Lee Teng-hui quotes

Lee Teng-hui was a Taiwanese politician who served as the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and played a key role in the nation’s democratization. Widely recognized as the “father of Taiwan’s democracy,” his leadership brought significant political reforms and greater openness to society. He is remembered for championing Taiwanese identity and guiding the country toward a more democratic future. Here are 2 of his quotes:

I am more than seventy years old. Having lived under different regimes, from Japanese colonialism to Taiwan's recovery, I have greatly experienced the miseries of the Taiwanese people. In the period of Japanese colonialism, a Taiwanese would be punished by being forced to kneel out in the sun for speaking Tai-yü. The situation was the same when Taiwan was recovered: my son, Hsien-wen, and my daughter-in-law, Yüeh-yün, often wore a dunce board around their necks in the school as punishment for speaking Tai-yü... [Taiwanese peoples'] lives are influenced by history. I think the most miserable people are Taiwanese, who have always tried in vain to get their heads above the water. This was the Taiwanese situation during the period of colonialism; it was not any different after Taiwan's recovery [that is, the rule of the Chiang-era KMT]. I have deep feelings about this.

Lee Teng-hui