Former European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan (EETO) director Frederic Laplanche has praised Taiwan’s tradition of rebellion in his new book, saying he believes it to be an act of freedom and democracy.
There are plenty of French historic materials showing that Taiwanese disobeyed those in power as far back as 300 years ago, Laplanche said at the Taipei International Book Exhibition on Saturday.
In the book Taiwan racontee par les Francais (Taiwan told by the French), which is also available in Chinese, Laplanche said he attempted to find out what Taiwan was like from 1630 to 1930 through accounts from French soldiers, missionaries and officials stationed there.
Photo: CNA
During this period, Taiwan was ruled by the Spanish, the Dutch, Ming Dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功, also known as Koxinga) and later his son, the Qing Dynasty, and eventually the Republic of China.
Laplanche, who was head of the EETO from 2011 to 2015, praised Taiwanese for pursuing their rights under foreign rule and the democratic system they eventually built.
Not only Taiwanese, but also people from around the world should cherish the fruits of democracy in Taiwan, he said.
However, the tradition of rebellion has sometimes led to conflicts in Taiwan, Laplanche said, adding that he hoped those tragedies would not be repeated as Taiwanese push toward a freer and more democratic future.
In the book, he said he hoped to share with local readers exchanges between the Taiwanese and French, as well as information about the more well-known Sino-French War in the 1880s and Charles le Gendre, a French-born US officer and diplomat who negotiated with indigenous people in Taiwan in the 1860s.
“Many people, including myself, had little knowledge about what French people had done in Taiwan,” he said.
It is hoped that through the French materials Laplanche had studied, readers will see a very different and globalized Taiwan from a foreign perspective, the publisher said.
Laplanche was awarded a medal from the Taiwanese government in 2015 in recognition of his efforts to promote relations between Taiwan and the EU during his tenure.
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