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Today John Ross and Chris Stowers (a man who has first-hand knowledge of what it's like to sail on an old-fashioned sailing boat) end our three-part series on the amazing voyage of the Chinese junk (built possibly in the 1890s) that made it -- not without overcoming considerable difficulties -- from Keelung to San Francisco in 1955. We discover the fates of the two chickens brought along for the long sea trip (Mildred 1 and Mildred 2), and, of course, learn what happened to our adventurous crew. We won't give away any spoilers, but let's just say there's also a nice twist on what eventually happened to the Free China junk itself.
Cover image: Surviving crew members and their family members pose in front of the dry-docked Free China junk. Courtesy Paul Chow/CNN
Check out the Free China Junk Facebook fan page HERE.
The names of the crew: Paul Chou (周傳鈞), Hu Loo-chi (胡露奇), Marco Yu-lin Chung (种玉麟), Reno Chia-lin Chen (陳家琳), and Benny Chia-cheng Hsu (徐家政), and American Calvin Mehlert.
VIDEOS:
Robin Greenberg’s award-winning prequel film: ‘The Free China Junk’.
Also by New Zealander Robin Greenberg: ‘Return of the Free China Junk.’
A Legendary Voyage: The Story of Junk Free China - on YouTube.
Radio Show Video link: Robin Greenburg: The Free China Junk 21-7-10 Radio Wammo Show, Kiwi FM
Below: Hullo hanging out with the two hens they brought on their epic journey, "Mildred 1" and "Mildred 2." Um... we'll let you listen to the story to find out what happens to them.
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Okay, hopefully, you've already listened to the podcast and learned that the Free China junk eventually made its way back to Taiwan thanks to the work of some very dedicated people, namely, the daughter of Reno Chen, Dione, who, after her father's death, embarked on her own adventure to bring the Free China junk home. Today it is a treasured part of the collection of the National Taiwan Ocean University, located in Keelung City 基隆市. There is also a 1/10 model at the Keelung National Museum of Marine Science & Technology.
Pictures below are courtesy of Faye Chao, and show the restored Free China junk at its home, behind the Department of Merchant Marine at National Taiwan Ocean University.
Below: The red line indicates the route of the Free China junk in 1955. The orange line shows the 1405-1433 sailing adventures of the famous Ming dynasty-era Admiral Zheng He. The green line shows the 1519-1522 journey of Ferdinand Magellan, the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific.
Below: Other images of the restored Free China junk.
Thanks again to Faye Chao for providing these excellent images.
Sound effects via Pixabay.
Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became was famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
