The normally quiet little village on this day is filled with voices and the sounds of laughter.

The village known to its Chinese residents as "Wanyang" is holding its annual Youth Day celebrations. People from eleven neighboring refugee villages have arrived to join the festivities. For the moment, Wanyang is the place to be.

In northern Thailand, "neighboring" still means a considerable distance. This is because refugee villages are fanned out over the northern Thai border, and are separated by mountains and rivers; they lack any direct lateral transportation routes, so travel is very inconvenient. In order to attend this event, some villagers have had to drive for two or three hours, and some even had to come a day early to make it.

The Makang Mountain Farm is one of 11 demonstration farms set up by the Free China Relief Association. The farm plants mainly peach, pear, plum, and persimmon.

Living with mother-in-law

Perhaps for most people in Taiwan, "Youth Day" is just the excuse for a day off. But this day seems to have a much deeper meaning for the Chinese of northern Thailand. Koung Cheng-yeh says that the Youth Day activities are sponsored in turns by a different village every year. "The main purpose of these activities is so that people don't forget that they are Chinese!"

The flags of the Republic of China and the Kingdom of Thailand stand side by side on the platform, while the chairman of the proceedings delivers his remarks in both Chinese and Thai.

Koung addresses himself to the young people born and raised in northern Thailand and describes the origins of Youth Day. Finally he says, "The Republic of China is to us as is the mother's home to a married woman, while Thailand is to us as the family of the husband is to the bride." This is his way of encouraging the young people to never forget their "mother," but to devote themselves to doing well in their new family home.

It's not certain whether some of the less sophisticated children below the stage pick up on the "mother's home" and "husband's family home" metaphors. Maybe one day they will ask themselves why they should care about this "mother" who did not raise them and to whom they cannot return.

Chinese usually celebrate by eating and drinking, and the Chinese of northern Thailand are no exception. The afternoon meal is served in the newly built Ching Chen Temple, with more than 20 tables of guests being fed seven courses of authentic Chinese cuisine. It looks just like the big dinners that politicians throw around election time in Taiwan.

"Sister, do you want a little more rice?" asks a little girl holding rice, directing her question at me. That sincere and friendly country tone of voice really makes a deep impression. No matter where you are, or what your nationality, those blood ties that link people of the same ancestry are hard to break.

Last year the Makang Mountain Farm earned more than 210,000 baht from its fruit crop. Farm director chu Cheng-liang （center） displays some recently picked peaches and plums.

From abandoned soldiers to refugees

Why are these Chinese living abroad, with no home to return to?

For many people, all they know about the Chinese of northern Thailand is what they've seen in the book Different Land or in its film adaptation. The author depicted these isolated forces fighting on against the Communists in a deeply moving way.

As the Nationalist-Communist civil war wound down, the Nationalist forces retreated and followed the government to Taiwan. But some units were forced back toward the southern border areas of China around Yunnan.

When the government first came to Taiwan in 1949, they still had hopes of counterattacking and recapturing the mainland, and the troops forced into northern Thailand were part of the plan. "The northern Thai border area had forces that could be used to threaten the Chinese Communists from the rear," explains Koung Cheng-yeh.

Later, however, even though the war had ended, the bitter life dragged on. Though there was later an opportunity for these isolated soldiers to pull out to go to Taiwan, many elected to stay and become "refugees." In their hearts they still believed they could "counterattack Yunnan"!

Today the social composition of the northern Thai refugees is complex. Besides the original military men and their dependents and descendants, many civilians from Yunnan fled over the mountains to northern Thailand as well to join the ranks of the refugees.

The refugee villages are widely dispersed on an east-west line of over 1500 miles stretching across five Thai provinces. Over this territory of about 70,000 square kilometers, which is two and half times the size of Taiwan, there are 64 refugee villages of various sizes, with a population of more than 59,000 Chinese. The land in the refugee villages has been turned over by the Thai military high command to that nation's Department of Forestry for leasing to the Chinese. Only Chinese refugees are permitted to live and work the land there. In other words, the people in the refugee village only have the right to use the land, but not own it.

Is this the bamboo forest at Hsitou in central Taiwan? No, it's a vacation cottage in Maesalong village, which has successfully turned itself into one of the more popular tourist stops in northern Thailand.

Trading a life for an ID card

Some of the Chinese in these villages have already acquired Thai identity cards from the government. But it is not easy to get this card which symbolizes the right to permanent residence; you might even say that you have to trade your life for it.

