in Taipei in February 2006 (year 95 of the Republic).
I worked at LA REPUBLICA as editor and writer for 17 years (1979-1996), and I was also its last editor-in-chief.
From 1973 (year 62 of the Republic) until the day the paper closed, Secretary Wu also managed the affairs of LA REPUBLICA. I joined him partway and shared the editorial work and part of the administration to the very end. Talking about those days fills me with sighs, and I can hardly bear to look back. As the saying goes, if you want to ruin someone, have him run a newspaper. (15)
Apart from the nominal publisher, five people kept LA REPUBLICA running day to day. Three of us lived at the office: Secretary Wu, myself and the typist Chen Leiguang. There was also one translator and one delivery man.
Compared with the other two Chinese-language papers, Yan Bao (嚴報) and Ta Kung Pao (大公報), which were still in the age of cut stencils and mimeograph machines, LA REPUBLICA was far larger in scale, staff and resources.
Yan Bao and Ta Kung Pao were one-man papers run by old-established immigrants. I greatly admired their spirit in running a paper undaunted by hardship and their loyalty to their own ideals.
LA REPUBLICA's news of mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau came from the Government Information Office's weekly current-affairs bulletins and from the airmail editions of the Central Daily News and the United Daily News (聯合報). World news, news of the United States and Canada, and news of Panama were translated from local Spanish-language newspapers.
During my time, the translators were, in turn, the embassy's counsellor Yu Zhongyuan (俞中原); the Central News Agency's special correspondent Liu Changxiao (neither of them took any fee); the exchange student Liu Deli (劉德立) (ROC ambassador to Panama from October 2015 to May 2017); the distinguished community member Chen Minsun (陳敏孫); the Central News Agency reporter Huang Kuangchun (黃礦春); and the community leader Chen Fachang (陳發昌). (16)
After a week as editor I was getting into my stride. On the tenth day, Secretary Wu accompanied a five-member group of overseas Chinese merchants to Taiwan on a purchasing trip, and took the chance to return home and report on his duties. For the time being the office had one camp bed fewer and a little more space, and I worked until nine every night.
Chen Leiguang, who lived in a storeroom converted into a bedroom, went out to enjoy his nightlife almost every evening once the typed copy had been proofread. At weekends he went out with his Panamanian girlfriend: "lovers meet after dusk, as the moon climbs to the willow tops" (人約黃昏後，月上柳梢頭).
After dark, the little street where the paper stood was lit only by a feeble streetlamp, flickering on and off and left unrepaired for days. It was so quiet you could hardly breathe.
After work there was nowhere for me to go. I kept company with the lone lamp on my desk, reading, writing letters and listening to music. Secretary Wu had left behind two cassettes of Mandarin songs, including early works by Liu Chia-chang (劉家昌). Night after night I played Moonlight over the West Tower (月滿西樓), Deep Courtyards (庭院深深), Autumn Poems (秋詩篇篇), The Milky Way (雲河) and Where Is My Home (我家在那裡) over and over. I missed home, I missed my parents, I missed my wife and children, and I comforted my loneliness with these midnight songs. (17)
In my second week as editor, I received a reader's submission one day, one of the selected poems of Chen Kunqing (陳昆慶). It was a poem of praise for the triumphant return of the People's Liberation Army after the border war between Communist China and Communist Vietnam in February and March 1979. Welcome as a submission was, LA REPUBLICA's anti-communist stance meant we did not publish it.
A few days later I met the man himself at the Chinese Association. It turned out he was the younger brother of the community elder Chen Fengtian, and the two brothers held different political views. I explained the decision to him in person and he understood, which was a great relief to me.
The Panama Chinese community had three great poets; the other two were Li Jian (李劍) and Su Haishan (蘇海山). All three were men of deep learning in Chinese classics, each with his own poetic style, and all three contributed to LA REPUBLICA for many years.
I have kept a poem from Su Haishan's Patriotic Poetry Grove (愛國詩林), titled To Mr. Chen Changzhi (贈陳昌智君). I copy it below.
I
Setting forth his resolve, he gladly gives his toil (陳申志願効劬勞)
His writing flourishes, his integrity stands high (昌盛文章氣節高)
Wise and warm, he has many bosom friends (智慧交情多莫逆)
Your heart, a mirror, sees the finest hair (君心如鏡察秋毫)
II
Cherishing the nation's heart, he reports its affairs with diligence (愛護中樞勤報政)
The people's trust in him brings brightness to light (羣情倚重現光明)
With great deeds as a soldier he upheld the state (偉績從軍扶社稷)
For Great Harmony and justice, the nation's revival restored (大同正義復中興)
September 12, 1981 (year 70 of the Republic of China)
Old Su passed away many years ago. Seeing the poem, I think of him, and it leaves me with endless memories. (18)
The paper's delivery man was an Afro-Panamanian. His grandfather had emigrated to Panama from Jamaica in the 1920s, and his mother was a Latina born and raised in Panama. His Spanish name was Jacinto and his English name Thomas, and he spoke both Spanish and English well. He arrived at the office at four in the morning to assemble the paper, seven octavo sheets making 14 pages.
He was conscientious, quick and skilled at his work, and all of us liked him. From five o'clock on he took the papers to the various sales points, then delivered them shop by shop and door to door until noon. Apart from the bus, he got around on foot.
One day the paper grew to 16 pages. To reward his extra work, I promised him a bonus of five US dollars, to be paid with his wages at the end of the month. He said happily, "How about giving it to me now?" I asked why. He laughed and answered, "What if I die today?" It showed the frank, straightforward nature of Panamanians perfectly, and I gave him the five dollars on the spot. (19)
A single mother named Elisa came every Sunday with her two children, a girl of nine and a boy of seven with the same mother but different fathers, to clean the office. In her youth Elisa had been a slim, lively beauty brimming with youthful energy, with a basketful of boyfriends who doted on her as if she were the moon in the sky. Sadly, after she married she lost her figure, her shine faded and she became very fat. Her husband abandoned her along with their three-year-old daughter.
A year later, driven by need, she married a man in his fifties and gave birth to a son. Unfortunately she was abandoned by her second husband too. Many Panamanian men tire of the old and chase the new; it is so common that no one is surprised, and it leaves a great many single parents. You often see single mothers with four or five children by the same mother and different fathers, running about trying to make a living, and social and educational problems follow. Elisa had no particular skill and could only support her family by working as a cleaner.
Elisa had an aunt who in her youth had married the owner of a Chinese grocery store. They were a loving couple, but sadly the marriage lasted only a year before her husband died of illness. This unfortunate woman, named Gloria, then married a Panamanian, but he turned out to be a bad man: he cheated her out of the business and simply walked away. Worse still, a car accident was followed by a serious illness, and for no apparent reason she developed a curvature of the spine that bent her over at ninety degrees, and her eyes became crossed. Her life fell into hardship at once. But she had a strong will and was not discouraged by her difficult circumstances. She first moved to the Chorrillo slum, then chose to make her living selling lottery tickets, Loteria, around Chinatown.
