CHAPTER 1

Tao and Bai Tai

“Damn it. Not again. I cannot go through this another time. I give up,” 35-year-old wheat farmer Tao Tai lamented after he surveyed his decimated farm. His young wife Bai stood by his side carrying their three-year-old son Tong.  She was in tears as they examined the destruction.  August of 1912 was a bad month for this rural farming community about 200 miles northwest of the city limits of Peking.   It rained every day for the whole month and the ground was oversaturated from the continuous rain.  The previous day, an extraordinarily heavy rainstorm caused the river tributary near the Tai farm to overflow and completely destroy his modest wheat crop for the second year in a row.  He financially survived a similar disaster in 1911 but this time, the heavier rain was accompanied by gale force winds which ripped the small house on their farm to shreds.  As the fierce raging storm passed over their farm, the Tai family took refuge in a tiny adjoining food cellar.    Sheltering in the cellar probably spared their lives.  They finally emerged from the cellar the next day and discovered that their house and most of their possessions were either destroyed by the flooding or blown away by the overpowering winds. The storm transformed their modest farm into a useless swamp, just as it did to surrounding farms.

This rural farming community known as Fengshou (meaning “bountiful harvest”) consisted of many moderate sized farms, most of which were comprised of only a few acres. The farmers grew crops such as wheat, corn, oats, and various fruits, and vegetables.  The area was surrounded by mountains and situated near a tributary of the Hai River. The river was the main source of irrigation for the farms.  Most of the farms grew only a few crops which they were able to rotate several times a year.  Farming was accomplished with crude tools and the labor was supplied by the farmer and his family. Each small farm usually had modest living quarters, a few chickens and ducks, and a small well stocked fishpond connected to the nearby river. This almost made each farm unit self-sufficient. What goods they did not have but needed to augment their needs were often obtained by trading with other farmers. For example, a farmer who raised pigs would often trade with other farmers for crops he did not grow. Food was always fresh since there was no refrigeration. Excess food was dried and preserved and stored in a food cellar. No one in the community was wealthy but they were all content with their lifestyle.  Ah Chun Li, a neighboring farmer, and a good friend of the Tai family, was the community leader. He had the only horses and large wagon in the area, and he would transport the surplus community crops to the railroad station about 20 miles away. The crops were delivered to Peking by train every other week to his uncle who was a produce wholesaler in the city. The crops were essential goods in Peking and sold for a good price. When the train returned to pick up the next supply of crops, it would often deliver goods from the city that the farmers ordered to supplement their life on the farm.  This included things like rice and other crops they could not grow in the north, nice clothes, sundries, and whatever other goods they needed. This arrangement provided the farmers with some extra income and helped make life on the farm comfortable. This recent unexpected and destructive weather ruined this arrangement and the future of this once thriving farming community.   

The Tai family owned and operated their farm for more than ten generations which was typical of most of the family operated farms in Fengshou. Most of the farms had several generations working and living on the farm.  They also had many children to help on the farm but neither Tao nor Bai had siblings. When Tao lost his parents about 10 years ago, he alone was left to care for the farm.  He married Bao four years ago after she lost both her parents in a tragic accident on their farm.  Her family owned another small farm in the area. She was the only surviving member of her family, so she sold her family’s farm when she married Tao.  They combined their resources and tried to make their farm successful.  Tao hoped Tong would eventually succeed him and continue the Tai family operation.  They also planned to have more children. This most recent flood has left them financially ruined and caused them to rethink their future.  

“Bai, we need to make an important decision for our future and the wellbeing of little Tong,” he told Bai as she tried to calm the crying Tong. “Our home has been completely destroyed, we have very little savings left, and only meager food reserves in the food cellar.  I do not want to rebuild our house, plant another crop, and have this happen again.  We cannot predict the weather and I am not willing to take another chance.  I suggest we move to the city and seek a better life there.  I know that we only know farming, but we are still young, and I can learn a new skill.  We can make a new life for ourselves.  We must act now because we will soon run out of money for our daily needs. What do you think?”

“Tao, I agree with you,” she said as she sadly nodded her head. “We have lived here all our lives, but we don’t have many friends and no other family here so leaving won’t be that bad.  In fact, many of our neighbors are in the same situation and most of them are preparing to move to the city too.  Ah Chun came by earlier and told me that the Ho family, whose large farm is further inland near the mountains, is offering to buy most of the smaller farms like ours. Their farm survived the storms of the past two years because of their sheltered location. They have the largest farm in the area, many workers, and are very wealthy.  They purchased my family farm after my parents passed away. Ah Chun is leaving soon to meet with Mr. Ho to sell his farm and horses and wagon to him.  He decided to move his family to Peking.  Maybe you can go with Ah Chun and ask Mr. Ho if he will buy our farm. This would give us some money to start a new life in Peking.”

