Two Taiwanese films were nominated for the Documentary Short Film category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Oscars. To be specific, given that the two directors are Taiwanese-American, “half” of these two films are Taiwanese.
The first one is Island in Between (金門). People in Taiwan should all know about this frontline island called Kinmen. This was where the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fought each other, trying to kill one another with guns and bullets. My father fought in the 823 Artillery Bombardment. He shared many of his experiences and stories with me when I was a child. The campaign was hazardous. Many of his fellow soldiers died. He also talked about how the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army soldiers were killed one by one when trying to establish a beachhead. He hates the KMT, saying that the fortresses were so poorly built that they collapsed too soon and too easily in the bombardment.
However, over the past few years, he has been wondering why the KMT would sing along with the CCP. After all, my father and his fellow soldiers fought for Kinmen and defended the island with all their might. In doing so, they were also protecting Taiwan. Nowadays, due to his failing health, some of my father’s memories have begun fading away.
At this point, although the documentary’s title, Island in Between, refers to Kinmen, the island could also be a stand-in for Taiwan. Taiwan is quite close to autocratic, communist China in terms of geography and trade. China poses all sorts of threats to Taiwan. Beyond Taiwan is the democratic world. Taiwan itself is a democracy, and needless to say, democracy and freedom are universal values recognized by many.
Because Taiwan is a nation that cherishes these values, the majority of the world would choose to support Taiwan. Yet in Taiwan, some people would rather live in an autocracy such as China and try to drag down other Taiwanese who love democracy and freedom. Worse, some young Taiwanese have no clue that many others have paid a massive price for the freedoms we all enjoy today.
The second documentary is Nai Nai and Wai Po (Grandma & Grandma, 奶奶跟外婆). The director, Sean Wang (王湘聖) , is young, and his father and mother are from Taiwan. Sean’s father was one of my college classmates; Sean’s mother and I have had several long, in-depth conversations about child-rearing and education. Sean’s father was exceptionally outstanding and was once our class president. When I got to know him, I realized that no matter how hard I worked, I would never be able to keep pace with him.
Today, he has claimed a high status in the global technology industry. When a brilliant person like him has a child who did not excel academically as he did, it would be extremely hard for parent and child alike. They would all languish from conventional social values. I have heard many similar stories. Some of my classmates’ children just could not excel in school as their parents did, and parents and children are struggling.
Different families have their own ways of dealing with such issues and Sean’s parents coped with it wisely. They simply believed in their child, calmly and unwaveringly standing by his side. They knew that as long as their children remained honest and kind, they would eventually find their calling and contribute to society. Sean is one such child. With all the blessings his parents and their classmates could give, Sean has worked step by step from the bottom to the top. The entire process is nothing but inspiring.
Two organizations in Taiwan, Home From Above and the Program the World Association, have made a commitment to children’s education. Some children choose to learn programming, some study computer animation and some devote themselves to cinematography. One day, these young Taiwanese might make their debut on the world stage, and I would not be surprised by their achievements. I would feel immense joy for them because they are just like my own children.
This morning, I watched an online talk show and it was heart-shattering. How could some unrighteous guests be invited onto the show and say such wicked things? At the same time, the stark contrast with the nomination of these two Taiwanese-American documentaries makes me proud of Taiwanese, their kindness, confidence and strength.
In a once severely divided society, kindness and wickedness exist. We do not have much power to influence society, but we can keep upholding kindness while telling children what should be considered wicked. If we cannot speak out, we should at least stop acknowledging it. Perhaps this is the very least what ordinary people like us can do.
Alvin Su is a professor at the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Cheng Kung University and the founder of the Program the World Association.
Translated by Emma Liu
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