One day at noon I went to the Phoenix Restaurant in Chinatown for lunch and found Gloria there selling lottery tickets. In halting Cantonese she said to me, "Sir, may you prosper! Buy a sang biu (lottery ticket)?" As usual, I bought one for a dollar just to be polite, and to my surprise it won first prize: two thousand US dollars.
Panama's lottery is drawn twice a week, and each number is printed on 20 tickets. I regretted not buying more. That was the only time in my life that fortune shone on me like that.
The next time I met her was again at the Phoenix Restaurant. I bought another ticket and offered her 20 dollars as thanks, probably more than her net earnings for a day, but she refused it. The restaurant owner, Mr. Xie, told me, "She won't take it. She wants to stand on her own feet and support herself by her own work." I was filled with deep respect for this remarkable woman. (20)
In those years (the 1980s), Panama's three Chinese-language newspapers did not publish on Sundays, so we had no work from Saturday until Sunday morning. We could get together and make a day trip to a nearby province. Far from the noise of the city, we visited villages, country estates, forests, offshore islands and fishing harbours. We watched Indigenous people weaving Panama hats, paddled dugout canoes through the tropical rainforest listening to the birds calling over one another, watched butterflies dancing along the riverbanks and rare flowers and plants competing in beauty, caught crabs in the mangroves, went to Taboga island to enjoy the sea breeze and the sea fishing and to watch the sunset over the bay, and admired orchids of every kind at Playa Chame. At Gamboa we took a pleasure boat to watch the huge ships passing through the lake, and admired the lotus flowers along the willow-lined shore.
Once we even came upon a country wedding, where a white horse took the place of a wedding car, and relatives and friends gathered in a scene full of warmth, happiness and joy. Another time, at the fish pond on an old-established immigrant's farm, I caught a big, fat carp myself, and it was cooked three ways.
In my letters home I described Panama's charms, this place with fish, flowers and butterflies, and seven months later my wife and sons arrived in Panama. (21)
To welcome my wife and sons to Panama, and so that Secretary Wu could be reunited with his wife and daughter, we found a detached house at No. 42, 44th Street, in the Bella Vista district, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a back garden. The owner, an old overseas Chinese, let it to us at a favourable rent of US$400 a month, which the two of us split.
The surroundings were quiet and peaceful. A five-minute walk south brought you to Parque Urraca, and across Avenida Balboa along the waterfront lay the Gulf of Panama. In 1995 a developer used reclaimed land along the bay to build a five-star seaview hotel, the Hotel Miramar (美麗華酒店), where President Lee Teng-hui stayed when he visited Panama in September 1997.
We kept the furnishings simple. The beds, desk and dining table were bought second-hand, the landlord gave us the tableware, and wooden chairs served in place of a sofa.
On the other side of the back garden wall lived a carpenter, Master Liu (劉師傅), and his wife. They had no children. They were warm and talkative and became good neighbours.
Compared with our home on Section 2 of Xinglong Road in Taipei's Wenshan District, I was sure my wife and sons would love it here. (22)
On Sunday, 25 May 1980 (year 69 of the Republic), my wife Xiulian took our two children, Anthony (nearly eight) and Anderson (five), said goodbye to their grandfather and grandmother, and set out on the long road of drifting overseas to make a living and build a future. They flew for more than thirty hours, leaving from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taoyuan and passing through Osaka, San Francisco and Miami without stopping over, and arrived in Panama at noon the next day. Travelling with them were Secretary Wu's elder brother Huashen (華燊), his niece Yanqiong (燕瓊) and his nephew Guanming (觀明).
The new house had two bedrooms for two families, and we made do for the time being. Anthony and Anderson, the two brothers who had never been abroad before, forgot the weariness of the journey all the way from the airport to the new house. They were wide awake and full of curiosity at everything new, and could not contain their excitement.
On the plane Xiulian had told the children again and again: "For the sake of our family, Daddy and Mummy will give it everything we have and work hard. Children, all you have to do is study well. Your future is yours to make. Whether this family rises or falls depends on all of us working together."
"Children, we're in Panama." Xiulian woke the sleepy-eyed boys. When they were collecting their luggage from the carousel, Anderson spotted our big suitcase at once.
"Mummy, Mummy, don't you move, my brother and I will get it for you." "Children, that suitcase stood on end is taller than you are. You can't carry it." Xiulian was so moved that tears ran down her face. (23)
I said goodbye to seven months of sleeping on a camp bed and could at last sit down to a proper meal with my wife and sons. The new house was just a stone's throw from the embassy, so Secretary Wu could drop in for dinner on his way home from work. Xiulian did the cooking, and the eight of us from two families ate around one long rectangular table, chatting as we ate, all very happy together.
So that I could come home for dinner every day, I changed my working hours to seven in the morning until five in the afternoon. Nearby, at the public market, I bought the ingredients, fruit and vegetables needed for the next day according to a list.
Panama has no four seasons, only a dry season and a rainy season. Apart from the universities, its school system differs from that of Britain, the United States, China and other countries: there are no separate winter and summer holidays, only one long break each year, from Christmas until the end of March. So one of the brothers enrolled at the overseas Chinese elementary school next door to the newspaper, and the other at a kindergarten at the end of our street, so that my wife and I could keep an eye on them close by.
The overseas Chinese elementary school taught in two languages, Spanish and Chinese (Cantonese), while the kindergarten taught only in Spanish. Both boys faced a language barrier in their studies. (24)
On the first day of school the two brothers reacted differently. Anthony was like a duck listening to thunder: he did not understand a single word of Spanish, nor what the teacher meant in Cantonese. His mother encouraged him: "Never mind. Listen a lot and learn a lot, and you'll soon pick it up."
The younger brother at the kindergarten told his mother: "I really like this kindergarten. The teachers and the other children are all very nice. I can't understand what they're saying, so I just say it after them. When the teacher says something I say it too, and when the other children say something I say the same thing. The children all laugh at me, but I don't mind. I watch what they do and the faces they make after they talk, and then I more or less know what it means."
When Xiulian picked the children up to bring them home, the teacher said to her in English: "Anderson learns and understands very quickly. He gets along well with the others and isn't shy at all. Congratulations, you have a very clever child."
A few days later, this child was actually able to communicate with his teacher and classmates. Once, when the teacher was handing out work to the class, he helped her pass it round and spoke his first complete sentence in Spanish: "Maestra, Para Cada Uno?" (Teacher, one for each of us?) (25)
A month before they came to Panama, Xiulian had taken the children to see an American film, Star Wars: A New Hope (曙光乍現), released in 1977. Its characters, among them Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, made a deep impression on the children.
