would be equal and all the wealth and property would be distributed evenly. He talked about equality and collective property, and about how everyone would have food to eat, clothes to wear, and work to do. In any case, everyone would be the same. There would be no rich and no poor, but only total equality. Without even thinking, I voiced my objections. I said, "You talk about sharing property, but you can only share property that has shape and form. You can't share formless property. You have no way to make it public." What did he say? I said, "For example, houses, land, property--you can share these. You can distribute these. But you cannot distribute or share a person's inherent property. Why not? Take the eyes, for example. If you truly shared all things in common, you ought to give an eye to the blind man. Let me ask you people of the Communist Party, which one of you is willing to offer one of your eyes to the blind man?" He said nothing. I said, "There isn't anyone who dares to 'share' his eyes. Even if there were, only one or two people's eyes could be shared. There still wouldn't be complete sharing. And even if you offered your eye to the man, it's not for sure that he would be able to see after it was transplanted in his socket. So he still might not obtain the wealth of that property."

"You can hear with your ears, but someone else may be deaf. Would you give one of your ears to him so that he'd have the property of an ear too? Would you do that?" I continued, "A mute cannot speak. Would you give him half of your tongue? If you gave him half of your tongue, you wouldn't be able to speak either, so both of you would be mute. If you shared your eyes, both you and the other person would end up blind. If you shared your ears, both you and the receiver would end up deaf. The same holds true for the arms, legs, and the five sense organs of your body. Can you really share them?" He was left with nothing to say, and so he departed. He came back early the next morning and said, "The things you said yesterday have a lot of principle. However, there are very few people like you. You ought to come forth and do something for the country. You should join the revolution. Come with us and help establish the Communist Party." He wanted me to join the Communist Party. But I thought to myself, "I don't have any property to share, and I don't want to share others' property. What's more, I've never wanted anything in all my life. I don't want to share others' property, others don't want to share my property, and I don't have any wealth to share anyway." I said, "Let me think it over. Serving the country is a good cause. I will consider it." He departed, and the following day I also left. That's when I started walking, step by step, until I came to America. But it was by plane that I came from Hong Kong to America.

The next section discusses Taiwan. What does it say about Taiwan?

Two and seven are both vertical and horizontal.
The ox has two tails.
There were no longer human forms.
The sun moves in its constant track.
In the sea is a golden tortoise:
Formal attire and music.
Iron birds soar in the sky;
The southeast is totally destroyed.

Two and seven are both vertical and horizontal means that when Mao Zedong first became the sovereign of mainland China, he was extremely arrogant with his unprecedented power. At Tiananmen Square, he said, "The Chinese people must stand up!" He felt that there had never been anyone like him before, and there never would be again. He was that haughty, and so this line describes him: "Two and seven are both vertical and horizontal."

The ox has two tails. Have you ever seen an ox with two tails? Wouldn't it be strange? It would really be a monster! This isn't an ox with two tails. It is referring to the character for "ox" (牛) when it has two strokes under it. This makes the character Zhu (朱). "Two and seven" refers to Mao Zedong and "an ox with two tails" refers to Zhu De [his top military official]. So at that time the two were referred to as Zhu-Mao, Zhu-Mao. There were no longer human forms. They were no longer like human beings. The sun moves in its constant track. At that time, the sun and moon still rotated and revolved in their orbits as usual. For the people, the days also passed one by one without much change in the situation.

In the sea is a golden tortoise. This refers to Taiwan. The land of that island is like a huge golden tortoise. That's why Buddhism flourished there--it was just as if Guanyin Bodhisattva had placed her feet on that golden tortoise in the sea. So there were many left-home people who left mainland China and went to Taiwan. That's why it's described as "in the sea is a golden tortoise."

Formal attire and music. "Formal attire" refers to black ceremonial dress. "Music" means they played music and sang in eternal celebration of peace. They passed their days in peace and prosperity. But when the iron birds soar in the sky, / The southeast is totally destroyed. "Iron birds" refers to airplanes flying in the sky. I still remember in the l950's when China sent airplanes to try to find out the military situation. Taiwan had Rattlesnake Missiles which shot down the planes. After that, the Communists never dared to come back to raid. "The southeast is totally destroyed." This means that communications were cut between the Mainland and Taiwan. For several decades they have lived this way and Taiwan has enjoyed prosperity and peace.

The next verse says:

Rosy red clouds turn blue;
White clouds evaporate.
Falling petals and flowing water--
Both sides are devoid of feeling.
The water in the four seas all turns red,
And white bones pile up like hills, covering the mountains.
The jade rabbit will gradually rise in the east.

These few lines are probably referring to the present time. Rosy red clouds turn blue. Communists were originally represented by the color red, but now the color will probably change to blue, indicating that communism will change to capitalism. This is the current status. The door has been opened. Isn't China also considered a great economic power nowadays? It's become blue and isn't red anymore. Blue represents that people are eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves with a lot of money at their disposal. That's like mainland China today. In mainland China, people are eating and enjoying as if there is no tomorrow. Communism was originally red, but now it's become blue. It has to change before it can be reformed. White clouds evaporate. "White clouds" refers to the flag showing a blue sky with a white sun, the flag of the Nationalist Party. The Nationalist Party is like a white cloud that evaporates and is gone. It disappears in the air and turns into water vapor.

Thus the verse says: Falling petals and flowing water-- / Both sides are devoid of feeling.  "Falling petals" refer to the Communist Party, and flowing water refers to the Nationalist Party. The two parties have no feelings for each other. Neither of them is sincere. They cheat each other. Both sides are devoid of feeling: They are not courteous to each other. Therefore, their influence has come almost to an end. Neither side is willing to yield to the other. Thus: The water in the four seas all turns red. The water of the four seas turns red as the blood flows in rivers. And white bones pile up like hills, covering the mountains. There are so many bones of the dead that they are heaped up like hills. The mountains and wilderness are filled with human bones. The jade rabbit will gradually rise in the east. When the chaos reaches an extreme, people will decide they want peace. And so, once again, things will slowly become better. The jade rabbit means the moon, which will rise slowly in the east and gradually start to shine again. Therefore, once again, people will see the real moonlight.

The next verse says:

The coffin is nailed shut,
And the merit and offenses can be distinguished.
Expansive seas and lands will again know peace and harmony.
The events in this hundred-year span are hazy--as if a dream.
Springtime peace and golden glitter prevail in the southern dynasty.
For tens of thousands of miles throughout the land,
  everything is green.

At this time the sun will rise again in China. The country will be prosperous and the people will live in peace. The rains and winds will come in season. The coffin is nailed shut, and the merit and offenses can be distinguished. When they have all died and their coffins are nailed shut, their lives can be evaluated. At that time, it will be possible to determine who has merit and who has offenses. History will tell very clearly. Expansive seas and lands will again know peace and harmony. It will be time for peace. "When things reach their extreme, they turn around. When stagnation reaches an extreme, peace comes." When the chaos reaches an extreme, it will be time for peace and calm. When peace and calm reach an extreme point, it will become chaotic again. From ancient times to the present, the fortunes of China have alternated between prosperity and decline, between order and chaos. It is said, "It is a rule that a true imperial sovereign should arise in the course of five hundred years, and that during that time there should be men illustrious in their generation." The vast