A fisherman who fell overboard from his own fishing vessel in 2011 was 'rescued' by another crew and turned into a slave for three years, it emerged on Wednesday as the man finally returned home.
41-year-old Sue Zhenglong fell from his boat after setting off from Lianyungang, Jiangsu province three years ago, and after being stranded in the ocean began fearing for his life.
"I thought at first that my colleagues would see me but they didn't," he said. "I watched the boat and its lights disappear and then I was alone.
"It was cold and dark and there was absolutely nothing in sight, and after 12 hours I was convinced I was going to die."
Luckily, the next morning Sue spotted another vessel coming towards him, and managed to attract the crew's attention by shouting and waving his hands.
After being rescued, however, the fisherman found the crew quickly turn on him, with the captain demanding money for saving Sue.
When he replied that he had no money, the captain told Sue: "Then you will work off your debt to me."
For three years he was kept as a slave, locked up in one of the ship's cabins and given only scraps to eat.
Although the men kept a watchful eye over Sue initially, he believes they thought they had crushed his spirit and stopped expecting him to attempt escape.
"They used to watch me like a hawk every time we were near the shore, but I think they got complacent and thought they had just broken my will to escape.
"I stopped asking about when I might be free or if the was any news of my wife. I knew it was a risk but I didn't care whether I lived or died, I wanted either as a free man."
Sue made his bid for freedom last week, when he dived into the ocean while the ship's nets were cast some six hours out of port.
After finally making it to shore, he collapsed on a breakwater in a state of dehydration and exhaustion. Two hikers managed to spot him and raised the alarm, allowing Sue to be rushed to hospital where he was pronounced fit within 24 hours.
[Screenshot from footage of Sue collapsed on a breakwater following his escape]
Here, he was finally able to phone his wife Ding, who rushed to hospital to be reunited with her husband. She had lost so much hope in seeing Sue again that she even held a funeral for him during his time as a slave.
Recalling his time on the boat, Sue said the thing that mattered most to him was his family: "I had to do everything they told me to do. The only thing I asked in return was that they inform my family I was still alive - I begged them.
"I lost all track of time. I had no mobile phone. Sometimes I was locked aboard the boat for two weeks at a time, all alone.
"Only the sound of firecrackers on the shore told me the time as I could guess that, for example, the spring festival was underway."
Authorities have launched an investigation into Sue's captors, with the only clue so far being that they carry southern Chinese accents.
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