Taiwan Church News

3307 Edition

July 13 - 19, 2015

Editorial

Tan Ting-pho Is Back

A few days ago, during a theft news broadcast on TV about the lost paintings of Tan Ting-pho, a distinguishedpainter and a 228 massacre's victim deceased for decades, Taiwan public got quite a shock when the TVBS anchor commented naturally that "This [theft] case also made Tan Ting-pho himself very nervous". Though some people said this was simply an inevitable oral mishap in live news, which cost two weeks' suspension of that TV anchor, yet what emerged during this event was the deliberately suppressed Taiwan history and a crooked and cheating Chinese culture expressed by Confucius: "The father conceals the misconduct of the son, and the son conceals the misconduct of the father. Uprightness is to be found in this."

Who is Tan Ting-pho? That very curriculum guide, in the days when this TV anchor was educated, must haven'tsay anything about Tan. If it were not the passionate efforts by some diligent compatriots, crying out loud to cultivate the history consciousness of Taiwanese subjectivity, how can we know Tan Ting-pho is an extremely important Taiwan painter? During his short life span, as a Ka-gi city council member, Tan took part into the public affairs actively. Not long after the 228 massacre event broke out in 1947, Tan was shot dead publicly in front of Ka-gi train station, during his zealous efforts to negotiate the peace between Ka-gi citizens and KMT troops.

Tan Ting-pho is back. But, he is back due to the ignorance of the people. How many Taiwan heroes sacrificed andmartyred like Tan Ting-pho are still buried unknown in the dark corners of Taiwan history! We want to say: Young men, stand up to strive for your curriculum guidelines which should be clearly specified for your generation!

If ignorance can be excused and pleaded non-guilty, then an intentional lying should be condemned at least,right?! Reflecting the Presidential election around 2008, the media launched a blanket coverage monitoring the family details of President Chen Sui-bian, even reporting vividly about his families' money-laundry of 700 million NT$ overseas. Aren't such media reports fabricating? A semi-contest for story-telling? When the Special Investigation Division closed this case without any criminal evidence, did any one say sorry to President Chen? Care about him? Or, were we expecting next political soap opera to continue our gossip as usual?

Not to mention the anarchistic evening of 2004 Presidential votes counting: to compete TV rating point, which couldbe translated into a price list for TV advertisement, most TV stations arbitrarily dumping ballot numbers on their screens to satisfy TV audience and their preferred candidate, regardless of the actual ballots numbers collected in the Central Election Committee. And such irresponsible incitement not only deceive the public, but also resulted into quite a period of political instability in Taiwan.

Blessed are the happy students of Vienna primary school! When they are led by their teachers to visit their ruralchateau, urban relics and famous sites, what they know first are always about their own people, events, things and histories. When these children shuttle between city street and electric bus, you can be assured that their knowledge about the world are build upon concrete experiences. So, when your children are taught in school about the story of Tsai Lun, who invented the paper in China, please do not forget to tell him Taiwan Church News have published news in Taiwan for 130 years.

May we make a deep reflection about ourselves, when we critically criticized the fake-fabricating culture of themedia and the absence of Taiwanese subjectivity inside the illegal curriculum guidelines, if the ministry of Taiwan Church News is built up with truth with faithfulness? If we still stick to the spirit of evangelical enthusiasm? If the spirit of Ecclescia Semper Reformada Est is illuminated in our ministry? If we care about for neighbors and revere our Lord?