A World-renowned Artist and the World-notorious King of Drug

--------This is a real personal experience, not a fiction or its like.

Zhang, Xiang Fu, as a young but world famous artist with quite a lot of accomplishments, came, for sketching and painting, yet by accident, to the very depth of the Golden Triangle, a base both for planting opium poppies and processing heroine of different grades, and the nerve center of the world-famous drug network from where drugs will be smuggled out and sold to every part of the world, after he and his company had gone through all different hardships and difficulties. He had almost lost his life when he was rescued By Kun-sha, the king of drug. Zhang was arranged to live in a school for background check and security ????uation. He was treated as a distinguished guest when Kun-sha found out Zhang is a pure artist instead of an agent from UN or United States. He was appointed as a high-ranking official and won the respect and trust of officers and officials in that drug kingdom. The more top-secret information he got access to know in the military, economic and political fields, the more dangerous he felt. The longer he stayed in that place, the more he wanted to return to his homeland. Finally, under his repeated requests and Kun-sha’s approval, he was sent back to China like a package of drug. Even today, when asked about his experience of 123 days with Kun-sha, Zhang cannot determine whether it’s a dream or a reality. He still feels a shock-wave going down his spinal cord when he recalls what an officer told him:” only one out of ten who come to this part of the world could survive and few will return alive…”

In the evening of Oct. 20th, 1992, CCTV in China put in the air a spectacular event, National Golden Goose Competition in the Arts of Chinese Calligraphy and Paintings, on which more than 50,000 pieces of arts from more than 15 countries and regions were exhibited. Even though this grand meeting was co-sponsored with many foreign and domestic media at national, provincial and municipal levels, including but not limited to China Association of Calligraphy and Paintings, Chinese People’s Daily Overseas, Japanese Painting Arts Society, Canadian TV etc., it was independently financed by a young but a very promising artist, Mr. Zhang, Xiang Fu, who was born in Wuxi, a medium-sized city not far from Shanghai. Mr.Zhang was applauded by so many famous artists from all over the world and his name became banner of arts ever since.

On Oct. 21st, 1992, he flew to Kunming, a beautiful city in the Southern part of China, where he joined with one of his best friends Mr. Zhao, Hai Yi, an artist too, and his wife, Ruan, Xiao Ping. They three went to Xishuangbanna, an extremely beautiful place known for its natural landscape in mountains, waterfalls and wild life, for sightseeing, painting and sketching. Xishuangbanna is not far from the border between China and Thailand and also pretty close to the border between China and Myanmar(Burma). This is the world-famous place by the name of Gold Triangle, where opium poppy is planted, opium and heroin are processed and smuggled out and then sold to every corner of the world.

While they were in the deep mountains Mr. Zhao got an emergency call from his company and he had to go back to Kunming, with his wife so astonished by the natural beauty and peace that she was reluctant to leave and wanted to stay a few days more with Mr. Zhang, to explore the unspeakable charm, beauty and grotesque of the primitive nature.

A strange and dangerous story starts right from here…

They were trapped in a free but an illegal journey (without legal documents) to Myanmar (Burma). [China at that time was not so open to the outside world yet and the passports for personal interests was not so easily granted by the Government at that time.

After they experienced all hardships and difficulties, having escaped the capture for enlist in the bandits army and been rescued from a wet, small and rugged detention hole, passed so many checkpoints and sometimes gone through narrow, precipitous, zigzagging and sometimes slippery mountainous roads, from Musai to Lashio, then to Maydalay, to Taunggyi and then to Leigu, all of a sudden, they found out they were led to the heartland of the World-famous Golden Triangle area, where lives a man by a Burmese name of Kun-sha, with his Chinese name as Zhang, Qi Fu, for his head , his arrest or his extradition many countries including United States still put millions of dollars out there even today!

Kun-sha was the king in the kingdom of drug in the whole world. He got more than 25,000 troops at that time. He claimed that he was fighting for his own people, Shan, which is a minority in Burma and is still under the rule of Myanmar government today after Kun-sha surrendered, together with all his troops, to the Burmese government in January, 1996.

