Su Beng's 2011 US visit: July 29-31 in Houston, TX

This weekend, July 29-31, Su Beng will be in Houston, Texas for the Taiwanese American Association Summer Conference- South.

On August 7th Su Beng will be in San Jose and speaking at the Taiwanese American Center at 2:00 pm. There will be a dinner held for him at the Dynasty Seafood Restaurant at 7:00 pm. Click here for full details.

Then, on August 14th Su Beng will be at the Taiwan Center in Rosemead, CA from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm. The event will be an up close and personal town-hall style meeting/discussion with Su Beng. Click here for full details.

Somewhere in the midst of all this Su Beng will be stopping by in Seattle as well!

July 22: Su Beng @ Sullivan Hall, NYC

Finally, after this whirlwind of weekend events, and returning from a weekend in the DC area with Su Beng late on Monday, I've found some time to post a few photos from the Revolutionary in New York event that I hosted on Friday, July 22, 2011. I will write up a post with my thoughts on the event soon, but first here are some photos that captured the event.

Special thanks to Lisa Tan who shot these photos with my camera during the event.

Su Beng was the first to arrive of course!
Copies of the English version of Su Beng's book, Taiwan's 400 Year History, were available for sale. The book is self-published and therefore not that readily available.
Sneaking a bite to eat before all the event goes into full swing.
People are slowly getting seated.
It was a full house.
Anticipation is mounting.
Where is the translator?! I'm frantically trying to look up his cell number here.
Quick change in plans. Talking to the stand in translator.
Ed Lin, emcee of the night starts off the event.
Finally the main event has started with my opening remarks.
Reading an excerpt from The Conscience of Taiwan.
The translator, Professor Ching Lee has arrived.
My opening questions for Su Beng.


The autograph line during intermission.
Grinning and bearing it through the heat during the intermission with Victoria Linchong, filmmaker of the documentary Almost Home: Taiwan
The second part of the event: Audience Q&A with Su Beng is about to get started.
It was so hot in that I was trying to fan myself and Su Beng.

Some people submitted their questions for Su Beng using Vibe, the iPhone app.
Victoria Linchong introduces her film Almost Home: Taiwan.


With Su Beng and Professor Ching Lee, the event translator.

In this photo: a volunteer from the event, two members of Su Beng's team- who are from Taiwan and are traveling with him around the US, Su Beng, and Mrs. Kang- who was hosting Su Beng in New Jersey

Su Beng's 2011 US visit: August 7 in San Jose, CA

Sunday, August 7, 2011, 2:00 pm & 6:00 pm

2:00 pm (speech given by Su Beng in Taiwanese)
Taiwanese American Center
4413 Fortran Court
San Jose, CA 95134
(Free! Just show up!)

6:00 pm (dinner gathering with Su Beng)
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
1001 Story Rd
San Jose, CA 95122
($30/person *Please RSVP by 8/1)

Reflections on Su Beng's July 17 appearance @ Harvard organized by FAPA-YPG, MA

Article and photos by Chia-Chun Chung
July 20, 2011





The second public event for Su Beng in Boston, organized by the local FAPA-YPG, took place on Sunday, July 17 at Harvard University. The gathering was attended by students, young professionals, and local members of the community, making it truly a cross-generational meeting of the minds.

Su Beng spoke about how his experiences in Japan and China shaped his own identity and prompted him to embark on the long, and sometimes lonely, fight for Taiwan's independence. As one attendee later put it, ironically, “Su Beng found Taiwan in China.” Su Beng shared his interpretation of Taiwanese Nationalism: Taiwan and its citizens have evolved together through history, and developed their own culture along with collective economic and political interests. He has written about and frequently discussed this concept for decades. Su Beng believes that this self-awareness, understanding and acceptance of Taiwanese Nationalism will lead to Taiwan’s independence, given that Taiwanese people unite and stand firm to safeguard Taiwan’s interests.