After they came to Panama, in the Machetazo supermarket, the children discovered toy figures of the Star Wars characters on the shelves.
"Mummy, could you buy me an Anakin?" Anderson begged his mother. "Darling, shall we wait until Daddy gets his pay at the end of the month and buy it then?"
Anderson put the Anakin in his hand back where it had been and said: "Mummy, it doesn't matter. We'll buy it when we have money." Xiulian felt a stab of pain in her heart.
A walk in the park after dinner became part of our daily routine. One day we saw a mother and daughter out for a walk, and the little girl was about to throw a stuffed Donald Duck, missing half an eye, into a rubbish bin.
"Could you give it to me?" Anderson hurriedly asked the little girl before it went into the bin. "Sure, you can have it." This Donald Duck with only one and a half eyes became the first toy the child owned after coming to Panama. Thirty-nine years have passed, and Anderson still treasures this Donald Duck, holding on to the memories of his childhood. (26)
Across the street from our home on Section 2 of Xinglong Road in Taipei there was a tailor's called Ireland Tailor Shop (愛爾蘭西服店). The owner, Master Lin (林師傅), had trained under a Japanese teacher before Taiwan's retrocession and had mastered the craft. When he learned that our children were going to emigrate overseas with their mother, he took some remnants of cloth he had kept in stock for years and, at a special low price, made each of the two brothers a small white suit. We never imagined that the suits would come in useful in Panama.
From 3 to 8 September 1980, Premier Sun Yun-suan (孫運璿) led a delegation on a visit to Panama. Among those accompanying him were the Minister of Economic Affairs, Chang Kwang-shih (張光世); the Political Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fredrick Chien (錢復), and his wife; the Director-General of the Government Information Office, James Soong (宋楚瑜); and the deputy director of the Board of Foreign Trade, Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), among others.
Nearly two hundred fellow overseas Chinese gathered at the Hotel El Panama, where the delegation was staying, to welcome them. I was one of the reception staff, and Xiulian and the children were also among the welcoming crowd. Premier Sun shook hands and greeted people again and again. Lady Sun, Mrs. Yu Huixuan (俞蕙萱), stopped in front of the two brothers in their little white suits and, smiling kindly and warmly, said: "What handsome boys! Are you two brothers?" The two answered: "Yes." "So you can speak Mandarin?" They answered: "Yes." Lady Sun kissed both children. An overseas Chinese uncle captured the precious moment on camera, and the photo is still kept in our album today.
It was the first time the two brothers had seen such a grand occasion, and it was deeply imprinted on their minds. Their horizons widened, and it influenced how they later planned their lives.
In Taipei, their grandparents, aunts and uncles saw it on the television news and were all overjoyed, beaming with delight.
To coincide with Premier Sun's visit, the Directorate General of Posts of the Republic of China's Ministry of Communications held a stamp exhibition from 4 to 8 September at Panama's international convention center, the Centro Convencion Atlapa.
Our living room, which doubled as the dining room and had only an eight-seat rectangular table and a few wooden chairs, became the workshop for the exhibition's preparations. Hu Quanmu (胡全木), a secretary of the Directorate General of Posts, and Dai De (戴德), a technical specialist, worked there. Master Liu, the carpenter behind our back garden, provided the timber, helped Dai De build the wooden display stands and provided transport. I had the good fortune to meet the Director General of Posts, Jian Erkang (簡爾康).
Through the stamps the two brothers saw the world and came to understand the breadth and depth of Chinese culture. (27)
Sun Yun-suan was the tenth premier of the Republic of China since the constitution came into force (June 1978 to May 1984). LA REPUBLICA reported in detail on all of Premier Sun's activities during his visit to Panama. I was honoured that Xiulian and I took part in preparing the welcome banquet given by the whole overseas Chinese community, responsible for decorating the hall and playing the music. What I remember most vividly is what Premier Sun said to the overseas Chinese at the banquet.
Premier Sun said: "In 1976 (year 65 of the Republic) our country's trade began to run a surplus, and it has kept up double-digit growth every year. This year (1980) our foreign exchange reserves are close to US$8 billion, and we expect them to pass US$10 billion in three years' time." (In fact, not only was that target met, but two years later, in 1985, the reserves passed US$20 billion, and in 1987 they leapt to US$70 billion.)
Premier Sun also said: "At the end of this year (1980), the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, which has been in preparation for more than four years, will officially open. It will have a far-reaching effect on the development and upgrading of science and industry in the Republic of China." The applause of the overseas Chinese interrupted Premier Sun's speech several times.
What moved me was an old-established immigrant who brought his grandson to the airport especially to see the delegation's plane, a China Airlines Boeing 747 jumbo jet with the Blue Sky, White Sun and Wholly Red Earth flag on its tail.
What warmed my heart was that at the embassy reception, when the overseas Chinese addressed the ladies of the delegation as "Madame," Yu Huixuan and Tian Lingling (田玲玲) both modestly said: "Just call me Mrs. Sun," "Just call me Mrs. Chien." (28)
After I took on, in March 1980, the additional paid post of secretary of the KMT Panama branch, Xiulian also became a Chinese teacher at the overseas Chinese elementary school the following year, and our family finances improved.
In 1982, on the recommendation of a Miss Gao Yi (高儀), the two children were selected to enter St Mary's High School, a Catholic primary and secondary school in the Canal Zone, the elder in third grade and the younger in first grade.
In June 1984 (year 73 of the Republic), Tseng Kwang-shun (曾廣順), then director of the KMT Department of Overseas Affairs, became chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (OCAC) and put forward the policies of "Overseas Chinese, old and new as one" and "Equal weight to overseas Chinese affairs and party affairs." This came just as mainland China was carrying out reform and opening up and large numbers of new immigrants were pouring into Panama, so Secretary Wu's overseas Chinese affairs work grew heavier, and I gave him support when it was needed.
In March 1986 (year 75 of the Republic), Zheng Xinxiong (鄭心雄), then director of the KMT Department of Overseas Affairs, promoted me to be the KMT's party affairs liaison for the Panama region, and in July of the following year the Overseas Chinese Federation for National Salvation appointed me unpaid director of its Panama regional office. My work grew year by year: besides my own newspaper work and party work, I gave my full support to overseas Chinese affairs. (29)
In February 1982 (year 71 of the Republic), there were some staff changes at the newspaper. The typist, Chen Leiguang (陳鐳光), left for a better position, and Secretary Wu's elder brother Huashen agreed to take over, but he needed two to three months to practise operating the typewriter. As a stopgap, we engaged Mr. Liu Yun (劉韞), a former radio programme host, to fill the role.
This Mr. Liu was a single father who had come from Taiwan to Panama with his daughter and son. He opened a small restaurant on the back street behind the public market, and all three of them worked in the business, which was enough to support them.
