There is a pernicious myth that the benevolent Chiang Ching-kuo gifted democracy to the Taiwanese shortly before his death in 1988. Here he is announcing the end of martial law to Katharine Graham of the Washington Post. A young Ma Ying-jeou is in the background.
The truth is that the Taiwanese suffered and fought for their freedom. Here are two relatives of 228 victims holding pictures of their murdered loved ones.
After 228, came the long years of white terror recently dramatized in the movie Herstory. Those who survived lived out broken lives.
Graves of executed 228 victims in Liuzhangli, Taipei. Still there like this today.
White terror execution grounds in Xindian.
The translation of a Popeye cartoon that landed historian Bo Yang in jail for ten years. The handwritten note below explains that the cartoon insinuates that Chiang Kai-shel is Popeye and SWEE PEA is Chiang Ching-kuo. The desert island is Taiwan where they are exiled.
But starting in 1979, the Taiwanese people fought back despite the constant threat of prison sentences, secret police, and black lists. Here is Huang Hsin-chieh addressing protestors at CKS Memorial Hall. Huang spent seven years in prison for his role in the Kaohsiung Incident.
A defiant woman protests the black list that the KMT used to deny Taiwanese dissidents abroad entry to Taiwan.
Nylon Cheng proclaiming that ‘Taiwanese Independence is not a crime’. This was a seditious offense that carried a minimum sentence of seven years.
Here is Huang Hua in 1991 shouting ‘Long Live Taiwanese Independence’ after his fourth conviction for sedition. Huang spent 23 years in prison.
Nylon Cheng died by self-immolation in 1989 while resisting an arrest warrant for printing a proposal for a new constitution. The arresting officer was Hou You-yi, current New Taipei mayor and possible KMT presidential candidate. This is a replica of Cheng’s charred office.
Cheng’s wife and daughter seeing their husband and father for the last time. The banner draped on his coffin says ‘Movement for a New Nation’.
Activist breaks through police lines at Chiayi train station to pay respects to those publicly executed there in 1947. Public commemoration of 2-28 was strictly prohibited until early 1990s.
1977 uprising in Zhongli after election fraud by KMT.
Peter Huang in 1970 after attempted assassination of Chiang Ching-Kuo in New York. ‘Let me stand up like a Taiwanese’.
Sunflower Movement 2014 :)
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This new CSIS translation deserves a very careful read. Among other things, it proposes recruiting retired Taiwanese civil servants, soldiers, and teachers to help cadres simulate governing Taiwan in a special 'Taiwan Governance Experimental Zone'. interpret.csis.org/translations/s…
Unlike the author of an earlier translation in this series, these authors are well-informed about Taiwan. They understand that 'unification forces' in Taiwan are weak and disorganized. They recognize that China's constant military exercises do not intimidate the Taiwanese public.
"On the basis of lessons learned from Japanese colonization, the Kuomintang’s post-war takeover, and Hong Kong’s return, it would propose the corresponding institution retention, change...and design in advance the institutions and alternative laws that require changing."
Taiwan's national archives publishes Chiang Ching-kuo's diaries 1970-1979. They are silent about democratization and depict a hardworking paranoid, insomniac dictator plagued by nighmares. He disliked democracy and family problems troubled him. udn.com/news/story/665…
His attitude toward dissidents hardened after the 1977 Zhongli Incident, which he wrote made him want to commit suicide. After the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident, he wrote that he was determined to eradicate dissidents because this was in the interests of the Party-State.
CCK's diary stops in 1979 but Chien Fu recounts that he met with CCK twice in Taipei while Chien was ambassador to the US. Both time he told CCK that the Americans wanted military law to end and democratization. Both times CCK said that this was 'inappropriate'.
Professor pasuya poiconx of National Huadong University with a wise essay cataloging multiple recent incidents of bigotry in Taiwan against Indigenous Taiwanese, Hakka, women, and disabled people. He thinks an Anti-Discrimination Act is needed. talk.ltn.com.tw/article/paper/…
Recently, students at Taichung's most prestigious high school put up posters that punned on a common derogatory epithet for Indigenous Taiwanese and sold drinks that purported to have the 'flavor of headhunting expeditions.' Unreported in English media as far as I can tell.
In response, DPP Legislators 伍麗華 Saidhai Tahovecahe (Indigenous Mountain District) and Fan Yun (DPP, at large) held a press conference calling on the Executive Yuan to draft anti-discrimination legislation. news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/…
Japanese lawmaker sheds tears as he pays respects to statue of assassinated Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in Kaohsiung. The base of statue says ‘Taiwan’s eternal friend’.
Private funds were raised for the statue, which is the first statue of a Japanese person erected in Taiwan since World War II. The white rock with red characters was donated by the Temple of Heaven in eastern Kaohsiung, which is modeled after the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
The red characters say ‘Let’s Go Taiwan’. They were laser etched on the rock using Abe’s calligraphy. Control Yuan President Chen Chu attended the opening. The background for the ceremony featured Mt. Fuji. newtalk.tw/news/view/amp/…
Paiwan chieftan Bungekaic Garuljigulj (1854-1905). His mother was from the Cilasoaq tribe and his father was Hakka. The Japanese awarded him Order of the Sacred Treasure (瑞宝章).
Another remarkable photo from the Imaginary Taiwan exhibition at the Southern Palace Museum.
The Southern Palace Museum also deserves a shout out for making its site available in Cambodian, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese as well as the usual subjects. The fusty Northern Branch in Taipei only has English, Korean, and Japanese. Bravo!
However both branches get demerits for restricting senior discount tickets to citizens only. The Southern Branch seems to think this is somewhat shameful and hide this information on the Chinese side of its site.