A group of mainlanders travels to Taiwan to study democracy
Taipei (AsiaNews) - Taiwan's municipal election last Saturday attracted a group of special visitors from across the strait. A group of mainlanders came to learn from the island's democratic experience in the hope of reviving "Three Principles of the People" laid down by Sun Yat-sen a century ago.
This caught the adverse attention of the hard-line Global Times, a newspaper affiliated with the People's Daily. However, despite the negative press, the group was allowed to travel to Taiwan to watch the poll for a weeklong tour organised by the Mainland and Taiwan Co-operation Association organised.
The dozen or so mainlanders in the group believe in the "Three Principles of the People" - nationalism, democracy and the livelihood of the people - laid out by the father of modern China, Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China in 1911. Taiwan continues to use the terms as its official name, but both Beijing and Taipei claim to be Sun's heir.
"The rise in interest in the Republic of China's principles among mainland residents is the result of their increasing ability to make political judgments," said Wang Xueli, a micro blogger from Chongqing who took part in the tour. "It reflects people's aspirations for democracy and good governance."
Often dubbed dismissively as 'guo fen' - an abbreviation for "fans of the Republic of China" - netizens like Wang have emerged in recent years to spread Sun Yat-sen's philosophy among mainland residents, this despite the opposition by mainland authorities.
Some even celebrate the Double Tenth Festival, i.e. 10 October, the day in 1911 when the Republic of China was established. In Taiwan, it is a national holiday.
However, the hard-line Global Times published an editorial, describing the "fever for the Republic of China" as a political tool to challenge mainland authorities.
Yet, "This is neither a fever nor a challenge, but a genuine desire for political freedom and freedom of expression", an anonymous Taiwanese government source told AsiaNews.
"Taiwan is a practical response to those who say that the Chinese are not interested in democracy because they do not understand it. It is natural that people in mainland China might want to experience these freedoms."
For the record, the Kuomintang, the party founded by Sun Yat-sen, suffered a huge loss in the recent election, taking home only about 30 per cent of the vote against 70 per cent for the Democratic Progressive Party.
As previously announced, President Ma Ying-jeou quit as Party chairman today. He remains however as head of state.
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