At 68, Peng Lou, a Chinese-Australian, recounts a life marked by extraordinary challenges and resilience. Having attempted to escape China six times, he now enjoys the fruits of freedom as a successful business owner and a skilled bamboo flute player in Australia. His journey, filled with near-death experiences and unwavering determination, is an inspiring testament to the human spirit.
A Path Fraught With Danger
Mr. Lou’s odyssey began in 1972 during China’s “Cultural Revolution,” when urban youth were sent to the countryside to be re-educated. As a young man, Mr. Lou was assigned to work as a technician in a cement factory in the remote Yingde County, Guangdong Province. The harsh conditions and bleak prospects of this forced labor spurred him to seek freedom, despite the severe risks involved.In 1979, Mr. Lou made his first two attempts to escape by stowing away on trains headed for Hong Kong, a beacon of freedom compared to the restrictive mainland. The first attempt ended in disappointment when he and his companions mistakenly boarded a train bound for Guangzhou’s Huangpu Port, not Hong Kong.
