‘Ferryman of the souls’: the man who helps Taiwan’s dead return home to China

Liu De-wen carrying an urn in his backpack. ‘I am bringing you back home to Fujian as you wished. Stay close.’ Photograph: Helen Davidson/The Guardian

In the leafy back blocks of a military cemetery in northern Taiwan, Liu De-wen strides through a room holding rows and rows of shelves. He stops and stoops to the lowest row, opening a small, ornate gold door. He pulls out an urn, bundles it into his lap, and hugs it.

“Grandpa Lin, follow me closely,” Liu says. “I am bringing you back home to Fujian as you wished. Stay close.”