During the Q&A sessions, several interesting questions prompted equally dynamic answers from Su Beng. When asked what he would say to President Ma, a former student at Harvard many years ago, Su Beng responded, “Ma should really explain his relationship with China.” Su Beng, 92, called Ma’s recent self-declaration on facebook, “I am a descendant of the Yellow Emperor in blood and I identify with Taiwan in terms of my identity. I fight for Taiwan and I am Taiwanese,” totally archaic, and said that the concept of lineage only befits a feudal system and is of no relevance in multicultural modern Taiwan.

Su Beng’s staunch belief in Marxism prompted a lively exchange. One attendee questioned how Su Beng could continue to call himself a Marxist after witnessing the brutal acts by the Chinese Communist Party firsthand. Another in the audience asked Su Beng whether he wants to see Taiwan eventually become a Marxist society. Before the questions could get completely translated for Su Beng, others in the audience jumped in with their thoughts. The discussion was cut short and resumed after the event and through dinner. In the end, those involved all agreed that the differences in opinion arose mainly from different interpretations of “Su Beng’s Marxism.” It seemed that Su Beng holds the theoretical view of Marxism very close to his heart, but at the same time he disapproves of the dictatorships that have historically grown out of Marxist beliefs.

Although I did not partake in this particular discussion, just sitting next to Su Beng at the time gave me much to think about. He sat, calm and composed, took everything in, and then insisted on clarifying his take on Marxism in his own deliberate, logical, matter-of-fact way. I watched and wondered how many times had he faced similar questions and even sharper criticism on his ideology before. It is almost certain that the “Marxist” label would not go far in winning friends in today’s world, let alone in Taiwan a few decades ago. Su Beng, however, held firmly to his convictions through the years and never gave them up. In his frail, slouching figure, I saw a quiet resolve that must also have been the driving force behind his decades of tireless toiling to free Taiwan from what he calls “a colonial regime.” Perhaps that inner strength is best embodied at the end of his speech, when he proclaimed, with full passion and confidence, that “Taiwan WILL BE INDEPENDENT!”


Chia-Chun Chung is the Chapter President of FAPA-MA

July 20: Su Beng @ NY Taiwan Center

As soon as Su Beng arrived, this reporter began interviewing Su Beng in Japanese




He was also asked to sign books.



The event was well attended.



The discussion got a bit heated toward the end. There was a great deal of debate about Taiwan independence and nation building for Taiwan.

Su Beng's 2011 US visit: July 20, NY Taiwan Center

Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm

New York Taiwan Center
137-44 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, New York 11354

Tonight Su Beng will be appearing at the New York Taiwan Center and I'll be there! Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it out to New Jersey earlier this week to meet with him. I will be in D.C. this weekend for the gathering that FAPA-YPG-Washington D.C. has planned for him on Sunday, July 24th. And then he's off to Houtson to attend the TAA-South Summer Camp (Houston, TX) from July 29 - July 31, and back to San Jose and Los Angeles, before returning to Taiwan.

Su Beng's 2011 US visit: July 23 in Washington D.C.

Saturday, July 23, 2011, 4:30pm
Sponsored by TAA- Washington D.C.

Here are the details regarding a gathering that TAA of Washington, D.C. has planned for Su Beng on Saturday:

各位鄉親,很高興有這次機會, 史明能來華府和我們相聚, 請勿錯失良機.
主題: 台灣前途漫談

主講: 史明 (台灣四百年史的作者)

時間：4:30 PM, 7月23日(星期六)
地點：Taiwanese Presbyterian Church of Washington (3211 Paul Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902)
史明, 是台灣四百年史的作者, 是一位終身為台灣打拼奮鬥的歐吉桑。他由日本返台灣近二十年後, 這是第一次重返美國與同鄉及學生見面。現年93年歲的史明對台灣前途依舊樂觀, 並為其理想全力以赴。相信 大家都真歡喜有這個機會再與他見面, 了解他的近況, 給這位歐吉桑加油打氣, 並與他共同討論對台灣的理想。
如需要詳情請向我, 黃興貫 (240.205.5568), 或王巧蓉 (240.210.0436) 連絡. 謝謝.
_______________________________________________________
以下是史明的生平簡介:
史明（1918年11月9日－）, 本名施朝暉, 左派台灣獨立運動的重要領袖之一、「獨立台灣會」的創始人、截至目前為止規模最大的台灣通史著作《台灣人四百年史》的作者

