A proposal by National Taiwan University’s (NTU) student council to name a plaza on campus after late NTU alumnus and democracy activist Chen Wen-chen (陳文成) can now be considered, after a school affairs meeting yesterday unanimously approved a principle on naming public spaces within the university.
The plaza is between the university’s Graduate Institute of Library and Information Science and the first student activity center.
Chen, who graduated from the university’s department of mathematics, studied in the US and became an assistant professor in Carnegie Mellon University’s department of statistics.
A supporter of Taiwan’s democracy movement, he was found dead on an NTU lawn on July 2, 1981, after he was questioned by the then-Taiwan Garrison Command one day after returning to the nation to visit his family.
At the time, the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government said Chen had committed suicide. However, an autopsy performed by a US forensics expert disputed this conclusion. The cause of Chen’s death remains unknown, though many allege that his death was a consequence of political oppression.
In June this year, NTU student council leader Lee Hsin-wen (李心文) said at a school affairs meeting that “Chen was politically oppressed” and that his body being found on campus was a tragedy of an autocratic era, adding that the transition to democracy called for a reflection on the past.
The naming of the plaza after “the man who fought for Taiwan’s democracy and was sacrificed by political oppression” would help the university’s students and faculty understand NTU history, as well as strengthen democracy and the implementation of transitional justice, Lee said.
Lee’s proposal was supported by most students and faculty members, but NTU Dean Yang Pan-chih (楊泮池) said in June that the naming of public spaces should have more guideline rules to avoid school affair councils being burdened with all naming issues.
The principle passed yesterday says that the naming of all open spaces should take into consideration aspects such as historical commemoration; names from nature, humanities or a particular landscape; the characteristics of the location; and the spirit behind the location’s original design.
In terms of the principle, no plaque would be erected bearing the name of a location, but if specific historical significance of a location must be made known to visitors by putting up a plaque, it must not stand out too much from the surrounding scenery.
Yang said the naming of the plaza should follow the principle guidelines.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or