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Today is Double Ten, the celebration of the 1911 rebellion led by Sun Yat-Sen which overthrew the Manchurian Empire and established the Republic of China, based on Democratic principles, allied with and heavily influenced by the United States of America. Of course the history is quite complex but this is the basic meta-narrative I learned while attending Kwong Kow Chinese School in the 1990’s. Back then the celebration began with a very large parade from Chinatown to Boston City Hall in which even the major streets were closed off.
The Kuomintang fought a civil war with the Communists while simultaneously fighting with the occupying Japanese forces during World War II. The war with the Japanese weakened the Kuomintang enough that the Communists were able to win the war and the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan where Double Ten is still celebrated as the national holiday.
Chinese Americans from say Guangdong, are often Kuomintang supporters or perhaps some really old men used to be Kuomintang soldiers. They come to celebrate Sun Yat-Sen and the idea of Chinese Democracy. In fact when I went to Taiwan as part of the Kwong Kow Dulcimer band, we were shown a video in which Taiwan (R.O.C.) should its territory as including the mainland. Of course we knew that the mainland was under control of the Communists and was the People’s Republic of China. (P.R.O.C) Even at that time, when it was pretty obvious that the Republic of China would not be able to launch an attack (perhaps supported by U.S. troops) to retake the mainland, and that such an action would be impossible, it was nevertheless still part of the rhetoric.
A few years later (after 1997), the rhetoric in the American media became whether China would “re-take” Taiwan.
The thing is, most overseas Chinese who are from mainland China, consider Taiwan as part of China.
My in-laws many past roommates, and many Taiwanese do not agree with this.My Father in-law told me he once met a young Chinese man in an elevator who asked him where he was from.
He replied, “Taiwan.” A lot of shouting ensued and my 60 something year old father in law yelled “I’m not F-ing Chinese” When listening to this story I was very quiet. As far as I am concerned I am American of half Chinese Ethnicity. Though I think my grandfather was a Kuomintang Official in Guangzhou, so what? This is not even my argument, let alone my battle or whatever.
Anyway, past years, when Chen Shui-bian was in power (he is now locked up for corruption) there was some yelling at City Hall among old men. “Raise up the Kuomintang flag all the way!” “Beat down the Toi Yue!” This were responses to speeches by DPP representatives who believed that Taiwan is in fact separate from China.
Now I will never argue with my past roommates or my in Laws over this, and if one day my son decides to be a Taiwanese separatist in College or something, I will support him, but Chen Shui-bian’s argument for Taiwan not being part of China, is based on a treaty that essentially says that Taiwan is a territory of the United States of America.
The current President of Taiwan, Ma Ying-Jeou (who went to Harvard Law and has some other ties to Massachusetts) is part of the Kuomintang party. He says his focus is not to separate, rejoin, but to work together with the mainland to make money. That seems like a more reasonable approach from my American perspective.
The celebration today was much smaller than the old days when Taiwan would pay around $10,000 (or so I have heard) for this parade in Boston. Chen Shui-bian got rid of the payment to overseas offices to put on these celebrations. Nevertheless, the celebration was quite nice. Several lion dance troupes were there, Gung Ho, Wah Lum, Wongs Association, Shaolin Hung Gar, and us, Woo Ching White Crane. I didn’t catch the names of the dance troupes but they did a fantastic job dancing the aboriginal dances of Taiwan.
It was a nice day and a laid back and friendly environment.