除了上述的政治運動以外, 史明也花了相當精力在台灣史的資料收集和撰寫上, 他前後用了十年的時間, 以日文寫成《台灣人四百年史》(東京：音羽書房 1962)一書, 是站在台灣人立場所撰寫的第一部台灣通史著作。這本屬於台獨陣營的台灣史鉅著後來以中文出版了《台灣人四百年史》(San Jose, Calif.：蓬島文化公司 1980)一書, 並在1986年以英語出版了屬於節錄版的《Taiwan's 400 Year History: The Origins and Continuing Development of the Taiwanese Society and People》(Washington, D.C.：Taiwanese Cultural Grassroots Association)一書。史明最重要的史觀, 在於強調應該以台灣人勞苦大眾的立場, 來觀察台灣社會各個階段的形成發展。也就是說他雖然排斥中共, 卻從未放棄過馬克思主義的信仰。
為了這本書的寫作, 史明跑遍了日本國會圖書館以及東京都立日比谷圖書館蒐集和台灣有關的史料, 在該書(日文版)的前言裡, 他這樣表示：「我們台灣人 對於自己所賴以生存的社會發展史頗疏於認識, 可以說, 幾乎完全不知道。……因為這樣缺乏對台灣歷史發展的認識, 所以我們台灣人當中的一部份人(特別是知識份子)的台灣人意識, 必然的帶有濃厚的脆弱性。」而類此的缺點造成台灣「無法擺脫四百年來的外來殖民統治」。
史明把二二八事件當做是台灣人獨立意志的表達, 視台灣史與長期殖民統治為一回事, 所以和獨立的追求有密不可分的關聯性。他這本《台灣人四百年史》的地下版本於1980年代末期引進台灣後, 對二二八以後出生之年輕一代「台灣意識」的覺醒, 有著相當程度的貢獻。
[编辑] 1990年代的返鄉

在台灣民主化以後, 被稱之為「最後一個黑名單」的史明, 也於1993年回到故鄉, 他一面發展組織, 成立「台北愛鄉會」、「高雄愛鄉會」等基層組織, 另一方面也風塵僕僕地繼續推展「獨立台灣會」的政治理念和鬥爭路線, 將獨立台灣會轉回島內。
1994年2月1日獨立台灣會台北總部正式成立, 1995年7月31日獨立台灣會於台中設立聯絡處, 1995年3月29日「獨立台灣會」台北宣傳車隊正式成軍, 每週六、日下午利用打鼓車隊宣揚台灣獨立和台灣民族主義, 持續至今從未間斷。並於1996年至1999年設立台灣大眾地下廣播電台。
史明除以台灣大眾電台作為宣傳工具外, 並且多次舉辦營隊推廣台灣獨立革命意識, 在2005年3月中國片面通過反分裂法之後, 活動更為積極, 除與台大學生於台大校門口發起長達十四天之靜坐活動表示抗議之外, 並且於江丙坤與連戰出訪中國時主張以更為激進之方式進行抗爭, 而得到正反不一的評價。
史明並且提出兩條道路的台灣獨立路線以及台灣獨立運動的工作方向, 即「體制外革命路線」與「體制內改革路線」, 表示「體制外革命路線與體制內改革路 線是獨立運動的一體兩面」, 台灣獨立運動的「二個工作方向」, 分為島內的改革與革命的「島內工作」與國際關係上與美日結盟的「國際工作」, 以實現台灣的 「完全獨立」。並且表示自己「一心一意為台灣, 老老實實做獨立, 一切行動對歷史交代。」此外, 史明從不願意承認中華民國在台灣的統治權, 他至今只有一次使 用過中華民國身分證投票, 那是在2004年的中華民國總統大選時投給了陳水扁。
2007年12月16日, 史明抱病蒞臨台灣團結聯盟立法委員參選人林志嘉競選總部成立大會。
他在91高齢, 於2009年4月22日, 還帶領著「台灣獨立宣傳車隊」, 與「公投護台灣聯盟」蔡丁貴所舉辦的“不爽, 出來行”的活動, 由恆春行腳到台北。隨即參加五一七大遊行活動。
===============================
黃興貫敬上
華府臺灣同鄉會 2011年會長
Sam Huang, President, 2011 TAAGWC
(301) 279-2132 (H)
taa2011ssh@gmail.com

