The memory bud of Taiping steamer in Keelung

''Taiping'' was a Chinese steamer that sank after a collision with a smaller cargo ship, ''Chienyuan'', while en route from mainland

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

on 27 January 1949. With an estimated death toll of over 1,500 people, it ranks as one of the ten deadliest maritime disasters in history.

Final voyage

''Taiping'' was packed to nearly twice her rated capacity, carrying over 1,000 refugees fleeing advancing

Chinese Communist The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil W ...

forces during the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, when she departed

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

on 26 January 1949, bound for

Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...

.Letu, Xinji. 8 July 2011. "The Sinking of the Chinese Titanic" ''

Beijing Today ''Beijing Today'' () is a weekly English newspaper catering to expatriates and embassies that covers current events, art, cinema, music, dining, and shopping in Beijing. The newspaper is run by the publisher of Beijing Youth Daily. It is assig ...

''. p. 14. Some estimates put the number of passengers on board at over 1,500, although the ship was only rated to carry 580 passengers. After midnight on 27 January 1949, ''Taiping'' was steaming at night with her lights out, owing to a

curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...

, when she collided with the smaller

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

''Chienyuan'' near the

Zhoushan Archipelago Zhoushan is an urbanized archipelago with the administrative status of a prefecture-level city in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. It consists of an archipelago of islands at the southern mouth of Hangzhou Bay off the mainland c ...

. She sank, killing over 1,500 passengers and crew members. Only 35 survived, including 2 people from ''Chienyuan''. They were rescued by ''HMAS'' ''Warramunga''.

Commemoration

''Taiping'', which made many journeys between mainland China and Taiwan before her tragic end, has been compared to the ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...

'' for her role in bringing Chinese immigrants to Taiwan. She has also been compared to , which sank in 1912, owing to the similar loss of life in her sinking. A memorial to the ship and those who died aboard her was established at

Keelung Harbor The Port of Keelung (), also known as Keelung Harbor, is located in the vicinity of Keelung City, Taiwan. It is operated by Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Taiwan's state-owned port management company. History The Port of Keelung opened ...

naval base on Taiwan.

In popular culture

'' The Crossing'', a 2014 film directed by

John Woo John Woo Yu-sen ( zh, t= ; born 22 September 1946) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Award ...

, is about the sinking of ''Taiping''.

References

{{authority control 1949 in China Maritime incidents in 1949 Ships sunk in collisions Shipwrecks in the East China Sea 1940s ships History of Zhoushan