TO find gold, sneak by boat; one go, whole family wins gold.'' This is the axiom by which every resident of Changle County, 40 kilometres from Fuzhou, lives. Illegal immigration is an integral part of life for the county's population of 650,000. They see escaping to countries like the United States as the only path to wealth and success.
This is despite the detention and harsh punishment of hundreds of villagers apprehended and sent back since last spring.
Most of them were headed for the United States. One group of 118 who were caught after their ship, the Golden Venture, went aground off New York last summer, have been returned and are in detention until their relatives pay for their release.
This hasn't deterred others from trying.
''I still want to go if I have money,'' said Lin Fangyun (not his real name), a villager who was caught and returned in November.
For him, the United States is the Promised Land. ''Everything should be good there. At least, better than in China,'' he told the Sunday Morning Post.
''There are few prospects here, we earn only 300 yuan [HK$266] or about US$35 a month. In America, my friends tell me, we can make US$1,000 a month.'' The 21-year-old says every male in the county wants to sneak away. ''People look down on you if you haven't the heart to go abroad,'' he said. ''And no girl will like you if you don't give it a try.'' His adventure started last October after he paid a snakehead US$1,000, borrowed from a loan-shark. ''I never did meet the snakehead. I just paid the money to a middle man,'' he said.