Sculptor smooths over ethnic rifts

Sun Tien-heng (孫殿恆), a 78-year-old sculptor and veteran from the mainland became a symbol of ethnic reconciliation yesterday after he presented President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) with a bronze bust of the president.

Sun first brought the statue he had made to the Presidential Office on May 23, accompanied by his 41-year-old son Sun Chang-kun (孫昌崑).

But the two were stopped by military police and a brief scuffle ensued. Chen didn't learn of Sun and his desire to present him with a statue until reading a newspaper report the following day. Chen then invited Sun and his son to try again -- this time with the backing of the president.

"Sun has really given a great deal of thought to expressing the meaning of democracy," President Chen said yesterday morning after accepting the bust.

"What Sun has done embodies my intentions -- the end of the presidential election should be the beginning of reconciliation," the president said.

Sun has made many statues, including one of former President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and the nation's founding father Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙).

During his conversation with the president, Sun admitted that he had not voted for Chen.

"But, I believed that whoever won the election would have the country's best interests at heart," Sun said yesterday.

Sun's son said his father wanted to show the president that the expectations of the country were great and that Chen was up to the challenge -- even though many of Sun's friends and relatives were against the idea of his visiting the president.

"We want to encourage the president and my giving him this bust is a symbol to urge him to promote ethnic reconciliation," Sun said.

While meeting with Sun, President Chen said that he realized that "Taiwan's development was created by all people in Taiwan, including those from the mainland and their children.

"When all ethnic groups admire and respect each other, then our country and society will develop on the basis of harmony," said President Chen.

Chen said that he would place the statue in his study and always remember Sun and the expectations of the country.

"I am not a great man. It is not my image that deserves to be made into a statue, but that of the 23 million Taiwanese who fought for this country and rewrote history to achieve real democracy through the successful transfer of presidential power."