Su Beng, Taiwan's Spark for National Awakening

Article and photo by Howard G. Fass
July 19, 2011



Last weekend Su Beng visited the Boston area and spent time with various Boston area Taiwanese groups and individuals.

In particular, he spent time discussing Taiwan's need for national identity, Taiwan's history, politics and his own life's experiences. It was a rare opportunity to listen to a man who was an actual living piece of history and had jumped right into the thick of things on his own and got involved. Rather then just being a talker, he was and is a doer as well. This 92-year old Taiwanese revolutionary has lived quite the romantic and fascinating life full of intrigue, conflict and vibrancy... much like Taiwan itself in many ways.

At one point he was a communist spy working for the CCP in China against the Japanese (as he felt then that Japan was trying to conquer all of Asia), later he saw the horrors of the CCP first-hand and quickly left China to return back to Taiwan, at another point he plotted to actually assassinate Chiang Kai-Shek because of all the horrors the KMT was visiting upon the Taiwanese people in their homeland. Later he fled to Japan and only returned back to Taiwan in the 1990's.

Listening to him speak was an emotional roller-coaster ride for me personally full of conflict as he is still a committed Marxist in his ideology. I did rather sharply try to challenge him on this ideology and its long sad history. Slowly, however, I came to discover that beyond the simple label "Marxist" he is quite the humanitarian and a staunch defender of human rights and liberty. To Su Beng's good credit he believes that the grave mistakes of Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot and others do not necessarily diminish the original good ideals that Marx had to offer.

How can all this possibly fit? I'm not certain, but maybe one explanation works like this: Perhaps back when he was younger he fell in love with the unobtainable utopian text book ideals of Marxism and this beautiful dream for him left its mark on his heart and somehow motivated and activated him to seek to do good in the face of oppression. His was a time of extreme violence in a world inflamed by war and oppression by foreign domination in Taiwan so real, that violence and murder were constant daily events. In this context, it is possible that it may be very challenging for us today to look back and understand exactly with proper clarity...

Kennedy once said: "If you make peaceful change impossible, you make violent revolution inevitable."

Whether one agrees or not with everything Su Beng says or did in his long colorful life; one thing is crystal clear and that is his consistent strong love for a free and independent Taiwan. For him, and on this point I heartily agree, Taiwanese can have no peace and freedom so long as they are ruled by anyone else. Maybe in this murky world, such as it is, this is a pretty good starting point and maybe the most important one after all so long as it is done with a good heart and compassion. The differences and fine points, maybe just that...

In closing it was an amazing time spent with an old guard of Taiwan's resistance to domination and foreign control. He is an amazingly honest, direct individual who will challenge you and often say what you may not like to hear, but in the end you never doubt that he is real, sincere and full of compassion for the building of the Nation of Taiwan. This quality alone is truly stellar and is much needed in a Taiwan that may feel more apathetic and fail to see the dangers that are poised to destroy them once again from the likes of a new KMT and CCP banded together to deny Taiwanese their rights to freedom, liberty and the independent nation-state they so richly deserve.

Thanks for reading and get to learn more about this interesting Taiwanese historical figure and judge for yourself. He is a published author of a mammoth book which details Taiwan's last 400-years of history. He is a character unlike any other I have ever met; part revolutionary, part dreamer, part romantic idealist but all 100% heart and soul for Taiwan.

----

Disclaimer: My purpose for writing this piece here about Su Beng is to support Taiwan's right for full and complete nationhood and independence. While I admire and like many aspects of Su Beng and respect him, I do not support Marxism.


www.thesnowlion.com

July 16, 2011: Su Beng @ The Lexington Depot

Photo credit: Michael Steinberg (from: www.lexington.patch.com)

How apropos that the event organized by TAA/FAPA/NATWA of Boston, MA was held at the Lexington Depot, which is operated by the Lexington Historical Society.

