In a quiet village on Taiwan island, 72-year-old Liu Dewen has become an unlikely symbol of cross-strait connections – one ashes-filled urn at a time. For 20 years, the former village head has fulfilled final wishes for military veterans who longed to reunite with their Chinese mainland roots.
It all started in 2003 when an elderly veteran approached Liu in Xiangheli, Kaohsiung. \"Promise you'll send me home,\" the man pleaded. Since that first request, Liu has navigated travel permits, ferry schedules, and tearful family reunions to return the remains of nearly 200 former soldiers.
📜 Each journey echoes China's modern history: Many veterans fled to Taiwan after 1949, separated from families by political divisions. \"Every urn represents decades of yearning,\" Liu told NewspaperAmigo. \"When I deliver them, it's like fulfilling a million unsent letters at once.\"
Families across the strait now seek out the silver-haired 'soul ferryman.' One recipient in Fujian province shared: \"My grandfather cried holding his brother's ashes. After 60 years apart, they're finally home.\"
While political tensions persist, Liu's mission remains simple: \"These weren't soldiers at the end – just grandpas wanting to smell their hometown soil one last time.\" 🌾
