''Chau Tran''
© CHAU TRAN (QING LIAN)    ''Qing Lian''
© CHAU TRAN (QING LIAN)

CHAU TRAN, born 1949 in southern Vietnam as a son of south-chinese parents from the province Canton, China.
chinese name Chen Ying Yi 陳英義, pseudonym QING LIAN 青濂.

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© CHAU TRAN (QING LIAN)



Wonder Appearance




. . . . . . . . . . . Water intrudes faster and more faster into the boat. The men are abolutely exhausted, but with their last power and every possible way they try to scoop the water out of the boat back into the ocean. Suddenly they discover two more cracks close to the bottom of the boat. There the water also enters the boat. Now the old men too help, even though it is very narrow in the cabin, but regardless they try. The water rises higher and higher up to the knees of the women, who hunker down on the floor of the cabin. They hold up their children. They cry and weep and the situation becomes more and more dramatic and chaotic. Some try to climb onto the roof of the cabin, even though we are in the middle of an ocean and with the big heat the tinroof is so hot, that you cannot put a foot on it barefooted. I have to say loud: "Don't panic, the boat might be overturning." From the cabin the machine operator calls me: "Captain Chau . . ." (in Vietnam you call each other with the first name) ". . . it is at the end." I climb out of the steering cabin and sit outside at the window pane of the cabin. I think what I still can do now. I can do nothing more. The boat will sink . . . . . .

In that moment I have the thought that a fast end now would be a salvation. On malaysian mainland we were deported into a broken boat. Without food and water a malaysian marinevessel towed us into the open sea and left us alone. Originally I was the steersman and was denominated as substitute captain, because the captain distanced himself in Malaysia - The captain, the machine operator and me were in the marine of South Vietnam earlier - I wasn't a real steersman, but an administrative clerk and worked first in the publishing house of the marine headquarter then as a secretary of the captain on two ships. Every worker on the ship had to be able to steer a boat, but now in a situation like this nobody can control a boat.

In this burning heat in the middle of the open ocean I suddenly see on the horizon, how a small dark spot of clouds slowly broadens. A dragon whirl (asian word for tornado) arises. I quickly decide not to inform the people, to avoid a panic, I am awaiting death. In the moment before death I have no more fear, strangely enough one is more brave when facing death. A girl, that has climbed the roof before, slowly moves towards me and sits down next to me. I ask her (in chinese): "Do you know the song '青春舞曲 (Qing Chun Wu Qu) / dancing song of youth'?" I learned this song in primary school already. She answers: "Yes." I begin to sing the first verse: "The sun sets behind the mountain and tomorrow it will rise again." The girl joins me with the second verse and together we go on with singing. Originally this is a happy song, but we sing very slowly and gentle, because both of us are very exhausted. Our heads lean against the window pane and we look up into the sky. Slowly and exhausted I turn my head to the left und I suddenly see a black spot on the horizon. While we go on singing I follow it intensely. The spot becomes larger and larger, until I suddenly recognize it and shout out very loud: "A ship, a ship . . . . . . ."

- in the year 2015 - Chau Tran (Qing Lian)



(See also Documentation/1993/Photo-Archive/Solo exhibition in Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf)



© CHAU TRAN (QING LIAN)

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