"Don't ask me where I am from. My hometown is in a faraway place. Why wander about? Wander to Hainan Island. Wander....All for the Hainan Island in my dreams. Hainan Island. Don't ask me where I am from. My hometown is in a faraway place. Why wander about? Why wander about? Faraway...."

Hsiao Lung, from Hunan, sent me off with some food for my journey on the eve of leaving Hainan. Friends from virtually all over the country, including Chengtu, Chungking, Hsian, Peking, and Changsha, had gathered together. These young intellectuals left their wives, sons, and daughters behind and came here in hope of finding a job opportunity.

"When I first arrived on Hainan Island I brought several hundred dollars from my old hometown of Hunan and came with the spirit of an explorer. I had originally accompanied a craftsman from Kwanghsi. I was with him for more than half a month and then stayed with Hsiao Lung. I spent 250 dollars renting a stall, a gas stove, and a tent. It was here that I set up a small stand and sold noodles," said Hsiao Chang.

Hsiao Chang studied foreign languages. His job was to translate English and French. He gave up his position and seniority in order to come and explore Hainan Island. It's a shame that the basics in Hainan are lacking greatly and can't provide so many young intellectuals with jobs. So these young people take to the streets and do what is needed in order to sustain a living.

"In the beginning I cared so much about face. On the mainland if you set up a stall to sell things then you'll be laughed at and be labeled as someone who can't hold a real job." I was surprised that intellectuals under the socialist system had such a strong class-consciousness. I took a look at the dishes on the table; there were two or three dishes of green vegetables, a little ho fen (a type of rice noodle), and a little bit of noodles. There were also fifty to sixty dumplings. This was all the food they would sell that day.

Why not buy some more? He said helplessly, "I don't have that much money! The cost of living is high here and the price of goods continues to rise. We really don't have any buying power."

"We only seek to be adequately clothed and fed. It's not our long-term plan to sell noodles. We're waiting for the right opportunity," said Hsiao Chang. "We eat, live, and sleep at this stall. The night before last it rained heavily and a lot of water accumulated on the ground. We had to find drier ground on which to sit until it got light." On account of this they rented a warehouse in a village in which to reside. The monthly rent for the warehouse is thirty dollars. This is the only place they can afford.

On April 13, 1988, the Chinese Communist "Seventh National Congress" was held in Peking when Hainan was established as a province. Propaganda concerning this event filled the newspapers. The Hainan Development News devoted 24 pages to introducing the history of the island and its potential for development. The leaders encouraged the young people from the mainland to go to Hainan to take part in the call of this "great decision."

On account of this young intellectuals from all over the country began to pour into Hainan. From November 1987 to February 1988 more than 200 thousand people came to Hainan. There are teachers, college students, professors and talented people from various occupations preparing to test their skills, but Hainan let them down.

One of the meeting places for young people is the Haikou railway station. Lin Jen-ming who has been on Hainan for more than two months already was an elementary school teacher. To make ends meet he sells newspapers at the railway station. He earns four dollars a day and says constantly, "It's enough for me to live on."

Knowing that I am from Taiwan he was determined not to take my money for the newspaper. "Both of our roots go back to Fukien and you're from Taiwan. How can I take your money?"

A young German named Burkhard Eiswaldt who has resided on Hainan Island for three months has put his feelings about this place in a song which goes:

I heard about a place

its name was freedom

I heard about an island in the south

…………

I took the way

No money in my pocket

but full of hope

and dreams about this place

I only knew

your name was "Hainan Island"

only a name

for all the dreams I had....

[Picture Caption]

At midnight Lin Jen-ming plays chess on his "big bed" (the Haikou Railway Station) with his friend.

View of a rooftop. Hsiao Yeh from the reception house says, "The weather is too hot so we all sleep on the roof."

Hsiao Chang arranges his new living quarters in a mildewed warehouse.

Hsiao Lung holds some noodles up in the air with his hand. That's all the noodles that will be sold today.

Who can tell them what the future holds in store for Hainan Island?

Who knows how many young intellectuals' hopes and dreams are represented by Burkhard's song?

Hsiao Tsou who has gone to Hainan Island to take a look on his vacation says, "I don't have the guts to give up everything to go and try to make it on Hainan Island!"

Some youths from Hainan Island await a perm.

At midnight Lin Jen-ming plays chess on his "big bed" （the Haikou Railway Station） with his friend.

利用休假到海南島的小鄒說:「我就是沒有勇氣拋下一切到海南打天下!」.

Hsiao Chang arranges his new living quarters in a mildewed warehouse.

Who can tell them what the future holds in store for Hainan Island?

Some youths from Hainan Island await a perm.

Who knows how many young intellectuals' hopes and dreams are represented by Burkhard's song?

Hsiao Tsou who has gone to Hainan Island to take a look on his vacation says, "I don't have the guts to give up everything to go and try to make it on Hainan Island!".