In the Kuomintang air force that retreated to Taiwan, Wang Xijue can be said to be the proud son of heaven. He not only won the title of so-called "Hero of the National Army", but also was regarded as a rare trump card by the Taiwan Air Force. What's more, being able to get Chiang Kai-shek's personal reception was extremely rare in the Air Force at that time.
However, it was such a legendary figure who flew to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport during a mission, thus opening the prelude to cross-strait exchanges and becoming an ice-breaking hero.
Wang Xijue (left)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > soaring into the blue sky to achieve ideals</h1>
Wang Xijue was born in the early 1930s of the last century, based in Suining, Sichuan Province, and he was only 17 years old when the Anti-Japanese War broke out. That is to say, the young man was full of blood and blood, full of enthusiasm for serving the country, Wang Xijue was admitted to the junior high school of the Air Force School at that time.
It can also be regarded as a bad fate, and then, the domestic situation underwent a major change, Chiang Kai-shek was forced to retreat to Taiwan, and the military academy was also moved to Taiwan, including Wang Xijue.
In the face of such changes in the times, Wang Xijue, who was just 20 years old, was at a loss, and could only go with the flow and follow his classmates to Taiwan's Donggang. Originally thinking that it was just a temporary strategic shift, who could have imagined that this would be a full 37 years.
Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan
Later, Wang Xijue graduated from the Air Force Academy with excellent results and joined the series of service of the Nationalist Air Force at that time according to regulations.
Because of his excellent performance in the Air Force, Wang Xijue was then sent to the United States for further professional training.
Later, because of his excellent air performance, he was specially recruited by the American Black Cat Flying Squadron. And began to carry out special missions of the CIA.
In 1964, the U.S. Black Cat Squadron had worked very closely with Chiang Kai-shek under the instructions of the CIA, and its primary task was to spy on the mainland's intelligence on nuclear tests, targeting the northwestern hinterland of China.
U.S. Black Cat Air Force Mission
In order to obtain information on the mainland's nuclear tests, the Black Cat Squadron once sent two U-2 reconnaissance planes to Taiwan to carry out this special mission, and Wang Xijue was one of the captains.
It should be noted that the difficulty coefficient of being able to carry out such a very special task is not high. First of all, the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was the most technologically advanced aircraft in the United States at that time, and there were very few reconnaissance aircraft that could master such reconnaissance aircraft in Taiwan at that time.
On the other hand, the risk factor of undertaking such a reconnaissance mission in the deep hinterland of the mainland can be imagined.
Squadron of Black Cats
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Shangfeng ordered Wang Xijue to carry out this task. In order to disrupt the tracking and surveillance of the mainland, Wang Xijue deliberately flew around the south for hundreds of kilometers in order to confuse the other side's prejudgment, and then suddenly turned to a hinterland in the northwest.
However, just as it reached the 50-kilometer identification circle of the target area, the SAM missile early warning device on the aircraft suddenly lit up, which indicated that the missile at the target had been aimed at its own U-2. Meanwhile, the U-2's electronic anti-missiles are equipped with red lights.
That is, Wang Xijue's experienced way, he immediately quickly turned the nose of the plane and planned to flee. Saying that it was late and fast, only to see a flash of light coming from under the wing, Wang Xijue secretly cried bitterly, is this not a missile thruster working flame? Terrified, Wang Xijue hurried back.
SAM missile
At dawn, Wang Xijue's U-2 finally landed at Taoyuan Airport, at this time Wang Xijue was relieved, quite a bit of a rhythm of escape.
Because he knew that at that time, at least three missiles were flying towards him, and with a slight hesitation, even if it was a few seconds, there was only one fate waiting for Wang Xijue, that is, the plane destroyed and people were killed, and the blue sky was killed.
Taoyuan Airport
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > turn around and yearn for the motherland</h1>
With his outstanding record in the Air Force, In the late 1960s, Wang Xijue, who had become a lieutenant colonel, retired from the Air Force and was later transferred to the captain of a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of an airline in Taiwan, continuing his career flying in the blue sky.
During this working time, Wang Xijue has flown for more than 20,000 hours, becoming a highly skilled and experienced veteran captain. Of course, at this time, Wang Xijue was already a successful career and a happy family.
However, in such a family situation that is very envied by ordinary Taiwanese, Wang Xijue always feels that something is missing in his heart.
Airline Boeing 747 cargo aircraft
As the saying goes, the moon is the hometown of Ming. Although he has been in Taiwan for 37 years, although he has become a famous famous pilot from Qingshi, and although he has a peaceful and peaceful home, wang Xijue always feels an impulse in his heart whenever he looks at his distant hometown at night.
The older you get, the more homesick you become. Although Wang Xijue was once a soldier in the Kuomintang, he also made his own contributions in the operation of spying on nuclear facilities on the mainland. However, he knew that in his bones, he had been deeply branded with the descendants of Yan Huang, and this could not disappear because of the loss of years.
