A picture book titled We Promised Not to Cry (說好不要哭), based on the story of White Terror victim Chin Him-san (陳欽生), helps children understand the history of Taiwan’s democratization.
The book’s author, Wu Yi-chen (吳易蓁), said that Chin was of Malaysian descent and studied at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan in 1967.
Chin told him that he planned to study at the University of Liverpool afterward, but was arrested in 1971, because the then-Taiwan Garrison Command wrongfully accused him of being involved in the bombing of the US Information Service in the city, Wu said.
Photo courtesy of Star & Moon House, Taiwan Interminds Publishing
An investigation cleared Chin of any involvement in the bombing, but the command accused him of participating in communist events and sentenced him to 12 years in prison, which he spent on Green Island, Wu said.
Chin tried to commit suicide three times, because he had been tortured by garrison officials, and said he only starting thinking more positively when working at the library, kitchen and other locations, Wu said.
When Chin’s mother came to Taiwan to visit him, she had to ask around before learning that he was imprisoned on Green Island, Wu said.
Chin told Wu that her visit was an emotional moment, but he had to force himself not to cry and promised his mother that he would “live to return.”
“Time was short and crying would use what little time was left for talking,” Chin said.
In 1981, Chin was moved to then-Taipei County’s Tucheng District (土城) for “re-education” where he met his future father-in-law, Wu said.
Chin told Wu that he returned to Malaysia with his wife in 1988, one year after martial law was lifted, adding: “It took me 20 years to come home.”
Illustrator Hsieh Pi-hui (謝壁卉) said she drew Chin as a dolphin trapped in a cage near an island after a big fire, which caused it to be separated from its mother.
Incidents during the White Terror era were suggested in the background or other characters, she said.
The White Terror era refers to a period that began in 1947, when the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government declared martial law, which was not lifted until 1987, resulting in thousands of deaths.
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