Chu Cheng-liang, the 44-year-old director of the Makang Mountain Farm, was on the fifth list of those admitted to citizenship. This was in exchange for his participation in dangerous "road guard duty."

Chu relates that 13 years ago (1981), when the Thai government was opening a border road, they ran into opposition from Burmese and Lao communist forces, and earth moving machines were always being destroyed. Therefore the government recruited border area residents to form a force to protect the road building activities.

The Thai government provided the arms and ammunition, and the refugees provided the bodies. As Chu says, "We did it in order to keep on living here, in order to stay on good terms with the Thai government, otherwise who would be willing to sign up?"

Road construction went on for nearly a year, and those who did guard work lived outdoors in the mountains for that whole period. Chu points out: "Two hundred of us went. More than 30 were killed by mines laid by the Burmese and Lao communists, and many were permanently maimed."

The Thai government ultimately issued ID cards to this road-building vanguard. Already four batches have been issued, and Chu and the rest of the fifth group are waiting for theirs.

Though living in a different land, people cannot forget their roots. In the refugee villages of northern Thailand. homes all still have their ancestral tablet altars.

But you can never leave

Those without IDs have refugee identification cards issued by the government. In fact, there is little difference between Thai and refugee IDs in the hamlets, except for one thing: freedom to leave the refugee villages.

Those with standard IDs can freely leave the mountain area and travel anywhere, while those with refugee IDs have to apply for a "travel pass" to get anywhere.

Chu Cheng-liang points out that refugee village residents have to go to the county government and get a travel pass just to leave the county. The pass is valid for only three days, after which it is necessary to get an extension.

It's even harder to take a job outside the village. You have to get approval from the county government, the provincial government, and from the Department of Labor, each having their own procedures. The first application is limited to three months; the second may be extended to six months. Chu reveals that some people get frustrated by the complexity of the process and just sneak down the mountains to work in factories or restaurants; the unlucky ones are caught and sent back and must pay a fine.

The third generation in the refugee villages, children under 15, understand at least a little Thai, but those above 30 are completely at a loss. Given language difficulties and the uncertain legal status, there are naturally only limited opportunities for work, and wages are correspondingly pitifully small. Under these conditions, the only thing for most people is to stay in the mountains and work the land.

With the Thai government turning a blind eye, Chinese language education can proceed; but the lack of experienced teachers makes it hard to bring the students up to a high level.

Setting down roots

Acceptance of this fate also means acceptance of burdens large and small.

At first, the assistance rendered by the Free China Relief Association in northern Thailand consisted mostly of school buildings, disaster relief, and help for the poorest. In 1982 the FCRA formally established the "Service Corps for Refugres in Northern Thailand." The function of this group was redefined to be assist the refugees to "set down roots and develop," and to become self-sufficient.

Lin Ah-tien, an agricultural technician with the The Working Group, reminds us that northern Thailand is a remote place with poor communications and transportation, so that agriculture is both the key condition of and only choice for development.

For the old soldiers who acted as guerrilla troops in the mountains for all those years, it's a lot easier to pick up a gun than to pick up a hoe. "We old soldiers only know how to fight, not how to farm," says Chu, now the director of the demonstration farm at Makang Mountain. Early on people planted potatoes, yams, corn, and other things with short growing seasons, with less than ideal results in terms of income.

The FCRA began demonstration farms, seminars, free distribution of seed and seedlings, and guidance of old soldiers in breeding, fertilizing, and other techniques. Since this began, there has been a great improvement in incomes from farming in the villages.

Chu cites the example of peaches. In the past a kilogram of the local peaches sold for NT$1.2 (that's less than five US cents); after improvements a kilogram of large peaches sells for NT$40, and the small ones can still pull in NT$20. Chu points out that the income from the Makang Mountain Farm is shared by the whole village. Last year fruit from the farm brought in more than 210,000 Thai baht. Also, the households in Makang Mountain plant seedlings around their homes to increase incomes.

"Due to the benevolence of the His Royal Highness, we are fortunate to have land on which to live...." The writing on this ceremonial arch outside of Jihshuitang Village relates the situation of the refugees in northern Thailand in their "in-laws' home.".

No more poverty

The villages with more fortunate geographic locations and beautiful scenery have in recent years been striving to develop tourism to raise incomes and improve the quality of life.

Maesalong Village is the most successful example of tourism development thus far. Located more than 1500 meters above sea level, with a cool climate and gorgeous scenery, it makes a great recreation and vacation spot.