Liu Yun had beautiful handwriting, especially his tiny regular script; looking at his characters was like admiring a painting. So for two months the pages of LA REPUBLICA were written out by hand instead of typed, and we came through those hard days as well.
Elder Brother Huashen and his eldest son Guanming moved from 44th Street into the newspaper office. His daughter Yanqiong could not get used to life in Panama and went back to Taiwan, where she married two years later.
That summer, Secretary Wu brought his family, his wife and three daughters, to Panama. This ended ten long years of living apart and worrying about each other.
I moved my family to Chinatown, to the fourth floor of a building barely a hundred feet from the newspaper office. The rent was 250 US dollars a month. We lived there for 16 years, and the rent never went up. (30)
Our Chinatown home on the fourth floor had two bedrooms and a living room, with a full kitchen and bathroom. When I pushed open the window of the main bedroom, I could see as far as Paitilla in the distance. Under the Panama night sky, with its glittering lights, a bright moon hung high and the sea breeze blew. Sometimes I could see a vast sea of stars, and sometimes a shooting star that vanished in an instant. It felt like being inside a beautiful dream. Now I had more time and, like a landscape designer, I could concentrate on enriching the paper's content and reforming its layout.
The front page carried Panamanian news and major international stories. The second page carried news from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The third page was set aside for columns taken from the airmail edition of the Central Daily News, along with an editorial I wrote myself every two weeks. The fourth page had overseas Chinese community news and notices from the various community associations, and the fifth page had readers' letters, poems and literary works.
I wanted to make full use of the platemaking machine, which could print both text and pictures, and put an end to the old pages that had only words and no images. So from Monday to Saturday, page six offered readers travel, sports, film and television, health, gardening and food, one topic each day. Pages seven to ten held classified advertisements, obituaries and notices of thanks.
To get the news out faster, I changed my daily routine and bought an eight-band shortwave radio and a tape recorder with my own money. I got up at half past two in the morning, and at three I listened to the overseas broadcast of the Voice of Free China (自由中國之聲) from Taipei, its news and commentary programmes. I recorded as I listened, then copied the recording down word for word and delivered it to the office before the typists arrived for work. This saved so much time that our news could appear on the same day as in the Taiwan newspapers. In my early forties, I worked like a man possessed, until I lost myself completely in the work. (31)
At the Mid-Autumn Festival, at the beginning of October 1982, the presidents of the various community associations and their wives were invited to a moon-viewing party at the ambassador's residence. Ambassador Zeng's wife, Madame Lei Ailuo, asked about how Xiulian was getting on. They started with how our two families' children had become classmates, and moved on to what Xiulian was paid as a teacher at the elementary school.
Madame Lei was surprised to learn that Xiulian earned only 150 US dollars a month. She taught 60 hours a month, so her hourly pay was just two dollars and fifty cents. So she called over Ambassador Zeng and had him pass this on to Mr. Chen Fengtian.
It turned out that Xiulian had been hired as a substitute teacher, and since the school was short of funds, it was paying her this low wage for the time being.
Ambassador Zeng agreed to give support from the funds for community association activities, and from the next month her salary was raised to 300 dollars a month.
After paying 150 dollars a month in school fees for our two sons, 70 dollars for the school bus and 250 dollars in rent, very little was left to live on. For a family with a monthly income of under a thousand dollars, everything was a struggle.
Only in 1986, when the Sun Yat-sen School at the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center began operating, did Xiulian become a full-time teacher, paid on the salary scale of Panama's Ministry of Education.
My own salary at the newspaper and at the party branch was also adjusted, our life improved, and we even had a little savings in the bank. (32)
My predecessor as party affairs officer was Wu Zhaonan, who had the same name as the famous crosstalk master. He was of medium height and a little plump, like the master himself, but he was as bald as Han Kuo-yu. He had been my colleague at the China Youth Corps and had more experience than I did in both Youth Corps and party work. By the time I arrived, he had already left for a better post in San Francisco. The documents, artefacts and photographs he handed over filled three large boxes, which Secretary Wu passed on to me.
I went through the boxes one by one, then sorted the matters into urgent and less urgent. I began by trying to find party members we had lost touch with. In the membership register I found that the KMT Panama branch had been at its height in the few years after victory in the War of Resistance against Japan, with nearly 400 members.
After the Chinese Communist Party founded the People's Republic of China in 1949, the membership gradually shrank. By the 1980s, fewer than a hundred could still be reached, and no more than 60 actually took part in activities.
My first task was to track down lost members at their addresses, and then, from what they told me, try to find still more members.
I spent two years at it, starting in Panama City. I rode the public buses, more than 60 bus routes, and walked street by street and alley by alley through every corner of the city, stopping along the way at Chinese shops to learn how the community was faring. Luckily, in those two years I was robbed only five times. (33)
The moment I first stepped into my workplace, the office of LA REPUBLICA, I could hardly believe my eyes. The main hall was in utter chaos. Old magazines and old newspapers, a complete set of classic histories of the Republic and all kinds of thread-bound books were piled up like little hills and scattered everywhere.
The sofas, tables and chairs were covered in a thick layer of dust. The platemaking machine, the binding machine, printing paper and ink filled the whole conference table. Getting into the office, the kitchen or the bathroom meant picking my way through, one hard step at a time.
It took me nearly a month to bring some order to it all, putting everything back in its place until the tables were clean and the windows bright. I also caught a feverish cold that dragged on for a week.
On my visits around the city, I gave away the old magazines, the past three months' issues of the Central Daily News and leftover copies of LA REPUBLICA to fellow overseas Chinese in every corner.
Many of them suggested I could sell things such as Jin Yong's and Gu Long's martial arts novels, Chiung Yao's romance novels, and cassette tapes of Mandarin songs, Cantonese opera and Spanish lessons. (34)
To meet their wishes, I went to the telecommunications office and spent 16 US dollars on a five-minute overseas call to my father, asking him to buy some books and music cassettes for me.
Two months later, three boxes of international parcels arrived by sea from Chunghwa Post, containing martial arts novels, Chinese-Spanish dictionaries, cassettes of Mandarin songs and more. So on my visits around the city, I became a salesman as well. To my surprise, everything sold out within two weeks. I charged ten percent less than the Chinese supermarkets and offered the excellent service of delivery to the door, and business did quite well. After that I restocked one or two boxes every week.
So while my regular work went on as usual, I was also able to improve the family's finances.
Two years later, those days of eating wind and drinking dew, baked by sun and soaked by rain, came to an end. In September 1984, Panama's first Chinese bookshop, the Huaxia Bookshop (華夏書坊), opened for business on the second floor of a wooden building next to the Chinese Association in Chinatown. (35)
It took two months to get the Huaxia Bookshop ready. We hung up the sign and set off firecrackers. No important figure came to cut the ribbon, only our neighbours came to offer their congratulations.