See what a warm reception that Su Beng received upon his arrival:



The event began with some projected images and videos of Su Beng:









The main organizer of the event, CY Wang had asked me in advance if I would like to introduce myself and to say a few words about my work on Su Beng's biography. So I had prepared a few thoughts. And on that day, though we had never met before, Mr. Wang gave me a very warm introduction acknowledging all of the time and hard work and that I've spent on documenting Su Beng's life. It was really the first time that anyone has so publicly expressed their appreciation for what I'm doing and it was such a great feeling to be given recognition like this. It warmed my heart and I felt so welcomed that I was able to deliver my little "speech" entirely in Taiwanese! I surprised myself even- that I was actually able to do this!

One thing that I shared with the audience is how I had not initially set out to write Su Beng's biography. In fact, when I initially approached Su Beng, I had asked him if I could simply interview him in order to write a fictional story (about Taiwan) inspired by his life experiences. His answer to this was simply, "Yes, ok, if it's for the good of Taiwan." To me it was pretty amazing that he would agree to talk to me and give his time to me, if he believed that I was doing something for the good of Taiwan. I was "a nobody", i.e. I wasn't an established writer or anyone of influence. Now, there's certainly more that I could say about Su Beng and the time I've spent interviewing him and working with him on his biography, but I think I'll save that for the epilogue.

Su Beng talked about his decision to go to China and work for the Chinese Communists in 1942. Growing up during Japan's occupation Taiwan, the seeds of opposition towards Japan were sowed in Su Beng and later his study of socialism and Marxism at Waseda University deepened his resolve to fight against Japan's imperialistic expansion in Asia. The answer to him at the time seemed to be to go work with the Chinese Communists to resist Japan's rising ambition to conquer Asia.

As he worked with the Chinese Communists over the next few years he was given new assignments and more responsibilities, but in order to advance he'd have to officially join the party and there was increasing pressure put upon him to do so. Su Beng talked about how he had seen the hypocrisy and brutality of the Chinese Communists by then, and that he had resolved that he would not join the party, so he made excuses to put off joining the Chinese Communist party. And eventually he found a way to escape from the Communists and out of China.

Su Beng also talked about his optimistic outlook on Taiwan. He believes that Taiwan will most certainly be independent. He cites the growing numbers of people in Taiwan who now identify themselves as Taiwanese and not Chinese. He believes that as long as there is a growing solidarity amongst the people of Taiwan (regardless of their ancestry e.g. Hakka, Holo, Han Chinese or Aborigine) and a general acceptance of a Taiwan nation, then independence for Taiwan will surely follow.

Su Beng speaking at the Lexington Depot

Su Beng's 2011 US Visit: July 24 at the Blaauw residence (Washington, DC area)

Sunday, July 24, 2011, 3:00pm

Location: The Blaauw Residence (RSVP for address & directions)

Transportation: Metro or Driving
Metro: The closest metro is Medical Center (Red Line), Pick-up @ 2:40PM
Driving: There is residential (free) street parking. Please do not block driveways.

RSVP: Eileen Lin, elin@ypg.fapa.org by Friday, July 22nd. Please indicate if you need a ride from Medical Center Metro stop

FAPA-YPG invites you to join us in welcoming Su Beng (史明) to the DC area. Please RSVP early as space is limited!

Mr. Su Beng, the author of “Taiwan 400 Years of History”, has devoted his entire life to pursuing a free and independent Taiwan. This is his first visit to the U.S. since he returned to Taiwan almost 20 years ago. The legendary 92-year old Taiwan independence theorist and activist is still optimistic about Taiwan’s future. This is a rare opportunity for many of us who knew and met him years ago to meet him again here in the U.S. This will be a small group discussion where you can hear Su Beng talk about his experiences during Taiwan's tumultuous history, learn about his vision for Taiwan's future, as well as ask your own questions.

Sponsored by FAPA-YPG, Washington D.C.