Comments on: How the KMT constructs history http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/ commentary on all things Taiwanese -- Taipei, Taiwan Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:14:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: David Reid http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84907 David Reid Fri, 01 May 2009 10:18:49 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84907 Patrick, glad you had the chance to visit. Like you said not many people know about it. DPP visit may be next week, but not yet confirmed. Patrick, glad you had the chance to visit. Like you said not many people know about it.

DPP visit may be next week, but not yet confirmed.

]]> By: Patrick Cowsill http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84906 Patrick Cowsill Fri, 01 May 2009 08:25:14 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84906 This is terrible. I was talking to Linda at Jerome's meet-up. She contributed some things - I wonder if she got them back. My wife and I visited a while back. We photographed everything in the place, so I guess at least we'll have them, or be able to give them to our daughter when she's a bit older. I told my wife about them closing it down. She got pretty pissed. I asked her "what's next, 2-28 Park"? But she says the demonstrations for something as well-known as that will make it unlikely, which brings us back to this place. Hardly anyone knows about it - thanks for spreading the word. BTW, I'd signed up for this tour, but could only make it on weekends. Are you going on the one to DPP HQ too? This is terrible. I was talking to Linda at Jerome’s meet-up. She contributed some things – I wonder if she got them back. My wife and I visited a while back. We photographed everything in the place, so I guess at least we’ll have them, or be able to give them to our daughter when she’s a bit older.

I told my wife about them closing it down. She got pretty pissed. I asked her “what’s next, 2-28 Park”? But she says the demonstrations for something as well-known as that will make it unlikely, which brings us back to this place. Hardly anyone knows about it – thanks for spreading the word.

BTW, I’d signed up for this tour, but could only make it on weekends. Are you going on the one to DPP HQ too?

]]> By: jbot http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84904 jbot Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:51:03 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84904 Hey, great post. There's so much to be learned by observing how Ma Ying-jeou and the KMT use history as a tool rather than trying to study history itself (which obviously is also useful). There should be a Wikipedia article for this kind of thing; I just don't know what it'd be called. "Informative gaps in the KMT history of Taiwan", haha. Something like that. Hey, great post. There’s so much to be learned by observing how Ma Ying-jeou and the KMT use history as a tool rather than trying to study history itself (which obviously is also useful). There should be a Wikipedia article for this kind of thing; I just don’t know what it’d be called. “Informative gaps in the KMT history of Taiwan”, haha. Something like that.

]]> By: cfimages http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84898 cfimages Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:46:38 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84898 <i>I don’t think this site would be treated this way if it were a prison from the Japanese Colonial period.</i> Maybe, maybe not. The only remaining Japanese colonial prison is the one in Jiayi. The local historical society had to fight for a few years both the local and central govt (both green and blue) and developers for the site to be preserved. Approval for preservation was finally granted by the govt in 2002 after 4 years of lobbying. On Jingmei, if they are determined to change it from a memorial into something else, then an artistic centre is probably the best option. It could even throw more attention onto human rights, as it'll attract more people and artists generally aren't known as being conformist. I don’t think this site would be treated this way if it were a prison from the Japanese Colonial period.

Maybe, maybe not. The only remaining Japanese colonial prison is the one in Jiayi. The local historical society had to fight for a few years both the local and central govt (both green and blue) and developers for the site to be preserved. Approval for preservation was finally granted by the govt in 2002 after 4 years of lobbying.

On Jingmei, if they are determined to change it from a memorial into something else, then an artistic centre is probably the best option. It could even throw more attention onto human rights, as it’ll attract more people and artists generally aren’t known as being conformist.

]]> By: Wa http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84897 Wa Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:35:56 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84897 About Jinmei, I highly recommend watching the fascinating film made by Chang Chieh-Jen, "Military Court and Prison" realized in 2007-2008 in these buildings. I hope he won't be the only artist working in this "cultural park" who have a historical and social conscience... About Jinmei, I highly recommend watching the fascinating film made by Chang Chieh-Jen, “Military Court and Prison” realized in 2007-2008 in these buildings. I hope he won’t be the only artist working in this “cultural park” who have a historical and social conscience…

]]> By: Twitted by Portnoy http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84893 Twitted by Portnoy Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:13:58 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84893 [...] This post was Twitted by Portnoy [...] [...] This post was Twitted by Portnoy [...]

]]> By: Tim Maddog http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84891 Tim Maddog Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:41:59 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84891 Great images and a great report. Thanks for this, David. <a href="http://taiwanmatters.blogspot.com/" title="Taiwan Matters!" rel="nofollow">Tim Maddog</a> Great images and a great report. Thanks for this, David.

Tim Maddog

]]> By: David Reid http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84888 David Reid Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:49:25 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84888 Jenna, it is located in Xindian but not far from Jingmei. It is on the south side of the Xiulang Bridge near the Tzu Chi Hospital. Here is a link to a Google Map to help you find it: http://bit.ly/154qyx Jenna, it is located in Xindian but not far from Jingmei. It is on the south side of the Xiulang Bridge near the Tzu Chi Hospital.

Here is a link to a Google Map to help you find it: http://bit.ly/154qyx

]]> By: jenna http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84887 jenna Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:29:56 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84887 I'm not surprised that Lee Tung-hui was excised from the exhibit at the KMT headquarters. I'm sure you've noticed in the newspapers that he's often quoted as holding a lot of beliefs that go against the KMT party line. Things like "How can we have an economic agreement with China? They can't even control their own economy. That's preposterous!" If you didn't know your history, you'd think he was a DPP politician by listening to him. I get the distinct impression that the KMT wants him to be seen as a crotchety old man of little importance, rather than a former President who belongs to their party making the difficult statements that somebody needs to make. If I had known about the museum I, too, would have gone. Is (was) it in the Jingmei area of Taipei, where I live, or is it just called "Jingmei" but is actually elsewhere? Because I've never come across it living in Jingmei. I’m not surprised that Lee Tung-hui was excised from the exhibit at the KMT headquarters. I’m sure you’ve noticed in the newspapers that he’s often quoted as holding a lot of beliefs that go against the KMT party line. Things like “How can we have an economic agreement with China? They can’t even control their own economy. That’s preposterous!” If you didn’t know your history, you’d think he was a DPP politician by listening to him. I get the distinct impression that the KMT wants him to be seen as a crotchety old man of little importance, rather than a former President who belongs to their party making the difficult statements that somebody needs to make.

If I had known about the museum I, too, would have gone. Is (was) it in the Jingmei area of Taipei, where I live, or is it just called “Jingmei” but is actually elsewhere? Because I’ve never come across it living in Jingmei.

]]> By: Todd http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2009/04/how-the-kmt-constructs-history/comment-page-1/#comment-84885 Todd Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:29:26 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/?p=4145#comment-84885 Nice post David. It's quite disturbing that the memorial of darker chapters in Taiwan's history simply come and go with election cycles. I don't think this site would be treated this way if it were a prison from the Japanese Colonial period. Nice post David. It’s quite disturbing that the memorial of darker chapters in Taiwan’s history simply come and go with election cycles. I don’t think this site would be treated this way if it were a prison from the Japanese Colonial period.

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