The space was 360 square feet, about 33 square metres or 10 Taiwanese ping, a room with five walls, one of them facing the balcony. Our old neighbour Master Liu made one large and four small movable bookcases and six little stools. The two desks and chairs were second-hand.
Two thousand books of all kinds filled the bookcases, and grid-style corner cabinets held stationery, crafts and small ornaments for sale, so every bit of space was put to use. If more than ten people came in at once, it felt very crowded.
The books were of three kinds: some for sale, some for rent and some to borrow for free. The free books were reference works on literature and history sent over the years by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission and the KMT Overseas Affairs Department.
The newspaper office, the shop and our home were all within 200 metres of one another. With the approval of the party affairs meeting, I was free to arrange my working hours flexibly, and I could write and edit articles and take in advertisements at the bookshop. (36)
The Huaxia Bookshop brought together like-minded book lovers from every direction, all drawn by their love of good books, and each finding joy in them.
A young man from Taishan in Guangdong read the complete set of Jin Yong's martial arts novels three times. An American soldier's wife from Taiwan read the complete works of Chiung Yao twice. A student from the Beijing University of Politics and Law discussed the constitutions on the two sides of the Strait with me. A student from the mainland democracy movement talked with me about the unification of China. And a Mr. Yang from Harbin taught Xiulian and me how to make Laobian-style dumplings.
At different times I also offered space free of charge to Liu Banxian, who had studied the Book of Changes for many years, so that he could sit in the shop and read faces and analyse written characters for fellow overseas Chinese. Two fine doctors, one of Chinese medicine and one of Western medicine, also saw patients in the shop, and both became good teachers and friends to me.
All this happened 30 years ago, and I have lost touch with most of them. Over a lifetime I keep savouring these old memories, missing those old friends and missing those days of hardship mixed with joy. (37)
To promote overseas Chinese education, pass on Chinese culture and strengthen unity in the overseas Chinese community, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission of the Republic of China sends outstanding teachers every year to teach in places where overseas Chinese live, for periods of three months to a year.
On 20 September 1981 (year 70 of the Republic), the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission selected three teachers and sent them to Panama for four months of teaching. Secretary Wu asked Xiulian and me, as a personal favour, to help them in their work. This was our first contact with overseas Chinese education teachers in Panama.
The three teachers were the dance teacher Jiang Jinzhu, the kung fu teacher Li Fengzhang and the Chinese teacher Huang Guihao. Their pupils, mostly from the overseas Chinese elementary school, took part in the training. This laid the foundation for the teaching of dance, physical education and Mandarin at the Sun Yat-sen School of the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center, which began enrolling students in 1988 (year 77 of the Republic). After that, every two or three years, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission sent overseas Chinese education teachers to Panama for short teaching stays, and Xiulian and I never stopped helping them. A story people still love to tell is that two of the dance teachers found the husbands of their dreams in Panama, and the lovers were happily married.
Some time ago, while sorting through papers at home, I was delighted to find letters sent from Taipei in February 1982 by Jiang Jinzhu and by Li Fengzhang. Each enclosed several photographs of their activities in Panama. One of them is especially precious: a group photo of the three teachers, Chargé d'Affaires Yu Zhongyuan of the embassy with his whole family, and our family, on an outing to the Canal scenic area.
Yu Zhongyuan, a respected man of chivalrous, heroic character, passed away in July 2017. His son Yu Dah-lei, then a college freshman, went on to serve as the Republic of China's ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Paraguay from October 2015 to April 2018.
In her reply to Xiulian, Jiang Jinzhu wrote: "When I visit Panama again some day, I will be happy to see everyone again. Your heartfelt words stirred me for a long time. Thank you for your encouragement. Though we cannot often be together, I believe our dedication and feeling for the work are the same. As long as Panama needs me, I am very willing to go back and serve, and I would gladly go even to teach as a volunteer." (38)
The wartime song of the War of Resistance, The Flags Are Flying (旗正飄飄), with music by Huang Tzu and words by Wei Han-chang, is fiery, deep and stirring: "The flags are flying, the horses neighing; guns on our shoulders, swords at our waists, our hot blood surging like a raging tide. Unite now, rise up now, unite now, rise up now. The nation's fall and our homes' ruin loom before our eyes; to save us from the abyss rests on all of us, our fellow countrymen." (旗正飄飄，馬正蕭蕭，槍在肩刀在腰，熱血熱血似狂潮。快團結，快奮起，快團結，快奮起。國亡家破在眉梢，挽沉淪全仗吾同胞。)
Whenever I hear this song, countless scenes link up in my mind with the national flag. I recall what my father told me about the Battle of Shanghai, the Eight Hundred Heroes holding the Sihang Warehouse to the death, the Expeditionary Force marching off to war, and the government returning to the capital at Nanjing after victory in the War of Resistance.
In our twenty years in Panama, organising events and decorating the venues was routine work for Xiulian and me. The national flag in those halls awakened a sense of the nation and drew the hearts of the overseas Chinese together.
Every year, on the day before ROC Founding Day and the Double Tenth National Day, Xiulian and I would hang strings of silk flags of both Panama and the Republic of China around the Chinese Association in Chinatown. They stretched 100 metres in every direction, 20 metres above the ground, from the buildings on one side to those on the other, turning the area into a sea of flags. On the Association's balcony we would raise the Blue Sky, White Sun and Wholly Red Earth flag and the flag of the Republic of Panama. (39)
On ROC Founding Day and on the Double Tenth National Day, nine overseas Chinese associations on the three streets around Chinatown, among them the Chinese Association and the KMT Panama branch, all raised the flags of the Republic of China and Panama.
Before the community-wide flag-raising ceremony, at dawn, the Party branch first raised flags on its balcony: the flag of Panama in the middle, the flag of the Republic of China on its left, and the flag of the Kuomintang (KMT) on its right. Our whole family lived close by and attended the flag-raising, year after year.
Xiulian (秀蓮) and I once looked over the flags of the world with the children, and by comparison we found the flags of the United States, France, Panama and the Republic of China the most beautiful. This was especially true of the Blue Sky, White Sun and Wholly Red Earth flag, whose design is based on the movement of the universe: twelve months in a year, twelve two-hour periods in a day, and the rotation of the twelve zodiac animals. Its twelve rays stand for "As heaven moves ever vigorously, so the gentleman strives ceaselessly to strengthen himself" (天行健 君子以自強不息).
We also talked about the flag designed for the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which balances meaning and beauty. Its three colours, white, blue and red from top to bottom, are the traditional pan-Slavic colours, and it is far more attractive than the old hammer-and-sickle flag.
