SHORT BUT GOOD: HERE IS TAIWAN’S LATEST VIRAL PICTURE
[[insert picture here]]
Why are you showing me this?
This is a picture that went viral in Taiwan. This week, it was all over Threads, the favourite social network of Taiwan’s youth, and spilled over to Instagram and Facebook.
What is it?
This is a picture of a protest in Taipei asking for the recall of members of the Parliament that are deemed to be pro-China. The picture was taken on April 19 and posted that same day.
What makes it special?
The picture represents two flags that are, in general, opposed to each other: any Taiwanese would see them as adversaries. It’s like, say, a Republican and Democrat flag together at a protest in Washington DC: you would find it unusual.
To be more specific: one the left is the flag of the country under its official name of “Republic of China” or ROC, which is seen by supporters of an independent Taiwan as a symbol of their country being submitted to obsolete ties with their neighbour; the other flag is exactly the opposite, it is a flag that proclaims an independent Taiwan with no ties whatsoever to China.
Who took it?
The picture was taken by a young man who uses the online alias double_lucky.
And you talked to him?
Yes. But he doesn’t want to show his face or reveal is real name.
What did he say?
First, he talked about how and why he took the picture. Here are his exact words: “I’ve been to different movement in past few years. And I never saw the Taiwan independent flag with ROC national flag came together on the same place before… And in that time, last Saturday, I was standing next to the ROC flag man. And I saw the Taiwan independent flag in very far away, but I can still saw that. So I take a picture.”
Does he have any political opinion himself?
It seems double_lucky is not a party member but is on the side of an independent Taiwan. His words were: “I don’t like ROC flag. But this is the first time, very first time I saw they together in a movement. So I just took a picture. And I think I was very lucky because I have a really good angle to take this picture. A lot of people around us also taking pictures. I think I’m just a lucky one who take the best angle of the shot… I won’t say I support any party.”
And what else did he saw that day?
What he saw is: “From last Saturday, because in past decades, the people who like Taiwan independence and the people who like ROC, they are like enemies. They never co-working together. and from last Saturday, everything changed… It make people believe that people want to be independent in Taiwan and the people who like ROC in Taiwan, we can be like ally against CCP in China… I saw a lot of like old elders, like more than 60 years old elders, they holding a small ROC flag last Saturday. And I was, I feel very strange because I never saw that in this kind of movement… I think some of the older elders might change their mind. 50 years ago, they are told to be against CCP in like Chiang Kai-shek area. But nowadays, they feel like a little bit struggle because KMT never, don’t fight to, don’t want to against CCP anymore. But when they were young, KMT was against CCP, so they feel a little bit struggle. But nowadays, they feel like, oh, if they’re co-working with the Taiwan independent community, we’re also against CCP.”
Does he take that kind of pictures often?
Apparently, not. He mostly takes pictures for fun and his social network posts tend to make fun of politicians in general: “ I’m not very good in taking photo. I’m not a photographer. I’m just a random guy on internet. So I didn’t notice that my picture have that kind of power that people can be touched… I feel like It’s weird because I’m just a guy who like to make joke online or making fun to the politics. And this is the first time the thing I made to make people feel more positive… Sometimes I made a lot of things that make people feel bad or feel angry or make you funny. But this is the first time people get touched by my work.”
What else did he say?
He concluded in an optimistic way: “I have the faith that Taiwanese people will more like to recognize we have to hold our own country or own government. not the government from China or the government from anywhere out of Taiwan. One day we will have the opportunity to have our own country and nation.”