Taiwan Insight

Not All Stories Are Yours To Tell – A Reflection on The Century Bloodshed Part I

Written by Chee-Hann Wu. This article reflects a personal memory and classroom discussion; she explores the ethical responsibilities of artists when representing traumatic historical events. Emphasising consent, historical accuracy, and self-awareness, the piece argues that storytellers and audiences alike must engage critically with how collective trauma is portrayed and remembered in art and media.

The Hidden Prison: How Taiwanese Comics Expose the White Terror’s Quiet Scars

Written by Meng Kit Tang. The piece examines how two recent Taiwanese comics: White Prison Shadows 2 (2025), grounded in Ye Shitao’s White Terror experiences, and White Rebellion 1 (2024), a speculative thriller; reveal the White Terror’s most enduring legacy: not the prison cell itself, but a “prison outside the prison” sustained through surveillance, social stigma, and internalized self-censorship.

From White Terror to Green Overreach: Taiwan’s Democracy Under Pressure

Written by Meng Kit Tang. This article examines how Taiwan, under mounting pressure from Beijing, risks drifting toward legal and administrative overreach at home. Drawing on recent high-profile detentions, national security legislation, and institutional gridlock, it argues that while today’s Taiwan bears no resemblance in scale to the White Terror, it increasingly echoes its methods: vague laws, procedural shortcuts, and media-driven stigma.

A Vote of Gladness, A Moment of Disquiet: Taiwan’s Recall Elections Revisited

15 August 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Meng Kit Tang. Taiwan’s 2025 mass recall movement mobilised unprecedented civic energy but failed to unseat a single lawmaker. This commentary explores how a campaign born of democratic hope left behind deeper polarisation, institutional strain, and little collective pride. The way forward will require not only better laws or more elections, but also maturity, dialogue, reform and healing.

Democratic Lessons from Taiwan’s Mass Recall Movement

14 August 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Tzu-chiao Su. This article suggests that the mass recall movement briefly opened a political Pandora’s box in Taiwan. Fortunately, the results of the vote managed to close it again. The recalls showcased Taiwan’s vibrant democratic energy and its strong democratic resilience, but the recall mechanism must be critically reassessed.

The Great Recall Movement: An Attempt to Restage 2016 That Instead Turned Out to be 2018?

13 August 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Brian Hioe. This article argues that the great recall movement is more reminiscent of the 2018 than the 2016 elections. The recall movement is sometimes interpreted as the successor of the Bluebird movement last year, but the spectre of the Sunflower Movement still haunts it. Ultimately, however, the dynamics of it are fundamentally different from those of an election.

Disqualifying Incapable Legislators? Quintessence of the Mass Recall Campaign

12 August 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Jonathan Leung. This article argues that the 2025 mass recall campaign is an attempt to overthrow the legislative election result in 2024. It is also a form of snap election. It is also a delegitimisation of democracy and a derecognition of the previous election results. Therefore, there is no winner in this campaign.

Choosing Between Confronting China or Reviving the Economy: Why Taiwan’s Recall Campaign Backfired on the Ruling Party

11 August 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Chang, Chunhao. This article argues that the defeat of the recall campaign indicates that Taiwanese voters are unwilling to reverse electoral outcomes through post-election manoeuvres. The DPP fails to understand the priorities of moderate, unaffiliated, or floating voters. They want responsible governance, not political revenge, and are deeply committed to the democratic process.

Beyond Tragedy and Beijing’s Cultural Monopoly: Taiwan’s Democracy Is the True Future of Chinese Civilisation

8 August 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Bright Isle. This article argues that the true value of Taiwan’s democracy is to be the future of Chinese civilisation, in contrast to the authoritarian CCP. Taiwan demonstrates Confucian values in its political leadership and civic education. However, Taiwan’s democracy has to be constantly defended, including deepening democratic governance and strengthening national defence.

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