The storm over On Taiwan
To be fair, Shi Wen-lung (
In other words, what appears to be the same colonial experience was naturally perceived differently by individuals according to their different socio-economic status and gender. Because of historical taboos, Taiwan has always lacked left-wing dis-course. The word "class," for example, has always been avoided. Shi's statements regarding comfort women reveal that he didn't have a clue that women from another class had been oppressed. Never in his life has he carefully listened to the voices of daughters from poor families. This is a blind spot in his own perception, but Shi's statements provoked an extreme reaction. When the storm was at its peak, it showed clear signs of evolving into a conflict between mainlanders and ethnic Taiwanese. This perfectly reflects the fact that Taiwan has long been a society lacking class consciousness.
Yeh Sheng-chi (葉盛吉), who was executed by firing squad in Taipei in 1950, once said, "As the problem of provincial origin [省籍] floats to the surface, the essential problem of class is obscured." Which problem is more fundamental? We are in fact accustomed to using "provincial origin" as a way of distinguishing between ourselves and others or exaggerating differences between people. After all, provincial origin is just one way of categorizing people. In fact, if we were to take a group of elderly men covering the entire spectrum from Japan-haters to Japan-lovers, divide them into groups (based upon their feelings toward Japan) and then do a statistical analysis of each group, we might be surprised to discover that the factors involved are not only the questions of whether one is "Taiwanese" or a "mainlander" or which side one supported in World War II. There are other independent variables that cross provincial boundaries, which are significant factors in determining one's feelings.
Take class as an example. Tenant farmers, landlords, merchants and the gentry each had different strategies for adapting to a change in regime, reflecting their differing status. Naturally, those in power also adopted different conciliatory measures depending on the differing degrees of interdependence and the reciprocal relationships they had with each class. Each of these factors influenced the later feelings toward Japan of the older generation.
Once it is clear that there is more than one factor influencing the feelings of the older generation, the stereotyped impressions evaporate. People thus become more tolerant and find some clues to help understand why others are different from themselves. At the same time, people overlap each other in every direction and dimension. This is a completely new way of categorizing the people of Taiwan.
To date, the discussion surrounding On Taiwan has allowed us to vaguely discern that frequently, class background, along with gender, plays a more important role than provincial origin in an individual's selective perception of historical facts -- for example, in one's understanding of the comfort women issue. If we continue to explore this issue, the factor of provincial origin will no longer be the only explanation. Nor will it again cut apart Taiwan's society at every turn.
On the other hand, in terms of cultural meaning, every person's body is a patchwork of colors. Only when we recognize clearly every brand and every scar upon our own bodies -- including those of provincial background, sex, family environment, socio-economic position, etc -- and frankly acknowledge our own limitations, can we possibly transcend our limits as individuals.
Ping Lu is a social critic and columnist.
Translated by Ethan Harkness
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations