The saga of a CCP underground operator became one of the most attractive topics. The code name of this underground operator was Carpenter. Indeed he had his carpenter apprenticeship. He was the master of the original figure of the hero in the movie The Eternal Wave. However, for all these years, his story has been obliterated behind the songs of triumph and unknown to this world. He was Tu Zuochao being called as the Magical Craftsman in Secrets.

Interviewee Mr. Hao Zaijin, author of Secret War in China:

The figure of Tu Zuochao can be said to be a very special man in the CCP secret service. Firstly the trade of his work. His work was not directly related to intelligence though, deemed a must in the intelligence operation. He was unique. What was his work? It is called radio engineering. That is, the assembly, adjustment and maintenance of the radio communications equipments, etc. Or radio engineering.

How Tu Zuochao, originally as a carpenter apprentice, had become an absolutely needed top class radio expert in the CCP Secret Service? What was his connection with the earliest CCP intelligence communication?

Screen illustration: A replica of Tu Zuochao’s invention—the disguised receiver. (Note by the translator and curator of Tu Zuochao Exhibition： What is on the screen is a 1:1 high-fidelity replica of the 100-Watt transmitter made by Tu Zuochao in Xi’an in December, 1936. This translator and curator had found 3 photos of this transmitter from 2006 to 2013)

Hao Zaijin: The earliest intelligence communication was in the following ways. One was going through the post office system. The post office controlled by the Kuomintang or KMT. Sent a letter in secret writing. But this was risky. Because the KMT secret agents had planted their mail examiners in the post office system. It was called postal scrutiny. Your secret writing sometimes would be detected. So later on a manual communication was worked out. That is, the messenger carried the intelligence secretly written and delivered to the destination. This was proven safer than through the postal system. But there came another problem, that is, it would take a long time for a round trip.