In August 1990 our two sons left to study in the United States. Before they set off, I tucked several Republic of China flags of different sizes into their luggage. These Blue Sky, White Sun and Wholly Red Earth flags were raised in the cafeteria of Bellaire Senior High School in Houston, where they studied, and in the international students' lounge at the University of Houston. (40)
During my years in Panama, I wrote three booklets, all issued in the organizations' names for internal reference. The first was the proceedings of the 1983 founding congress of the Panama branch of the Alliance for the Reunification of China under the Three Principles of the People. The second was the proceedings of the 1984 founding congress of the Latin America branch of the Alliance for the Reunification of China under the Three Principles of the People. The third, compiled when Lee Teng-hui visited Panama in September 1997, was the program guide for the founding congress of the World Federation of Friends of President Lee Teng-hui Associations.
In 1986 (year 75 of the Republic), as the KMT's party affairs liaison for the Panama region, I published several articles on the overseas situation in the internal publications of the KMT Overseas Affairs Department. I also published nearly ten articles about community leaders and community affairs in the magazine Cosmorama (中外畫刋) and in Macroview (宏觀雜誌), the magazine of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. I am glad to have left some record of the activities of the overseas Chinese community in Panama and of the KMT.
In 1991 (year 80 of the Republic), Ms. Zeng Fumei (曾芙美), the overseas-elected legislator, recommended me for membership in the South American Chinese Writers' Association, and I also received a kind letter of invitation from Mr. Fu Zhaoxiang (符兆祥), secretary-general of the World Chinese Writers' Association.
At the time I was extremely busy with the newspaper and with Party work, and I felt I had not yet reached the level of a writer, so I politely declined. This is a small episode in my writing life, and to this day I still feel I owe an apology to those two seniors, Zeng Fumei and Fu Zhaoxiang. (41)
In June 1995 (year 84 of the Republic), my sister-in-law (my younger brother's wife), Ms. Chen Liqiong (陳麗瓊), came to Panama on a five-day trip to test the waters for the World Association of Chinese Business and Professional Women, which was considering setting up a branch in Panama.
With arrangements made and hosting provided by Wu Guangding (吳光定), the embassy's overseas Chinese affairs secretary, and by Wu Xiulian (吳秀蓮), a teacher in overseas Chinese education, she called on Ambassador Su Bingzhao (蘇秉照) and on the community elder Chen Fengtian (陳奉天) and his son, and visited the Sun Yat-sen School at the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center. She also went to the Colón Free Trade Zone on the Atlantic coast, where she called on Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Xianzhen (江顯鎮), president of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, and on Chen Chu (陳初), manager of the Colón branch of the International Commercial Bank of China.
On the third day, a forum was held at the Ligong Restaurant (麗宮酒樓) in Panama City, bringing together more than forty Chinese-Panamanian and Taiwanese women entrepreneurs in Panama. Besides the ambassador's wife, they included Gloria Young, a Chinese-Panamanian member of the National Assembly; the housing minister, Zia Lee (李詩雅); Panama's deputy mayor, Edith Lao (劉玉珍); and the wives of the presidents of the community associations, among them Nancy Zhang (章南西).
The only man present was the embassy's economic counsellor, Liu Zhiying (劉志英), who briefed the guests on trade between the Republic of China and the Republic of Panama and analysed trends in the economic and trade development of Central America.
The following year, on June 9, 1996, Ms. Zhou Wenji (周文磯), a member of the first Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China, founder of the Shanghai Mingxing Perfume and Soap Company in the mainland era, and president of the World Association of Chinese Business and Professional Women, arrived in Panama at the head of a delegation of more than ten people, accompanied by the secretary-general, Chen Liqiong.
The next day (June 10), a grand banquet was held at the Longfeng Restaurant in Panama City, and the Panama branch of the World Association of Chinese Business and Professional Women was declared founded.
The banquet was planned with Wu Xiulian taking the lead. That day a great many prominent figures from business and industry gathered, including Panama's Minister of Commerce and Industry and its Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In the election of directors and supervisors that followed, Wu Xiulian was elected a standing director; she declined, and became a supervisor instead.
Ms. Chen Liqiong's trip was a complete success. She happily made many good friends, and in the years that followed she gave all kinds of help to successive Panamanian ambassadors to the Republic of China and their wives. (42)
"He who gives no thought to distant matters will find sorrow close at hand" (人無遠慮 必有近憂). When we first took the children to live abroad, it was to find them a good place to study, and naturally our first choice was the United States.
But fate plays tricks on people, and for many reasons beyond our control we ended up in Panama. In our twenty years in Panama we were sneered at, cheated and misunderstood, and our loyalty to our country was even called into question.
To find the children a better place to study, Xiulian asked around everywhere about ways to get to the United States. A lady from Taiwan mocked her, doubting that we had what it took to send the children to study in America without a hitch.
To prepare for the considerable tuition and living expenses we might have to pay in the future, Xiulian took a part-time job at a supermarket owned by the community leader Tan Ruijin (譚瑞進) in Rio Abajo, forty minutes from home by bus. Every night she got home no earlier than ten o'clock. (43)
Across the street from the Chinese Association was the Hanchang Company, run by a middle-aged couple in their fifties. I had once met the owner's son-in-law, a Mr. Chen who lived in Vancouver, Canada, in Taipei, and we ran into each other again in Panama. Through him I met a young man from Taiwan, who was then in a hot romance with Mr. Chen's sister-in-law, his wife's younger sister.
One day this young man, surnamed Zhang, talked to me about doing a little trading on the side to save some money and improve our lives. I gladly agreed to go into business with him. I asked Secretary Wu to step in, and with Chen Fengtian as guarantor, a bank loan of 10,000 US dollars was taken out in the name of Zhang's company.
Two months later, a twenty-foot shipping container of electrical appliances arrived in Panama. After the payment was sent back to the exporter in Taiwan, we still had more than four thousand dollars of working capital. On weekdays he did the selling; on holidays the two of us went door to door, and sales were not bad at all.
In the suburbs of Panama City most customers paid in full within a month, and in outlying areas we gave a ten percent discount for payment in one lump sum. We expected to bring in a second container and pay off the loan within three months.
Unexpectedly, a month later things went wrong. A friend of this Zhang passed me a letter. From it I learned that he had left for the United States two days earlier. He said bluntly that he urgently needed money, that he had already collected the accounts receivable, that he had had no choice, and that he hoped I would forgive him. At this sudden terrible news, I cried out to heaven and earth, and neither answered.
The next year, on February 2, 1982, more than six months after the loan was taken out, the bank wrote to Mr. Chen Fengtian. The letter read: The borrowing company has not paid the monthly interest as required, and principal and interest have now accumulated to 12,516 dollars. Please fulfil your responsibility as guarantor, or ask the person in charge of the borrowing company to repay.