“Then we agree, and the decision has been made. We have a young son, no house to live in, very little food, and no other source of income so we are really left with no other choice. We must start looking for any items that survived the storm and prepare to leave.  I will go with Ah Chun to meet Mr. Ho and see what I can get for the farm. You get Tong ready and gather our belongings and I will be back soon,” Tao responded.  An hour later, he accompanied Ah Chun to meet with the Ho family.

There was a long line of landowners at the Ho farm, all willing to sell their farms and leave the area. The storm destroyed the entire area along the river and affected the whole community.  Chu Ming Ho, the family patriarch, addressed the group.  

“My neighbors, I am sorry that all of your farms were destroyed by the storm. It has finally stopped raining but that may only be temporary.  Unfortunately, the damage has been done.  Our family had the good fortune of being spared from the destruction resulting from this bad weather, but we will probably not be able to do much with your farms for a long time.  The weather may continue to be like this every year and there is nothing left of your farms except the ground it is sitting on.  We would be buying unproductive land, but we are willing to purchase your land with the hope it can someday be restored.  We can only give you about one fourth of what your land is worth.  To be fair, if we can restore your farm so it is productive in three years, we will sell it back to you at triple what we paid for it. The selling price will include our cost to restore it. It is your decision as to what you choose to do.  If you want to sell, I will buy your farms today.”  

This meant that Tao would not receive much for his farm.  Nevertheless, he, like most of the other farmers, reluctantly accepted the below market offer in order to have some money to help start a new life in the city.  Although Mr. Ho made a fair offer to the farmers, it was unlikely they would ever return to the farming life once they left Fengshou.

With their remaining savings and the money from the sale of their farm placed in a small metal box, Tao, Bai, and Tong started walking to the railroad station at a neighboring rural community which was twenty miles away.  The storm subsided, but the rural dirt roads were still saturated from the flooding and made it a very sloppy journey.  At least two dozen neighboring farmers also decided to seek a better life in the city.  They joined this mass exodus to the Peking.  Tao carried their few worldly possessions and provisions they were able to salvage in a large old rice bag which he slung over his back.  Bai was intermittently carrying Tong who was unable to walk the entire distance on his own.  When the group arrived at the station, the weary travelers found out that the train was only for cargo transport and would not take any passengers.  The congregation of relocating farmers would have to spend the night at the station and would have to walk to Peking the following day.  Peking was another 180 miles away and they calculated it would take about a week to reach the city.  

The Tais were able to salvage some preserved vegetables and dried fish and rice from their food cellar. The other travelers had food to contribute so the group built a small fire, cooked some of the provisions they had scrounged up and shared with each other.  They spent the night sleeping on the damp ground, trying to get a good rest before beginning their long journey the next day. 

All the farmers were friends and they promised to help each other during this uncomfortable migration.  Fortunately, it finally stopped raining and the weather was holding up and they hoped it would not add to this hardship.  It was beginning to get colder, especially in the evening.  As they were preparing to leave the railroad stations, they realized that no one in the group knew the exact route to Peking.  Ah Chun, the self-appointed  leader, spoke to the group.

“I have been to Peking a few times when I visited my uncle who lives there. He picked me up in Fengshou and we went to Peking by horse and wagon, but I do not remember the route.  I suggest we follow the railroad tracks and that should lead us to the city.  There are railroad stations about every 30 miles.  The stations are pickup points for other rural communities like Fengshou.  Since the stations are partially sheltered, we can spend the nights there.  We can also replenish our water and we can build a fire to keep warm and cook our food.  I also suggest that we only eat one meal a day to conserve our provisions.”  

The group trusted Ah Chun and accepted his plan.  They continued to share their food but rationed the food to last until they reached Peking. There were many young children and some elderly people in the group and the journey was hard for them.  They needed to make frequent stops to rest because of the physical limitations of some of the group.  The anticipated journey of one week would take nine days and their food supply had just run out when they reached Peking.  This expedition had been like a long hike and camping trip. They could have easily been in worse physical condition, but everyone arrived at the destination healthy and in good spirits.  The group entered the city as tired, cold, dirty, and hungry travelers but everyone who made the trip was excited to start a new life.  The money they received from the sale of their farms would support them until they decided what path to follow in the city.