In In Taiwan in the early 1950s, 19-year-old Tsai Kun-lin was arrested and imprisoned after joining a book club. The young man spent more than a decade on Green Island, building a prison and keeping the dictator as a political enemy of the dictatorial rulers who held him under martial law until 1987.
Decades later, the 90-year-old Tsai lives in Taiwan’s prosperous democracy, but says the book club has once again become an act of resistance.
This month, the publisher and activist, along with exiled Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-Ki, will address a book club, exploring political activism, free speech and democracy in two places in Hong Kong and Taiwan, under increasingly contentious People’s Republic. China.
Tsai told the Guardian he agreed to join Kattweli because “there were once people in Taiwan who risked their lives to read books and search for the truth.”
“Especially when Hong Kong is facing persecution from China, and Taiwan is being threatened by China. It is important to advise young people what kind of books to read. ”
Jitsi, an encrypted communication application, allows participants from around the world to connect, without the need for sign-in. Users are sent a link and are advised to use the wrong names if they have personal safety concerns, says festival curator Efe Chen.
The initiative for the Taiwan UK Film Festival, the move for the club online club was deemed necessary in light of the expectation that the topics and expectations would be overseen by Chinese authorities. In Hong Kong, it is now potentially illegal to discuss topics such as freedom and activism, and security measures point to a growing threat to democracy advocates.
The past 18 months have seen dramatic changes in Hong Kong, surrounded by pro-democracy protests and as a result Beijing has effectively dealt with illegal dissent through the National Security Act (NSL). The crackdown was backed by the Hong Kong government and since then more than 10,000 people, mostly young people, have been arrested, dozens placed under the NSL. At least 2,300 have been prosecuted for various protest-related charges. Advocating for freedom or protesting against the government is now largely illegal and sensitive books have been removed from the shelves.
Taiwan has become a haven for Hong Kong’s small but growing number of pro-democracy protesters, while President Tsai Ing-wen promised to provide “necessary assistance” to the people there earlier this year.
‘You can understand why China is China today’
Beijing insists it will “unite” with Taiwan, which it considers a rogue province of China, although the Taiwanese government opposes it. “Taiwan went through the White Terror before it entered this peaceful new era today,” says Tsai. “However, I have been more pessimistic since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. [about Hong Kong]”
There is a mutual lesson for the two destinations as Hong Kong moves from semi-autonomy to stricter Beijing-control, while Taiwan leaves the period of martial law back and forth.
Effie Chen, curator of the film festival, says she sees Tsai’s repression happen again with the youth of Hong Kong. He said, “Every pay generation has to rethink the idea of freedom.
Chanel, the daughter of an environmentalist father who was forced to leave Taiwan during martial law, was horrified at the horrific explosion in Hong Kong and then began to lose interest in the world with a sense of sadness. She felt inspired to share her story and how Taiwan could help, but said adding a Hong Kong film to the festival line would not do it justice. The Book Club was born to explore the history of risk in both places, giving people time and space to read and research.
Chen invited Lam Wing-key to talk to the club. The 64-year-old Hong Kong bookseller was abducted by Chinese authorities in 2015 for selling banned books on the mainland, and has been in self-imposed exile in Taiwan since last year. “It’s important to think deeply in these clubs, not just on the surface, to know the full context of the problem,” Lama told the Guardian.
He selected seven books for discussion, including titles on the history of the Chinese government, the Jewish Diaspora, and the cultural influence of the Chinese Communist Party in Taiwan.
He said, “It’s important to understand the history and culture of all of them so you can understand why China is China today.”
The book club will launch on December 1 with an interview with Lum. Tsai will speak on December 12. The Taiwan UK Film Festival runs from 28 November to 12 December, hosting socially-spaced cinema screenings and online films, live Q&A, short films, live music, dance and spoken word performances.