The person in charge had long since run off. What could we do with the mess he had left behind? We certainly couldn't let old Mr. Chen pay. So I asked Secretary Wu for help, and we scraped the money together to settle the case first. It took Xiulian and me five years to pay off this debt, which nearly did us in.
A Dr. Cheng from Taiwan told me that Zhang had married a Hispanic American woman on the outskirts of Miami and had a child with her. The owner of the Hanchang Company was indignant that his daughter had been deceived in love. (44)
During my years in Panama, I never complained about how hard life was or about the heavy pressure of work. What did get me down were the inexplicable troubles. There is always helplessness in life, and my life was full of far too much of it.
On February 9, 1994, the lunar New Year's Eve of the guiyou year, a half-monthly magazine called Fengcai (風釆) appeared on the newsstands in Panama. Its trial issue promoted a personality cult and was campaigning to deify Chairman Mao. No fewer than three of its articles took aim at Latin America Express (拉美快報), a friendly paper of LA REPUBLICA (共和報), attacking it fiercely.
Latin America Express, without first finding out what lay behind it, published an article in a fit of agitation, resentment and haste, speculating that the magazine was connected with the KMT and LA REPUBLICA, and even ran it under the big headline "KMT and CCP Are One Family" (國共一家親). In the tense political atmosphere between the Nationalists and the Communists at the time, this was a very serious red-smear, and it caused me no small trouble. It cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the "both sides of the Strait are one family" (兩岸一家親) that Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) put forward at the Shanghai–Taipei Twin City Forum. I had no choice but to write an article hitting back.
From April 1982 to June 1993, the Chinese Communists' space program entered its third phase. One month in 1986, I excerpted an article on the prospects of the Chinese Communists' space strategy from a magazine published in Taipei and ran it in LA REPUBLICA. A few days later, I also reported a news item about Communist China investing in coal and textile businesses in Brazil. As a result someone in the community attacked me, saying I was "spreading propaganda for the Communist bandits." (45)
On September 9, 1986, Mr. Xie Shuncai (謝順彩), president of the Yan Wo association (Renhe Huiguan), recommended a Ms. Rao (饒女士), who had four years of typing experience, to come to the paper and try out on the machine. She was seen by the typist, Mrs. Liu (Ms. Tan). This Ms. Tan became agitated, her face dark with anger, and immediately made three phone calls in a row: to her godfather, Lu Zhantao (盧湛濤); to Zheng Huaqiu (鄭華秋), chairman of the newspaper's board; and to the publisher, Fang Zhaolun (方兆倫).
Lu Zhantao was displeased and said some things that left me feeling quite helpless. Zheng Huaqiu and Fang Zhaolun expressed no opinion.
I explained the matter in my report. My intention had been to find a stand-in for Ms. Tan so that the paper could come out without trouble whenever she took leave, and only as a temporary substitute. Besides, hiring a typist was within my authority, and in any case any appointment still had to be approved by the newspaper's management meeting.
Afterwards I submitted a sternly worded report to each member of the newspaper committee, setting out my position.
It read: This was a very simple matter to begin with; there was no question of overstepping authority. In an organization with proper rules and discipline, such a laughable incident would never happen.
I hope that the committee members will clearly confirm the editor's powers and responsibilities. As this incident shows, having to report everything to several different bosses is truly unnecessary. With administration going backwards like this, what reform can we talk about? Today the paper has too many mothers-in-law, and the person doing the work can hardly get anything done. (46)
In September 1994 (year 83 of the Republic), in the 13th election of directors and supervisors of the Chinese Association, I was elected one of the five alternate standing directors, ranked fourth.
In November 1996 (year 85 of the Republic), in order to defend my right to speak at a meeting of the standing directors and supervisors of the Association, I entered into a dispute with Zhong Zhenbang (鍾震邦), president of the Chinese Association.
On the last weekend of that November, a meeting of the standing directors and supervisors was held at the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center on a matter of great importance to the rights and interests of the overseas Chinese community. In accordance with the Association's constitution, I applied to attend the meeting, but to my great surprise President Zhong made difficulties for me.
When I asked Chen Fachang (陳發昌), secretary-general of the Association, he confirmed that President Zhong questioned whether it was proper for me, as a KMT member, to speak for the Party, and that he was unhappy that I had spoken too much at past meetings of the community associations.
At that meeting I walked out in indignation on the spot, handing out a written statement I had prepared to everyone present, to protest President Zhong's handling of the matter.
The statement read as follows:
1. Ever since I immigrated to Panama, I have admired President Zhong (鍾) for his deep learning. A graduate of a well-known American university, he has always stressed the ideas of freedom and democracy, and he is a man of high virtue and standing in the overseas Chinese community.
2. Under Chapter 3, Article 22 of the Association's charter, I have the right to attend meetings of the standing board of directors and supervisors and to be given my due right to speak, regardless of my place in the ranking. Nowhere does the charter impose the political discrimination of barring directors or supervisors who belong to a party from attending the Association's meetings.
3. Meetings should encourage those present to speak, pooling everyone's ideas to help the team progress, so that meetings serve their purpose. Meetings must not be restricted because someone speaks too often.
4. Everyone has freedom of belief and freedom to choose a political party. The Kuomintang (KMT), in which I believe, and my personal dignity should not be held in contempt.
5. True to my original commitment to serve my fellow overseas Chinese loyally, I will follow all of you, our wise leaders, continue to devote my heart and strength to the Chinese Association of Panama, and work for the unity of the overseas Chinese community. (47)
I was born into a family whose three generations, on both my father's and my mother's side, were deep blue, ready to "give their all, until death" for the Kuomintang. This is no exaggeration; the deeds of my grandfather and my maternal grandfather are proof enough.
In my forty years overseas I was so out of touch that only after the KMT candidate replacement in October 2015 (year 104 of the Republic) did I learn that the KMT had a new term, "soy-sauce vat culture" (醬缸文化). Looking back on the past, I feel there is some truth in it.
On December 3, 1996 (year 85 of the Republic), I applied to the embassy for authentication of a "Certificate of Employment at LA REPUBLICA." I was told that regulations did not allow it to be authenticated, which astonished me.
The next day I submitted a letter of appeal to Ambassador Yuan (袁), set out below.
1. Although LA REPUBLICA ceased publication on May 1 of this year, its registration with the Panamanian press office has not been cancelled, and it can resume publication at any time. I have not been relieved of my post as editor-in-chief and deputy publisher.
2. Whether I return to Taiwan for meetings, seminars or training, or to visit family privately, I must apply to the Panamanian immigration office for an exit and re-entry visa every time I leave the country.
3. Panamanian law forbids foreigners from engaging in party activities within Panama, so I can only apply on the basis of a certificate of employment at LA REPUBLICA.
