Would they be able to live in this tightly-regulated communist country? After living in a democracy for so long? They had to, they said to themselves.

Were they really living freely in India? Weren’t they compelled to live in captivity?

At least they wouldn’t be captives here. At least they wouldn’t suffer humiliation. No one would look at them with suspicion. No one would shout hateful words at them.

Leaning on Lee Chang, Mei Lin came to the deck and stood with the others. She looked around with tired eyes.

‘This is Canton Port,’ someone said.

Over a hundred years ago, in this very place, their ancestors Ho Han and Ho Yen had been confined in the hold of a ship. They had only had a bowl and a pair of chopsticks to call their own. Today their descendants had returned to this land empty-handed. What was there to call their own in this land, except a handful of memories that weren’t even their own?

‘Let’s go, Mei Lin,’ Pramila Gogoi said quietly.

She touched her hand for a moment and then disembarked with the support of Lee Chang.

In order to rehabilitate the thousands of overseas Chinese returnees, the State Council of China had formed ‘The Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission’. Under this commission, the ‘National Committee of Receiving and Settling Returned Overseas Chinese’ had been formed as well.

The officials of the Receiving Committee led the returnees from India to the registration office. Mei Lin and others stood in a queue in front of the registration office.

The locals slowly gathered there and looked at them.

This was not new for the locals. For the past few years, they had watched people from different lands disembarking at this port.

After the formation of People’s Republic of China, the situation in southeast Asia had begun to change. With that, the position of the overseas Chinese, especially of Malaya, Indonesia and Vietnam, had also changed. Because of the political and economic pressures exerted on them, a mass return journey of the overseas Chinese had been set in motion.

The people who worked and lived near the port had become accustomed to such sights. Many people in China knew about these returnees. They had no sympathy for the returnees since they received special care from the Chinese government. Rather, they hated and envied them.

Yet, here they were to see the new lot of returnees. And this time, their faces reflected extreme surprise.

Were these the people who had been deported from India? Some looked Chinese, somewhat. But the others? Do Chinese people look like this? In China, they had never seen people wearing such strange clothes. Were they Indians?

Yes. Yes. They were. Enemies of China, Indians.

Huaqiao, huaqiao.

Gui guo huaqiao.

Many comments were heard. The returnees couldn’t understand the words, but they had no difficulty understanding the tone.

‘What are they saying?’

‘Returned overseas Chinese.’