Aug. 7 to Aug. 13
The media frenzy began as soon as Fan Liqing (范麗青) and Guo Weifeng (郭偉鋒) stepped off the plane at Taoyuan International Airport. A large group of local reporters mobbed the pair, with one even displaying his bleeding arm, injured during the pushing and shoving, insisting that they answer his questions.
“We thought it would be like Beijing or Hong Kong where we would be led to a room for a group interview,” Fan writes in her memoir, First Step in 40 Years (四十年第一步). “But it was just chaotic. We did not know whose questions to answer, so we just remained silent and smiled.”
Photo courtesy of National Central Library
One Taiwanese reporter explained that this group had obtained special permission to enter the restricted area, while there were even more reporters waiting in the main hall. They needed to conduct the interview right away to scoop their competitors. Fan and Guo obliged and started fielding questions.
The two Chinese nationals were not supposed to be the stars of the day. But they received all the attention since they were the only people in the original delegation to make the trip. It was nevertheless a historic moment, as they became the first Chinese reporters in 42 years to set foot in Taiwan.
ACCIDENTAL CELEBRITIES
Photo: CNA
Fan was chosen for her position as deputy editor for Xinhua News Agency’s Hong Kong and Taiwan division, while Guo held a similar position with the China News Service. A native of Xiamen, Fan’s hometown language was similar to Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese).
Fan stated that it was about time Taiwan allowed Chinese reporters to visit, as more than 1,700 Taiwanese reporters had already made the opposite journey since Lee Yung-teh (李永得) and Hsu Lu (徐璐) traveled to Beijing in 1987.
The pair was initially approved as accompanying reporters to a “humanitarian trip” by Chinese Red Cross officials to visit a group of Chinese fishermen who were detained in Taiwan after several disputes with their Taiwanese counterparts over fishing rights. But the officials’ entry was delayed due to a governmental dispute while Fan and Guo landed at Taoyuan Airport on Aug. 12, 1991.
Photo: CNA
“Our mission was to cover the trip, but now we’ve become the spotlight,” Fan told reporters at the airport. “This has already compromised my work.”
The madness continued throughout their stay, as Fan writes that the Taiwanese reporters even found out which hotel room she was staying at by knocking on all the doors. As they entered the Taichung Detention Center to visit the detainees, more than 100 reporters followed them in, resulting in the shattering of a photographer’s flash and almost another brawl.
It wasn’t just the reporters — even people on the street would recognize them and start speaking to them, giving them gifts and requesting photos. The driver who took them to Keelung even requested autographs for his son.
Fan soon came to respect the Taiwanese reporters, writing that she was impressed with their perseverance and fearlessness. On the last night, she and Guo sang karaoke with them until the sun came up.
It was a fruitful visit in the end, with each of them writing numerous articles not just about the fishing boat dispute, but also about life in Taiwan, ranging from tea and Chinese culture to Taiwanese hospitality and the insanity of local politics.
Both noticed how bad the traffic was and how private cars would park on the side of the narrow roads, worsening the congestion. Fan writes that the neon signage in Taipei’s East District was even more impressive than that of Hong Kong and was surprised that one read, “Opium KTV.” She found it amusing that entire families would ride on one scooter, none of them wearing helmets.
While cruising past the Presidential Office building, they noticed signs saying, “We will prevail against the Communists,” while in Taichung, Taiwan independence activists threw eggs at their car.
OBJECTIVE REPORTING?
Despite the fervor of their reporters, Taiwanese newspapers were quite skeptical about the pair’s intentions.
When the trip was approved, the state-run Central Daily News (中央日報) printed an editorial blasting China’s lack of press freedom while discussing whether Fan and Guo were sent by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“We all know the nature of the Xinhua News Agency,” the paper printed in large block letters.
The day before their arrival, the paper stated that the CCP may have subjected Fan and Guo to a “re-education program.”
“If this is true, then Fan and Guo’s trip will only serve as a political tool for the communists. Their reports will surely follow predetermined standpoints. We surely hope that the ‘re-education’ has not erased their professionalism and conscience,” the article stated.
In his welcome statement, Government Information Office director Shao Yu-ming (邵玉銘) stated, “We will give them ample freedom to report, and in turn we hope that they will accurately portray their experiences in Taiwan.”
Fan complains about the scrutiny in her book, stating that Taiwanese reporters are not repeatedly reminded to “report fairly and accurately” while they are in China.
“Is there really a standard for accurate, detailed and fair reporting?” she asks. “This created additional pressure on us, as we were worried that if [Taiwan’s media] did not like our points of view, they would deny our reports and attack our professionalism and ethics.”
The “attacks” did come. The Central Daily News printed, “The two Chinese journalists only reported the one-sided testimonies of the detainees. They have failed at journalistic objectivity.”
Fan simply responded, “Our standpoint will definitely be different from yours. Which Taiwanese paper doesn’t have their own position? And are all of them the same?”
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