The Lithuanian government last month announced that it would donate 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan, at a time when the country was still in a tight spot from an outbreak of the virus.
Ignoring Beijing’s threats and objections, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis, in a pointed remark, said that “freedom-loving people should look out for each other.”
Landsbergis’ words sent me back to 2013, when I was on a group tour of the Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The visit to Lithuania, in particular, was a moving and memorable experience.
I stayed in the country for two days and spent the first day touring the capital, Vilnius.
In the city’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, my group noticed a pair of footprints set in stone on the square in front of Vilnius Cathedral.
Our local guide told us that the footprints mark the spot where the first person in the “Baltic chain” stood in 1989, when about 2 million people from the three countries joined hands to peacefully protest in opposition to Soviet Union rule.
The Taiwanese members of our group spontaneously joined hands and began to sing songs in Hoklo, commonly known as Taiwanese, such as She Is Our Treasure or Longing for the Spring Breeze. We expressed hope that one day Taiwan could gain independence, just as Lithuania had.
Next, we took in Gediminas’ Tower, where a documentary about the 1989 protest formed part of an exhibition. From the archive footage, one could see that people of all ages joined together to sing songs and express their desire for freedom. Beside the TV, photographs of the human chain were displayed in a glass cabinet. It was incredibly moving.
We also visited Vilnius University, the largest university in Lithuania. Our guide told us that it dates back to 1579, making it the oldest university of the Baltic states, and one of the oldest in eastern and central Europe. It has produced many of the country’s intellectuals and elites over the years.
The university was so successful that it was closed by order of Russian czar Nicholas I between 1832 and 1919. It was forced to close again during World War II, when Lithuania was occupied by Nazi Germany. Today, the venerable academic institution occupies an important place in Lithuania, and is a living monument to the suffering and hardship endured by its people.
Finally, we visited the Hill of Crosses in the north of the country. The first crosses were erected at the site to commemorate the dead following an unsuccessful rebellion by Lithuanians against the Russian Empire in 1831. Since then, Lithuanian Catholics have regularly made a pilgrimage to the hill to place crucifixes, statues of the Virgin Mary, carvings of Lithuanian patriots and other effigies to pray for peace, and remember those who gave their lives resisting Russia and Germany.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses, calling it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.
I remember walking along the narrow path toward the hill, our hearts bursting with reverence and sorrow for the country’s fallen heroes.
Lithuania was the first of the Baltic states to declare independence from the Soviet Union. It became a republic after several centuries of upheaval and adversity. Today, the country faces a future full of hope and optimism.
Lithuania has joined hands with an island nation thousands of kilometers away to support its struggle for freedom and democracy. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, Lithuania and Taiwan can establish even stronger bonds of friendship.
Yeh Sai-ying is a member of the Northern Society.
Translated by Edward Jones
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