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Pro-independence group stages mock Chiang funeral
LAST RITES:
Supporters imitated traditional funeral rituals in 'reburying' the dictator, including a farewell 'stare,' walking around the coffin to say farewell and sealing it up
By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Apr 02, 2007, Page 3
Members of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign staged a symbolic funeral for dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) outside the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall yesterday to call for a transformation of the monument.
"Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), we're asking that you change the name of Chiang Kai-shek's temple to Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall and tear down its surrounding walls right now!" said Peter Wang (王獻極), leader of the pro-independence group.
Formal declaration
Wang founded the organization as an advocacy group for a formal declaration of independence.
After making brief opening remarks, Wang asked the crowd to look at Chiang's statue for 30 seconds.
Mocking imitation
The gesture, Wang said, is called deng bie (瞪別), or a farewell stare. The stare was performed as a mocking imitation of a traditional Taiwanese funeral ritual in which family members of the deceased watch as the body is placed into the coffin.
Ritual
After the farewell stare, the crowd walked along the outer walls of the memorial hall to imitate another tradition known as rao guan (繞棺), a ritual performed in traditional Taiwanese funerals where family members of the dead walk around the coffin to say farewell, Wang said.
As they walked, the crowd pushed on the walls and shouted: "Push down the wall of authoritarian regimes and open up space for democracy!"
The crowd made preparations to seal Chiang's "coffin" as they reached the Dazhong Gate of the memorial.
Hammering nails
Traditionally, sealing the coffin -- when family members hammer nails into the lid to seal it -- is the last part of a funeral before burial.
Wang presented a sharp metal stake with a sign that read "Site for future Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" and asked all participants to hammer it into the ground.
As he hammered, a member of the crowd shouted: "Let's seal it so the evil spirit of Chiang Kai-shek will never be able to get out again!"
The group vowed to take further action after yesterday's symbolic funeral.
"If Premier Su won't tear down the walls, we'll do it ourselves in May," Wang told the crowd after the walk around the memorial.
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