Colour It Green (2)
I was gravely irritated two days ago by receiving a “Combined Tax Statement For Year 2004″ from my bank, the Bank Of America. A certain person there changed my address in Taiwan by adding “China (PRC) 03000″ to it and dropped the ZIP Code for my city in Taiwan. They should make sure that Taiwan is Taiwan, and China is China. Taiwan is not under China (PRC)! Otherwise, mails intended for me in Taiwan might or most certianly will be sent to China in the first place! How alarming !
It is said that one needs to show his/her colour, meaning that at critical situation or time, one’s true charater or self must be revealled, or clearly shown. When you looked at a world map, different countries are coloured with different colours so that one can be distinguished from other. If you go to a library and look for some historical maps of Taiwan, however, you will find it coloured differently for reasons that Taiwan was invaded or occupied by different world powers at different periods. Taiwan, or Formosa, though a historical home for the Pacific/South Islands peoples, was a “No Man’s land”, for 400 some years, occupied one after the other by the Dutch, Spaniard, French, Chinese, Japanese and Chinese again lately. There was a brief time, actually only a few months, in which Taiwan declared it’s independence and was reported as “A New Republic Born in Asia” in a London news paper. In 1890s, over domination of Korea, China(Ch’ing , the Manchiu Dynasty) and Japan went to war with each other. The Manchiu China which lost the war ceded Taiwan to Japan “in perpetuity”, as the Chinese regarded then Taiwan as “a land full of calamity and infection”. The Japanese Empire which covetted Taiwan for a long time had it’s desire satisfied. The officials and people of Taiwan who learned the ill fate, declared a Republic, ” Taiwan Democratic Country” , on May 16th, 1895, with a Yellow Tiger on Blue Ground as the flag of the Republic. The people continued to resist against the invading Japanese army, even after the officials fled back to China, but finally succumbed after they managed to mortally wound the Royal Commander of the invading Imperial Expedition. Japan then developped Taiwan and ruled for 50 yaers, but as the result of WWII,which ended on August 15th, 1945, the defeated Japan gave up Taiwan, it’s surrounding islands and the Pescedores. Troop of the Nationalist Republc of China then occupied Taiwan under the Directive of the Commander of the Allied Forces in the Far East and Pacifics, General D. MacArthur. The occupation army landed Taiwan from US conveyers on October 18th, 1945. The Nationalist China was defeated by the Comminist China in May, 1949 and retreated to Taiwan since. The Nationalist China, or the Republic of China then lost it’s seat in the UN in October, 1971, replaced by the People’s Republic of China. Again, Taiwan has increasingly becoming a political non-entity unless the people here claim their own colour. The ruthless dictatorial Chinese Nationalist Party and Government which ruled Taiwan for over 50 years was defeated by a democratic Taiwanese party in 2000 presidential election and again in 2004. But the people of Taiwan are suffering under a devided identification, pro-China, or pro-Taiwan , though pro-Taiwan voice is slitely leading. The Communist China (PRC) claims itself by virtue of having replaced the earlier Nationalist China(ROC) in China, although never ruled Taiwan for a single day, claims Taiwan to be it’s indivisible part and wants to force Taiwan heed to the claim, has even placed over 700 mistles on the other side of the strait threating Taiwan. But for me, we must Colour Taiwan Green! Taiwan is Taiwan, and China is China. Taiwan can not be coloured Red!