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Su Beng (9 November 1918 – 20 September 2019; Chinese: 史明; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sú-bêng; pinyin: Shǐ Míng; Wade–Giles: Shih³ Ming²), born Lîm Tiâu-hui (林朝暉; Lîm Tiâu-hui; Lín Cháohuī; Lin² Ch'ao²-Hui¹) and later known as Si Tiâu-hui (施朝暉; Shī Cháohuī; Shih¹ Ch'ao²-Hui¹; Si Tiâu-hui), was a Taiwanese revolutionary, historian and political activist of Taiwan independence movement. Su Beng was a representative Taiwanese left-wing nationalist in the socialist sense and is considered the 'Taiwan independence Left'; he opposed Japanese and Chinese imperialism.[1]
Sú Bêng | |||||||||||||||||||
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史明 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Senior Advisor to the President | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office November 9, 2016 – September 20, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||
| President | Tsai Ing-wen | ||||||||||||||||||
| Vice President | Chen Chien-jen | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 林朝暉 Lîm Tiâu-hui November 9, 1918 Shirin Town, Taihoku Prefecture, Japanese Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died | September 20, 2019 (aged 100) Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |
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| Political party | Independent (1949–2019) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Chinese Communist Party (1943–1949) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Waseda University | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/su.beng.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Ozisan (おじさん) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 史明 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Early years and exile
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Su Beng was born on 9 November 1918 in Shirin Town, Taihoku Chō, Japanese Taiwan (modern-day Shilin District of Taipei). His birth name was Lîm Tiâu-hui (林朝暉; Lín Cháohuī; Lin² Ch'ao²-hui¹; Lîm Tiâu-hui). Aged 11, he began using his maternal surname Shih (施; Shī; Si).[2]
After graduating from Waseda University in Tokyo with a degree in political science and economics in 1942, he left for China where he worked undercover with the Chinese Communist Party (1942–1949). For years, he averted the Chinese Communists’ bids for him to join the party. Finally he escaped from Qingdao to Taiwan, just as the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang soldiers were retreating to Taiwan.[2] Having returned to Taiwan for about a year, he established the Taiwan Independence Armed Corps in 1950 which plotted for the assassination of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. When the Taiwan Independence Armed Corps' stash of weapons were discovered hidden on land owned by Su Beng's grandmother in 1951, Su Beng was forced to go into hiding.[citation needed]
After several months on the run, he finally fled to Japan in May 1952 by stowing away in a boat exporting bananas. He served four months of detention for attempting to illegally enter the country, but when the Kuomintang reported him missing and wanted for his involvement in the plot to assassinate Chiang Kai-shek, the Japanese government granted him political asylum. Later on in 1954, Su Beng opened up a noodle shop restaurant (新珍味; Sin-tin-bī; 'New Gourmet') in Ikebukuro, Japan. Su Beng used the restaurant/residence as a base to continue his work with the underground Taiwan independence movement. It was also here that he trained burgeoning independence activists and began writing Taiwan’s 400 Year History. The Japanese version of this book was first published in 1962, the Chinese-language version was published in 1980 and an abridged English version was published in 1986.[3][4]
Return from exile
editIn 1993, Su Beng returned to reside in Taipei, Taiwan. The following year, April 1994, he began the Taiwan Independence Action motorcade, which he conceived as a way to raise the Taiwanese people’s consciousness. The motorcade makes its rounds from Taipei county to Taipei city, every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, delivering messages calling for Taiwan’s independence and the normalization of Taiwan as a country.[citation needed]
Labeled a radical, violent militant and communist, he was dubbed the "Che Guevara of Taiwan".[5] Several tall tales existed about Su Beng’s controversial life decisions, one of which included electing to have a vasectomy when he was in his twenties while working undercover for the CCP in China.[citation needed]
Su died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure at Taipei Medical University Hospital on 20 September 2019, aged 100.[2][6][7][8]
Pen name
editHe first used Su Beng (史明, literally "to clearly understand the history") as his pen name for Taiwanese’s 400 Year History in 1962. In choosing his pen name, he wanted to express his motivation for writing the book. Su Beng believed that once the Taiwanese people understand their unique history, they will be able to know who they are, what they want for themselves and their nation. The two characters which make up his name mean "history" and "clear", respectively. Taken together, they may be interpreted as “history clearly”, as in “to know history clearly.”[9]
References
edit- ^ "Su Beng's legacy lives on in Taiwan museum's spring roll event". Taiwan News. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Chi, Jo-yao (21 September 2019). "Legendary independence activist Su Beng dies at 100". Central News Agency. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Han Cheung (5 November 2017). "Taiwan in Time: Revolutionary in exile". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ Shih, Hsiu-chuan (1 December 2009). "FEATURE: Su Beng: Staying true to the fight for independence". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ "Brewing more than coffee". Taipei Times. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
Taiwanese political activist Su Beng (史明) who has been dubbed the "Che Guevara of Taiwan."
- ^ DeAeth, Duncan (21 September 2019). "Taiwan mourns passing of independence activist and scholar Su Beng". Taiwan News. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ Wu, Liang-yi; Chung, Jake (22 September 2019). "Independence veteran Su Beng mourned". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ Horton, Chris (20 September 2019). "Su Beng, a Father of Taiwan Independence, Dies at 100". The New York Times. The New York Times.
- ^ "Legendary revolutionist Su Beng places hope on younger generation". Central News Agency. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- Su, Bing (1986). Taiwan's 400 Year History: The Origins and Continuing Development of the Taiwanese Society and People. Taiwanese Cultural Grassroots Association. ISBN 9780939367009.
External links
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