In a poignant tale spanning generations, the story of Yan Luoguo – a ship captain separated from his family during one of modern Asia's most turbulent periods – has finally reached closure. Yan was forcibly taken to the Taiwan region in 1949 by the previous Kuomintang regime during its retreat across the Taiwan Strait, leaving his young family in Dongshan Island without answers.
A Lifetime of Uncertainty
For 34 years, Yan's son Dingzhao clung to hope until learning in 1983 that his father had died in Penghu. The revelation sparked a new quest: to bring Yan Luoguo home. "We owed it to our ancestors to reunite our family," Yan Dingzhao later recounted.
Cross-Strait Cooperation
In 2018, through collaboration with descendants of Yan's former colleagues and historical records, the 82-year-old son located his father's resting place. The subsequent journey to Penghu by three generations of Yans – including the late captain's grandson – symbolized healing across both time and the Taiwan Strait.
Homecoming
Yan Luoguo's remains now rest in his Dongshan hometown, closing a chapter that mirrors the experiences of countless families divided by historical circumstances. While personal in scale, the Yans' story reflects broader narratives of displacement and reconnection shaping cross-strait relations.
