President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of July 12 with the three surviving crew members of the Free China traditional Chinese sailing junk and their family members. The president expressed his admiration for the tenacity of the group in sailing together the vessel across the Pacific, creating history in the process.
In remarks, the president explained that the Free China junk departed from Keelung Harbor in April 1955. The vessel was manned by six "warriors," including Paul Chow (周傳鈞), Calvin E. Mehlert, 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), who together worked to manipulate the sails of the Chinese-style junk on their journey across the Pacific Ocean. After a journey of 114 days and that covered 6,000 nautical miles, the sailboat ultimately reached the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The news of the sailboat's journey made headlines around the world, the president said. At that time, the ROC government had relocated to Taiwan for only a little over five years, he added, saying that the situation in Taiwan was gradually starting to stabilize. People throughout Taiwan were thrilled to hear about the successful journey of the sailboat once the news filtered back to Taiwan. In addition, the successful voyage also helped to boost morale among the populace here, the president said.
President Ma told the guests that after the sailboat embarked on its journey, it headed to an area northeast of Suao where the crewmen landed on an uninhabited island. After investigation and verification, it was proved that this uninhabited island was an islet belonging to the Tiaoyutais chain, he said. The president added that the Tiaoyutais have long been a place where fishermen from Taiwan sought shelter during bad weather, and the islands are also an important landmark during journeys at sea. He noted that during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, envoys were sent to Okinawa on many occasions to recognize new kings there, and that the envoys' reports clearly indicated the geographical location of the Tiaoyutais. President Ma said that the name "Tiaoyutai" began to be used in the Ming Dynasty. During that time, however, fishermen from Taiwan referred to the islands as the "Jiantou" chain (尖頭群島). In addition, during the Qing Dynasty, Huang Shujing (黃叔璥), an imperial inspection emissary in Taiwan, who wrote a record of his emissary mission in Taiwan titled 《臺海使槎錄》. He penned that in the seas north of Taiwan there are islets called the Tiaoyutais where over a dozen ships can berth. This was echoed in subsequent documents from Kavalan Prefecture, which is now known as Ilan County. In 1955, some ROC forces retreated from Dachen Island and once mounted the island, he said.
President Ma also emphasized that even though the monumental crossing of the Pacific Ocean by the Free China took place 57 years ago, the people of Taiwan still cherish the history of this vessel. He mentioned that three years ago a letter was submitted to the United Daily News that pointed out that the vessel was grounded overseas and that it was hoped that the sailboat could be saved due to its historical significance and cultural value. The letter evoked an outpouring of interest from the people of Taiwan, he said. Subsequently, the government and many sectors of society worked together to preserve the vessel and bring it back to Taiwan, the president said. He commented that one day earlier he asked Vice President Wu Den-yih to attend an activity held by the Ministry of Culture welcoming the boat's return to Taiwan. The objective of this activity, he said, is to preserve this important cultural asset. In the future, the vessel will be displayed permanently at the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology, which will enable even more people to understand its historical significance, the president said.
President Ma said that he previously served in the ROC Navy and when he pursued studies overseas he studied the law of the sea. He stated that he has always been quite interested in maritime-related issues. Consequently, over five years ago when he was first campaigning for the presidency, he specially asked legislator Chiu Wen-yen (邱文彥) to draft an ocean white paper to outline his marine policy. The president also said that it is expected that the government next year will establish a maritime affairs committee that will be responsible for promoting maritime-related policies. This, he said, will put the ROC on the path to achieving its objective of being an emerging maritime nation.
Attending the meeting were surviving crew members of the Free China Paul Chow, Hu Loo-chi and Calvin Mehlert. The group was accompanied by Deputy Culture Minister Lin Chin-tien (林金田) and Legislator Chiu Wen-yen to the Presidential Office to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Chiu Kun-Shuan (邱坤玄).