4. In 1949 (year 38 of the Republic) I came to Taiwan with my father's army unit in the Qingdao withdrawal, and in Taiwan I completed primary school, secondary school and military academy. I served in the armed forces, the China Youth Corps and the KMT Department of Overseas Affairs for a total of 35 years. There should be no doubt about my loyalty to the party and the nation.
5. I ask that the official in charge consider the needs of my work and make a flexible, expedient decision. (48)
In December 1986, Xiulian and I attended the Fourth Global Conference of the Alliance for the Reunification of China under the Three Principles of the People in Houston. After the conference we took care of two matters of great importance to our family.
One was filing a fourth-preference family immigration petition with the US Immigration Service in Philadelphia. The other was preparing for our children to study in the United States by finding them a guardian. In August 1990, the two brothers enrolled without a hitch at Bellaire High School, a well-known high school in Houston.
In May 1998, Xiulian and I passed our immigration interview at the US embassy and obtained permanent residence. Because our two children were over 21, however, they could only get green cards after one of their parents became a US citizen, at least five years later.
Five months later, in October 1998, my wife and I left Panama and went to Houston to be reunited with our children. Twenty years of sweet and sour, bitter and spicy days: a thousand words could never tell it all. (49)
The book Streams in the Desert (荒漠甘泉), expanding on Psalms 42:7, says: great people all grow up through hardship; "all your waves and billows have gone over me."
In junior high school I read Jin Yu Yuan (金玉緣), also called The Tale of Heroic Sons and Daughters (兒女英雄傳), by the Qing dynasty writer Wen Kang. It contains the fine saying: "First fate, second fortune, third feng shui, fourth hidden merit, fifth study" (一命、二運、三風水、四積陰德、五讀書). At the time I only read it for the story and did not grasp the truth in it.
In 1977, Xiulian took our two children to the US embassy to apply for visitor visas to visit family. They were refused, and she was deeply discouraged. I thought that perhaps God had laid out a better road for us: when He closes a window, He opens a door.
In 1980, fate brought a turning point, and our family was reunited in Panama.
There is no doubt that, comparing Taiwan, the United States and Panama, Panama served us better than the other two because of our living and working conditions there. Our international outlook broadened, we met more important people, our ability to handle affairs grew richer, and we saw events on a large enough stage.
The greater gain was our two children. In a high-quality learning environment, they came to speak fluent Mandarin, read Chinese in newspapers and magazines, and express themselves in Chinese. They mastered English and Spanish thoroughly and can interpret between the two.
Through his work, nearly twenty years of experience have enabled Anderson to translate fluently in writing from English to Spanish and Spanish to English. He also has an excellent record of translating from English and Spanish into Portuguese, French and Italian. This has given him the best possible conditions for advancing his career.
Thanks be to God, who arranged for us to work, live, study and gain experience in Panama for twenty years. We have been fortunate to move forward smoothly. "First fate, second fortune, third feng shui, fourth hidden merit, fifth study": was it accepting Heaven's will, or doing all that people can do, or a harmony between Heaven and humankind? (50, end of this chapter)
Essay 24: In Memory of Father Zhang Bigang
Panama is a Catholic country, and major national decisions always respect the views of the archbishop or the bishops' conference.
The overseas Chinese adapted to local ways. By the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty there were already Catholic believers among them, and by the Guangxu reign about one fifth of the Chinese had joined the Church.
By the early 21st century, the overseas Chinese community in Panama had produced two priests of Chinese descent. One was Father Lee, Ting Pong Lee, born in Colón, Panama, in 1914. He received a doctorate in religious studies from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome in 1936 and returned to his birthplace in 1946, where he taught the faith for half a century.
The other was Father Zhang Bigang (張必剛), born in 1921 in Tongcheng, Anhui, China. He graduated from Anhui Normal University, joined the Youth Army during the War of Resistance against Japan, and after the victory went far away to the Holy See for further study, likewise earning a doctorate in religious studies.
In 1986 the Holy See sent Father Zhang on a preaching tour of Central and South America. At the Christo Rey church in Panama, he celebrated Mass for Chinese believers in Chinese (Cantonese) for the first time.
Two years later, in October 1988, Father Zhang was transferred from the London diocese to Panama as resident priest. He worked hard to establish the first Chinese Catholic church, Sagrado de Ancon, where the first Mass was held in June 1992. In October 1993 he was promoted and transferred to the diocese of Vancouver, Canada. In 2003, at the Catholic church in Rowland Heights, Los Angeles, I learned of his death. (1)
In August 1987, at the Iglesias del Carmen church in Panama City, our family first saw Father Zhang Bigang's fine bearing and heard him speak on Religion and Life (宗教與人生). It left a deep impression on us.
Our children attended a Catholic school in the Canal Zone, where a priest explained the doctrine to the students every week and they took part in religious activities in a small chapel on the hill behind the campus. So they found Father Zhang's words easy to understand.
Until the children left for school in the United States in August 1990, unless there was a community event we had to attend, our whole family always went to Mass every Sunday at the church where Father Zhang officiated.
During the Lunar New Year of 1989 and 1990, the church set up an altar with spirit tablets and offerings of fresh flowers and fruit. Led by Father Zhang Bigang, we burned incense and prayed to the ancestors of the Chinese nation for peace and prosperity in the country and good weather for the crops. We came to understand Catholicism more deeply. (2)
On Sunday, November 17, 1991, Father Zhang celebrated a deeply meaningful Mass at the Carmen church on Vía España. More than three hundred people of Chinese descent, including new immigrants from mainland China, attended. The whole Mass was in Chinese, and parishioners read the scriptures in Cantonese and in Mandarin.
In his sermon, Father Zhang quoted the Gospel of Mark to explain the meaning of there being no "last" in this world; what we should seek is a life that lasts forever. He also drew on the motto of the Ming-dynasty scholar Gu Yanwu, "Every man bears responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation" (國家興亡，匹夫有責), to expand on this. He stressed that in the realm of religion we must broaden our sense of responsibility, that the highest goal we pursue is spiritual value, and that only by building our view of the universe through religious education and raising the moral standards of our people can we change our worldly values.
After the Mass, devoted parishioners arranged a tea party especially for the friends who had attended. Besides chatting about everyday things, Father Zhang answered on the spot questions from some friends who were not Catholic, on a wide range of topics. He welcomed overseas Chinese in Panama, especially new immigrant friends, to take part in Catholic activities often, so that they could truly experience the joy of the spiritual life.
On Sunday, June 21, 1992, Father Zhang administered the sacrament of baptism to Xiulian and me. Chen Fengtian and his wife Feng Cuilan were our godparents. The Catholic Church gives godparents the duty of guiding their godchildren to follow Christ in daily life and to be with Christ. (3, end of this chapter. End of Part Two, Glimpses of Panama)