Because he knew that on the other side of the sea, the elderly father might still be waiting for when his wandering son would be able to return home and fulfill his filial piety.
Wang Xijue
Remembering the old man and missing the hometown is the historical sentiment of every Chinese child, and Wang Xijue is naturally no exception.
In fact, before, after many inquiries, Wang Xijue already knew that his elderly father was still alive, and perhaps he was looking forward to his sudden appearance in front of him day and night, just like Wang Xijue was concerned about his father.
Since Wang Xijue ran the route from Taiwan to Hong Kong, which is this convenience, as early as 1984, he had already met with his family in Hong Kong.
Although the time of this meeting was short, the idea of returning home had already been buried in Wang Xijue's heart.
The time came to May 3, 1986, which was also a very ordinary day, but for Wang Xijue, it was a crucial moment. As usual, Wang Xijue flew a Boeing 747 cargo plane from Singapore, or according to the previous route, through Hong Kong to Taiwan.
Since you have an idea, sooner or later you will put it into practice. Shortly after taking off from Singapore, Wang Xijue took advantage of the mechanic's efforts to go to the toilet and took control of the co-pilot. When the mechanic returned to see that something was wrong, Wang Xijue made his decision to fly directly to Guangzhou.
When the mechanic heard that it was inappropriate, was this not a betrayal of the national army? This was a crime of head-killing at the time. Wang Xijue laughed, are you Chinese, is Guangzhou a Chinese city? The mechanic thought the same thing, this Hong Kong is also Chinese, Taiwan is also Chinese, why can't it fly directly?
So he reluctantly agreed to Wang Xijue's request and cooperated with the captain to land the 747 at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.
747 landed at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
In the 1980s, Taiwan and the mainland were still in a state of hostility, and they had been cut off from each other for three decades. Nevertheless, the mainland side still expressed great welcome to Wang Xijue's return.
As soon as 747 landed slowly on the runway of Baiyun Airport, Wang Xijue hurriedly stepped off the plane according to the excitement of Nai, and stepped on the Chinese mainland of more than thirty years away with his feet.
When I saw the relevant person in charge who greeted me, Wang Xijue couldn't help but shout with excitement, finally went home, I asked to settle in the Chinese mainland, and expressed my eager desire to be reunited with my family.
In fact, shortly after Wang Xijue's Boeing 747 plane took off from Singapore, the Civil Aviation Administration of China had already detected that the plane had deviated from the channel to Hong Kong. That is to say, because this is a civil aviation aircraft, the mainland air force defense system only pays close attention to it and does not start the defense strike system.
After receiving an urgent request from Baiyun Airport, the Civil Aviation Administration temporarily opened a green channel for the Boeing 747 aircraft, and Wang Xijue was able to land safely.
Under the direct arrangement of Ye Xuanping, then governor of Guangdong Province, Wang Xijue's family from his hometown in Sichuan rushed to Beijing overnight, and Wang Xijue also flew to Beijing, the heart of the motherland, to meet his family.
When he saw his father, who was more than eighty years old, Wang Xijue couldn't help but cry. Because since 1948, it has been 37 years.
Not to mention that the old father is already an octogenarian. And he didn't change from a young man to a white-haired old man.
Ye Xuanping
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="24" > the Wang Xijue incident has attracted the two sides of the strait to join hands again</h1>
For Wang Xijue's return by plane, China's definition is that the pilot misses his hometown and has to do it. In essence, he also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of Wang Xijue's return to the plane to release goodwill to the Taiwan side.
After all, together with Wang Xijue, it is still the co-pilot and the mechanic, plus the 22 tons or valuable 747 aircraft, which need to be properly resolved by both sides.
On the day wang Xijue returned from the plane, the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued an invitation to Taiwan, hoping to resolve this issue through consultations earlier.
Because Wang Xijue is not a serving soldier, and he is not at the level of political asylum and leaking military intelligence, it is purely caused by personal homesickness and passion, and it completely belongs to the category of civil mediation.
Under the repeated invitation of the Chinese mainland, and after several reversals, the Taiwan side finally sent people to Hong Kong to sit with the mainland side and reach an agreement on the return of Wang Xijue on the plane.
The mainland complied with Wang Xijue's personal wishes and agreed to settle in the mainland of his homeland, and the Boeing 747 returned to Taiwan with the cargo on board and two other members of the crew.
Although the proper handling of the incident of Wang Xijue's return to the plane was held in the name of China Airlines in Taiwan and China Airlines on the mainland, everyone knows that behind the airlines are two major political groups.
For a long time, due to historical reasons, the two sides of the strait have not interacted with each other from old age to death, because the Wang Xijue incident has already been discussed together, but in fact, this is already a kind of progress and a historic breakthrough.
The holding of the Wang Xijue incident in Hong Kong marked the opening of the iron curtain of the history of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait that has been isolated for more than 30 years.