The cherry blossom trees lining the mountain road are one of the special things about Maesalong. Koung Cheng-yeh notes that this is the only place in all of Thailand where you can see cherry blossoms. Thus a great number of tourists come between late December and January, during the flowering season, to admire the flora. The restaurants and hotels are so packed that "you have to make reservations beforehand," says Koung with a happy laugh.

Then there's Takuti Village on the Thai-Burmese border and Potang Village, the closest one to the Lao border, both of which have the location and the scenery to be potentially great tourist destinations.

Whether it be agriculture or tourism, life is improving in all the refugee villages. Koung Chengyeh says that most of the roads in the refugee villages used to be "mud and dust roads" (mud during rainy season, dust on clear days). These days the roads are paved.

Wherever you go you can see construction and rebuilding going on. It's a far cry from the old image of poverty-stricken and backward refugee villages.

To assimilate into local society, it is essential to get a local education. The children of the refugee villages go to Thai language school in the day and Chinese language "supplementary school" at night. The children in the photo have just received their Maesalong primary school graduation certificates.

Chinese education

Everything is changing rapidly. Perhaps the only thing that's stagnant is Chinese education.

In 1984, the Thai government took over administration of all the schools in northern Thailand for the stated reason of "preventing the spread of communist thinking."

But where there's a will there's a way. The Thai government banned "instruction" in Chinese, so the villages turned to "supplementary schools" to undertake Chinese language education. Koung notes that Chinese education is still technically illegal in northern Thailand, so "we do it very quietly and don't play it up, while the Thai government turns a blind eye."

Under the "tolerance" of the Thai government, village schools conduct "supplementary classes" from 6:00 to 7:30 am and from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.

Chinese language education was halted in Yungtai Village for four or five years, and recommenced three years ago. At present there are more than 270 students. The Chunying Middle School in Huangkuoyuan Village also got up and running again in 1991, and now has more than 350 pupils.

Of course it's nice to think that Chinese education can be perpetuated in northern Thailand, but there is a serious problem finding qualified teachers. Yang Kuo-chin, director of the Chih Ping Agricultural Experimental School in Yung Tai Village, does not hesitate to admit that because of the serious shortage of teachers, they can't ask for much in the way of quality.

Chi Chien-chuan, principal of the Chunying Middle School, states that of the twelve teachers currently at the school, half are from mainland China. "The personalities of the mainland teachers are not too compatible with ours, but given the shortage of teachers we have no choice but to employ them," says an exasperated Chi.

"Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." Old veterans who have long yearned to return home will probably end their lives in a foreign land.

Welcome to northern Thailand

Yet the Chinese schools in northern Thailand cannot hire teachers from Taiwan, because economic conditions are still not adequate.

"During summer and winter vacations, young people from Taiwan can come to northern Thailand on vacation, and teach our children on the side," says Koung, extending this invitation in all sincerity. The only thing is, for young people from Taiwan who head off to Europe, America, and mainland China for fun, can remote northern Thailand have the same attraction?

[Picture Caption]

P.114

The sports festival celebrating Youth Day is held annually; each year it is run by a different village in turn. The purpose is to remind people that they are Chinese.

P.116

The Makang Mountain Farm is one of 11 demonstration farms set up by the Free China Relief Association. The farm plants mainly peach, pear, plum, and persimmon.

P.117

Last year the Makang Mountain Farm earned more than 210,000 baht from its fruit crop. Farm director Chu Cheng-liang (center) displays some recently picked peaches and plums.

P.118

Is this the bamboo forest at Hsitou in central Taiwan? No, it's a vacation cottage in Maesalong village, which has successfully turned itself into one of the more popular tourist stops in northern Thailand.

P.119

Though living in a different land, people cannot forget their roots. In the refugee villages of northern Thailand. homes all still have their ancestral tablet altars.

P.119

With the Thai government turning a blind eye, Chinese language education can proceed; but the lack of experienced teachers makes it hard to bring the students up to a high level.

P.120

"Due to the benevolence of the His Royal Highness, we are fortunate to have land on which to live...." The writing on this ceremonial arch outside of Jihshuitang Village relates the situation of the refugees in northern Thailand in their "in-laws' home."

P.121

To assimilate into local society, it is essential to get a local education. The children of the refugee villages go to Thai language school in the day and Chinese language "supplementary school" at night. The children in the photo have just received their Maesalong primary school graduation certificates.

P.121

"Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." Old veterans who have long yearned to return home will probably end their lives in a foreign land.