My Fulbright Year in Taiwan

My favorite Chinese writer, Long Ying-Tai 龍應台 recently wrote a book called “1949,” describing her family’s experiences in fleeing the Chinese civil war in 1949. The book spurred a movement in Taiwan. People in their 20s have begun interviewing their grandparents, and have been putting a personal, human face on history.

It has been 60 years since the end of the civil war. For most of that time, that period of time has been hushed up. Partly because of national security, some details of the retreat from China to Taiwan have not been available. But most of the people who came over from China in 1949 are free to speak about their experiences. Why haven’t they talked about it more? I think probably because they lost the war. Are losers less willing to talk about their experiences? It stands to reason.

My father-in-law was one of the young people who fled the civil war in China, and wound up in Taiwan in 1949. I’ve heard bits and pieces of the story, but we never asked to hear the whole story. We’ve decided to join the movement, and interview him. This past weekend when we were visiting Tainan, we set up the camcorder, and asked him to tell his life story. Even Stacy, who has heard him talk about this past, heard many things for the first time.

We got about two hours of video, but we feel like we have just scratched the surface of his experiences. It was fascinating to hear about his story. His father and my grandfather were born only one year apart, but their respective lives followed paths so completely different, that it seems like they were separated not merely by a hemisphere, but by centuries.

We will follow up with more interviews during the remainder of our year in Taiwan. I also would like to interview my mother-in-law. She is a Taiwan native, so she didn’t flee the mainland. However, she was born under the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, and also has led an eventful life. When I mentioned that I would like to interview her, she refused, saying that she doesn’t want to think about the past anymore. She says that right now she is the happiest that she has ever been in her life, and she doesn’t want to revisit her painful memories.

I respect her feelings, but at the same time, we all noticed that my father-in-law has been in a very good mood this weekend. In preparation for this weekend’s interview, he started to write his autobiography. Stacy and I suspect that he’s been thinking about his past, and having a George Bailey moment. Maybe if we can get my mother-in-law to review her life, she’ll be able to see her past in more memorable light.