Even relatively conservative Taiwanese public opinion believes that the far-reaching significance of the negotiations initiated by Wang Xijue is greater than the practical significance of the events themselves.
With the proper settlement of the incident of Wang Xijue returning home by plane, it shows the deep friendship of Chinese mainland for the sake of Taiwan veterans, and also reflects a kind of sentiment that Taiwan veterans are eager to return to their hometown.
Undoubtedly, the mainland of the motherland has graciously accepted Wang Xijue to return to his hometown and reunite with his old father, which has greatly triggered the homecoming complex of the vast number of Taiwan veterans, and has even more promoted cross-strait exchanges and exchanges from the social level.
In this sense, Wang Xijue's return by plane can be described as an ice-breaking operation for cross-strait exchanges.
Taiwan veterans return home
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="30" > the general trend of cross-strait integration</h1>
Chiang Kai-shek's retirement to Taiwan actually had little impact on Kuomintang executives because they had the resources and the ability to carry their wives and children. For ordinary veterans, they leave in a hurry in the chaos of the soldiers, and they do not even have time to say goodbye to their relatives.
Fifty years have passed, and I don't know how many families have been broken up, how many people like Wang Xijue have been separated. They can only look at each other across the sea from their wives and children, and even when they die, they cannot see each other, which is obviously unfair.
It is worth noting that the mainland of the motherland expressed great praise for Wang Xijue's return, and on the same day that Wang Xijue arrived in Beijing by plane, Tian Jiyun, then vice premier of the State Council, specially received Wang Xijue and his entire family in the Sichuan Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
On behalf of the motherland, Tian Jiyun welcomed Wang Xijue back to the mainland of the motherland to settle down, and he affirmed that Wang Xijue's return by plane was an act that conformed to the trend of history. This righteous act expresses the common desire of the descendants of Yanhuang to realize the peaceful reunification of the motherland.
Tian Jiyun
Wang Xijue is very grateful for the care of the motherland, because returning to the mainland of the motherland is his long-term wish.
Wang Xijue said that on the one hand, he wanted to go back to Sichuan to take a look, and on the other hand, he hoped to do something useful for the communication between the compatriots of the motherland and the people of Taiwan in the future, and even more hoped to continue to contribute his residual heat to the aviation cause of the motherland.
Later, Wang Xijue also served as the deputy chief pilot of the North China Bureau of the Civil Aviation of China, and in addition to administrative work, Wang Xijue, who is more than 50 years old, is still interested in personally flying China's international flights and continuing to soar between the blue sky and white clouds.
Not only that, Wang Xijue also served as a member of the Standing Committee of the 7th, 8th and 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and was also the executive director of the Huangpu Student Union, continuing to make his own efforts to communicate cross-strait exchanges.
With the proper settlement of the Wang Xijue incident, in fact, it has brought a glimmer of hope to the veterans of Taiwan, and this butterfly effect immediately stirred up a thousand waves in Taiwan.
On Mother's Day, the first anniversary of Wang Xijue's flight home, tens of thousands of veterans gathered together and called on the Taiwan authorities to immediately allow them to return to the mainland to visit their relatives. It is conceivable that these once young generations have now entered their twilight years.
Taiwan veterans visit relatives
I remember how many people have died in a foreign land before they can meet their loved ones, which is undoubtedly a regret for life. They look at the other side of the sea, always looking forward to reuniting with their loved ones and hoping that the fallen leaves will return to their roots.
In fact, the people on the island have also begun to criticize Taiwan's "three noes" policy, and it should be pointed out that Wang Xijue flew back to the mainland only to visit his elderly father. Even Taiwan's Legislative Council believes that for humanitarian reasons, it is time to allow people to return to their hometowns to visit their families.
In 1987, Taiwanese veterans returned to the Great Wall
The green mountains could not be stopped, and the swallows finally returned. After the constant struggle of the Taiwan people, the Taiwan authorities, fearing the pressure of public opinion from the people, finally announced in 1987 that Taiwan veterans could return to the mainland to visit their relatives.
Since then, despite hardships, the mainland and Taiwan have realized the three-way road of postal, shipping, and trade.
As the People's Daily published a report on the three links to Taiwan, a spokesman for the State Council said that the mainland of the motherland welcomes Taiwan compatriots to return to the mainland of the motherland, can return to their hometowns to visit relatives, can also travel from all over the country, and guarantees that Taiwan compatriots are free to come and go on the mainland.
From a historical point of view, Wang Xijue's act of returning from the plane has activated the chain reaction button of cross-strait integration, which is of extremely important practical and historical significance. It is precisely because of this that Wang Xijue's behavior has won the praise of the people on both sides of the strait.
Wang Xijue was also praised as the first person to break the ice on both sides of the strait.
Resources:
"Introduction to Cross-Strait Relations" edited by Yu Keli
Li Peng, editor-in-chief of "Forty Years of Cross-Strait Relations."