Recently, some have launched a signature petition to name National Highway No. 3 the Chiang Wei-shui (
Who is Chiang? What is his position in Taiwan's history?
During the more than 50 years of Japanese colonial rule, successive anti-Japanese social movements took place in Taiwan. In 1921, Chiang united with students and social leaders and established the Taiwan Culture Association to promote cultural movements. The association later became the base of many nationalist and social movements.
The association had branch offices in almost every major city and township. Among its activities, speeches on cultural affairs were perhaps the most important. Statistics show that a total of 230,000 Taiwanese attended such speeches nationwide in 1925 and 1926. That was then 8 percent of Taiwan's population of 3 million. The association's cultural activities were like a thorn in the side of the Japanese authorities.
In 1927, the association split into factions on the left and right. The left controlled the association, and so Chiang and some other members jointly founded the Taiwan People's Party, which was the first modern political party in Taiwan's history. The party reached out to the international community and drew the world's attention to the Japanese government's opium policy and the Wushe Incident -- the 1930 Japanese massacre of Aborigines.
Chiang also formed the Taiwan Labor Alliance in 1928 to unify labor movements nationwide. He often encouraged laborers with a slogan: "Compatriots must unite; unity is power." As many as 65 labor groups and over 10,000 members joined the alliance, making it the biggest labor organization under Japanese rule. It also launched several large labor movements, and mobilized huge pressure on Japanese capitalists.
Chiang had a special characteristic: he did not demand credit for what he did. For example, although he actively pushed for the establishment of the Taiwan Culture Association, it was Lin Hsien-tang (
Unfortunately, most people have forgotten his place in history due to the "education" of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). We have also forgotten Chiang's name, as we have been schooled to think only of Sun and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正).
Since the idea to name the national highway after Chiang Wei-shui was put forward, some pro-unification figures -- including Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) -- have already signed the petition. In light of the political standoff between the pan-blue and pan-green camps, it's rare and precious that people from the both sides are willing to honor Chiang.
To be sure, when we commemorate Chiang today, it does not mean that we agree with every single one of his concepts and actions in the past. For instance, pro-independence activist Su Beng (
Since we already have a Sun Yat-sen Freeway, why can't we have a Chiang Wei-shui Freeway too? Perhaps the modest Chiang Wei-shui himself would not care about having a freeway named after him. But through this gesture, we can not only highlight his achievements, but also do justice to the nation's history.
Lee Shiao-feng is a professor in the General Education Center of Shih Hsin University.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) not a “happy camper” these days regarding Taiwan? Taiwanese have not become more “CCP friendly” in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use of spies and graft by the United Front Work Department, intimidation conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Armed Police/Coast Guard, and endless subversive political warfare measures, including cyber-attacks, economic coercion, and diplomatic isolation. The percentage of Taiwanese that prefer the status quo or prefer moving towards independence continues to rise — 76 percent as of December last year. According to National Chengchi University (NCCU) polling, the Taiwanese
It would be absurd to claim to see a silver lining behind every US President Donald Trump cloud. Those clouds are too many, too dark and too dangerous. All the same, viewed from a domestic political perspective, there is a clear emerging UK upside to Trump’s efforts at crashing the post-Cold War order. It might even get a boost from Thursday’s Washington visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In July last year, when Starmer became prime minister, the Labour Party was rigidly on the defensive about Europe. Brexit was seen as an electorally unstable issue for a party whose priority
US President Donald Trump is systematically dismantling the network of multilateral institutions, organizations and agreements that have helped prevent a third world war for more than 70 years. Yet many governments are twisting themselves into knots trying to downplay his actions, insisting that things are not as they seem and that even if they are, confronting the menace in the White House simply is not an option. Disagreement must be carefully disguised to avoid provoking his wrath. For the British political establishment, the convenient excuse is the need to preserve the UK’s “special relationship” with the US. Following their White House
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought renewed scrutiny to the Taiwan-US semiconductor relationship with his claim that Taiwan “stole” the US chip business and threats of 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made processors. For Taiwanese and industry leaders, understanding those developments in their full context is crucial while maintaining a clear vision of Taiwan’s role in the global technology ecosystem. The assertion that Taiwan “stole” the US’ semiconductor industry fundamentally misunderstands the evolution of global technology manufacturing. Over the past four decades, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has grown through legitimate means