Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) was attacked over her remark that school and work could “continue as usual” in the event of a war. The real issue with Miao’s statement was not her tone, but the reality — does the outbreak of war bring society to a complete halt? Observing history and contemporary events, the answer is quite clear — it does not.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both countries’ societies have continued to function. Ukrainian society has continued to run under extreme conditions — classes have not been suspended and the civil service continues to operate. As long as the government continues to work, schools go on to have classes and businesses remain open, the nation stays alive.
Let us look to the Republic of China during the Chinese Civil War. At the time, my father-in-law was a student who fled from China’s Shandong Province. Together with hundreds of secondary-school students from seven schools, he retreated to Penghu under the leadership of school principal Chang Min-chih (張敏之).
Penghu Corps Command chief Li Chen-ching (李振清) intended to conscript the students and prevent them from continuing their studies. Chang argued with him, insisting that the students be permitted to keep attending school. For this, Chang was falsely accused of being a communist spy and was executed — an event known as the 713 Penghu Incident (七一三澎湖事件).
My father-in-law was not allowed to leave Penghu for Taiwan to resume his education until he was almost 30 years old, later becoming an elementary-school teacher. This painful lesson demonstrates that education did not cease during wartime — rather, it had to be defended to the death.
What is deserving scrutiny are claims that war would cause everything to collapse. This is not just pessimism — it is psychological warfare. If people are led to believe that fighting is useless and defending is pointless, society would give up. Such narratives weaken the will to fight back and allow fear to take the place of reason.
Modern warfare is no longer about indiscriminate, complete destruction. Under localized attacks, systems such as administration, healthcare, energy and education must all maintain a minimum level of operation. The ability to maintain order determines a nation’s resilience. War is not justification, but a test.
The key point of debate should not be whether Miao said anything wrong, but whether we are prepared to face reality. What is truly dangerous is not someone reminding us that society must keep functioning during war, but those who want us to believe that everything should come to a halt once war breaks out.
Shen Yan is a political commentator.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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