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大陸老台胞s - a thread
As we all know, during the Chinese Civil War, many Chinese from the mainland fled the CCP takeover and settled in Taiwan, where they experienced prolonged homesickness and alienation.
As we all know, during the Chinese Civil War, many Chinese from the mainland fled the CCP takeover and settled in Taiwan, where they experienced prolonged homesickness and alienation.
However, much is untold about the few native Taiwanese in the mainland; those who were stranded in the mainland for decades, detached from their ancestral homes. My grandfather was one of them.
During Japanese colonization, many Taiwanese youths, including my great-grandfather, began to organize and rebel against Japanese rule. They gave speeches, sold leaflets, and rebelled against Japanese policies that attempted to erase Taiwanese culture and identity.
As a result, many Taiwanese, among other reasons, fled to the mainland. They banded together and formed associations to help come together as a community and help organize against Japanese aggression and colonialism. Some Taiwanese also fought for the KMT and/or the CCP.
They organized associations like the Taiwanese Communist Party, a party that supported Taiwanese self rule and anti-imperialism.
Due to many circumstances including the 228 incident and the ensuing KMT repression, some Taiwanese in the mainland chose to stay, becoming known as “老台胞” (Old Taiwanese Compatriots).
They did so at risk of separation with their families and parents. Most of them, including my grandfather and his siblings, only could go back and visit TW 40 years after the civil war, during the economic reforms and tensions thawing between both sides of the conflict.
Ironically, many ended up experiencing persecution from the CCP. They, including my great grandfather, experienced humiliation and punishment for simply existing.
Despite the ensuing tensions between the mainland and Taiwan, these 老台胞s served as an olive branch for relations between the 2 entities. They continue to serve as a reminder of how the human spirit can persevere through tough times, and respective KMT/CCP repressions. End.