Once when challenged by the Western journalists why he does the business of opium and heroine, which are detrimental the health of human being and cause so much violence, killing and other crime everyday in every part of the world, he replied in a cunning but philosophical way:” There is always a dilemma when you have a legitimate objective, my objective is to free our own people from the ruling of others, but I have to accomplish this through a means, my means is to resort to drug, which may or may not kill people, or very slowly if it does, just like the case of America, Americans know that the nuclear weapons kill people, kill way more and way quicker, but still they develop and keep so many of them, for their claimed legitimate objective of protecting its own people and maintaining the world stability.”

Mr. Zhang were brought before Kun-sha, after Zhang’s painting had been presented by his subordinate, General Luo, to the king of drug, who looks gentle, well-educated, quite contrary to the image Zhang had had before, and most importantly Kun-sha is a virtuoso in arts even though he was leading his troops in fighting everyday with both Burmese and Thai government troops in the deep mountains and age-old forests.

Kun-sha respects all those who are talented, especially those in the field of arts, history and poetry. He appointed Zhang to be his Minister of Culture after he found out Zhang is a world-famous artist in painting. During the early days in Kun-sha’s place, Zhang was arranged to live and work at Hongbang Advanced School, where Kun-sha put kids of his high-ranking officers and soldiers who rendered meritorious service to his troop for military training. When their training finished, these people become low-ranking officers in his troops. Here everyone has to obey orders from his training officers or his teachers. To strengthen the discipline of this military school, Kun-sha ordered the head of one of the trainees who had disobeyed orders be cut off in front of other trainees. The headless corpse, according to many who witnessed the ????ution, still went forward till the spurting blood dwindled to oozing.

A young, pretty and well-educated Thai girl, whose father is General Luo, is one of the teachers at Hongbang Advanced School. She was attracted so much by Zhang’s charming personality, talent and also his gentleman deeds. She wept very sadly when Zhang politely denied her offer of intimate relationship by telling her that he has married to a graceful and lovable girl and they had a son and they were waiting for his return. Ever since that, she always stood in the back and watched Zhang with deep love and adoration when he was in the center of public attention.

Later Zhang was invited to live with Xiao Chen, who was the bodyguard, personal doctor and secretary for confidential information. Xiao Chen’s room door is only two
meters away from Kun-sha’s. As the nerve center of the world net of drug, it gave orders for every important move regarding the military campaign, battle, business with outside world and anti-espionage activities. As a distinguished guest, Zhang was trusted with a highest respect and privilege. Xiao Chen showed him places and documents with top confidentiality and told him long, interesting and complicated stories about Kun-sha’s past experience. Zhang, for his special identity, got access to many things which could cost his life to know if otherwise, in all the aspects this drug kingdom, from military to economic, to business and political involvements.

Zhang was one of the key persons, entrusted by Kun-sha, in charge of organizing and coordinating for the birthday parties both for Kun-sha’s adopting mother and Kun-sha himself. One day, Zhang was asked to draft a Statement of Surrender to the Burmese Government and Its Preconditions, after Zhang had private talks with Kun-sha several times about the world situation, the local uprisings and clashes between and among different areas. Kun-sha kept that top-secret document away from everybody, including Xiao Chen.

After 123 days in the Golden Triangle, Zhang finally got Kun-sha’s permission to return to China. Zhang was sent back to China one secret station to anther, like a package of opium or heroine. Each secret station was only in charge of the distance from that station to the next. Kun-sha gave an order:” I cut your head if you cause a problem with the safety of Mr. Zhang, he is my distinguished guest.”

When Zhang arrived at the airport in Southern China, his wife and son stared at him for quite a while before they jumped and cried happily for his coming back alive…

In Jan. 1996, Kun-sha surrendered to the Burmese government. Now he is said living somewhere in Yangon. When asked for his extradition, Burmese government turned down American government politely but firmly:” We know how to handle this guy.”

One Kun-sha is gone into the history; many other Kun-shas are still there in the Golden Triangle. Every year, people still see the white, purple and red opium poppy dancing in the gentle wind. Another generation of militant strong men are still fighting for the domination of that business, which was started by British people in the early days of 1800s.

The bad is the back of the good. They are twins ever since the days of Jesus Christ. The ending of one thing is the beginning of another thing. It never ends. It’s like darkness and brightness. They have to co-exist and they will never go without each other…