‘I’m still alive’: Captain Wu shares story of survivial ahead of 100th birthday party in Vancouver

Captain Ting Cheng Wu has cheated death several times, suffering through the second world war, malaria, and torture as a political prisoner. Next week, he’ll celebrate his 100th birthday.

He’ll be marking the milestone with family and friends in Vancouver on Tuesday.

“I’m still alive here,” he answered when asked how he felt about living through an entire century.

His family has written a biography, documenting his remarkable life story of struggle and survival in a booklet that will be handed out at the party.

“People often ask him, ‘How did you live to 100?'” his daughter Yee-Ping said.

“Certainly it’s not from a comfortable life. It’s very inspiring to know someone’s gone through incredible challenges and survived time after time. It really tells you, at the end, it’s not how many times you’re knocked down, it’s how many times you get up. And he’s able to get up time after time, and survive through some of the most adversity.”

In 1922, Ting Cheng was born in a small town on China’s southeast coast. His mother did not survive childbirth, and his father passed away when he was nine. He and his brother were put into foster care where they were badly neglected. Often left to go hungry, his family says he would barter with other kids — trading help with homework for food.

But in 1937 Japan invaded northern China, and the next eight years would mark a harrowing chapter in Ting Cheng’s life. He walked from village to village, begging for food, work, or shelter. Illness was rampant, and he nearly died from malaria. A friend found him collapsed on the side of the road and carried him to a refuge, a coincidence his family says saved his life.

“The memory is much faded now,” Ting Cheng, speaking through a translator says of his early life.

“Because at that time, he was still a kid, when the Japanese war started. His village was really poor as well. His memory of course has so much to do at that time with the search for food. It was very difficult.”

Imprisoned, tortured in Taiwan for 12 years

When WWII ended in 1945, he set out to Shanghai to work as a seaman, although he had never been on a boat before. He quickly rose through the ranks, got married, and had a daughter. He spent most of his time on the water, separated from his new family. He wasn’t there for the birth of his second daughter.

In 1954, his ship stopped in Taiwan. This was during the “White Terror,” a long and brutal period of political repression and persecution of people accused of being communists or communist sympathizers.

When Ting Cheng docked, he was immediately put in prison. He would not see his wife and daughters for more than 12 years. The conditions he was confined in were brutal, with 70 people in a single cell, and torture under the constant threat of execution.

Reunited with family

Ting Cheng’s brother eventually managed to secure his release, but he was forbidden to return to Mainland China. He got a job working on a ship, and docked in Hong Kong where he could safely contact his family. When they joined him there, he met his youngest daughter Yee-Ping for the first time.

“It was a very happy moment, but also it took a very long time to understand a father concept, Yee-Ping says.

“My entire life, we maybe lived together three months.”

He and his wife had three years together before she passed away at age 47. Ting Cheng continued working as a ship captain, sailing around the world while supporting his daughters to pursue music. At 16, Yee-Ping moved to New York to attend Julliard. She would eventually become a concert pianist.

“He was very supportive. He said, ‘My daughter wants to do that, she should do it.’ I didn’t know anyone, but music was very important. He really supported me,” she said, adding it took many years before her father could come and see her play.

“He says he was so happy,” Yee-Ping says, translating for her father. “He may or may not be able to really understand the music I was playing. However, he was so happy and so enjoyed it.”

A new chapter in Vancouver 

At 65, Wu came to Vancouver. He’s become a master in carving and ancient Chinese calligraphy — two things he continues to do with a steady, unshaking hand.

“He was so focused on this, he literally practiced his work eight hours a day,” Yee-Ping says of her father’s intricate work.

“He is such a responsible person that and he has a lot of leadership qualities. So when he becomes your captain, I can see plays that role really well. But absolutely it is incredible to see him afterward put his focus on pursuing a different life”

Lee-Ying says the birthday party will be a joyous affair, with time spent reflecting on all the experiences that have brought her father to this point.

“We’re going to have family and friends gather. We’re going to have tributes, some really personal stories, and all that being told. I’m sure he’s going to enjoy that.

“He’s going to give a talk as well, he’s going to tell us about his life. And then we’re going to have food and drinks.”