On the Double Tenth National Day, only one related story appeared on Dcard, the most popular social platform among the youth. The participants talked vehemently about a celebration message posted by entertainer R-Chord (謝和弦). Since he is very controversial, the discussion ended up in chaos. On Instagram, some users shared photos of fireworks, and a couple of models were sported in/with the national flag. Most posts described the fun they had on the holiday. On PTT, a platform mainly used by those in the 30s, posts largely followed the comment by Youtuber Guanzhang (館長), who had singled out the pop stars who had done something in honor of the big day. The remaining articles were nothing more than their resentment toward Chinese incursion and the dissatisfaction with President Tsai’s failure to declare independence. In general, indifference was seen among the youth to the nation’s birthday. less emotional and political response was stirred up than the New Year’s Eve countdown party and the New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony.

Of course, from the view of the public, we are far better off than many other countries where people are either under lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic or are forced to display loyalty to the authoritarian leader on the national day. In contrast, people on the island felt free to spend the three-day weekend by going out, watching performances, or posting location check-ins on Facebook. All these highlight a kind of happiness unique to Taiwan.

Compared with other countries, where revolutionary martyrs' dreams and aspirations are remembered, the gap between what their nation’s founders had in mind and current pursuit is reviewed, in-depth discussion and reflection are made at the national level, all of these are rarely seen on Taiwan’s National Day. Instead, we take it lightly by blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.

This can be partly attributed to the special history between Taiwan and ROC. On the day when the Xinhai Revolution (1911) broke out, Taiwan’s newspaper covered Taipei’s ice cream contest in Japanese. When ROC started working on Constitution, Taiwan’s was yet under its jurisdiction. It’s 15 years ago when the National Assembly made its last effort to amend the Constitution, and the turnout rate was as low as 23%, less than the recall vote of Legislator Huang Kuo-chang.

The Unexpected Father 《意外的國父》by prestigious critic Wang Hao (汪浩) describes how the U.S., the Chinese Communist Party, and the ROC interacted after Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan, and how the interaction left ROC stuck on the island and turned out to embrace democracy. People on the island have all experienced such history in person. As a result, Double Tenth National Day has become Taiwan’s “unexpected National Day,” just like one can’t decide their birth date or horoscope. The birth, though unexpected, deserves some form of celebration. However, flag-waving stirs different emotions in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Chinatowns of the U.S.

This can be seen from President Tsai’s National Day address. The script was pretty good, covering anti-pandemic measures, economy, Indo-Pacific, national defense, Golden Melody Awards, and democracy. Her measured speech avoided provoking Beijing. But the entire address only looked forward without referring back to ROC’s history, leaving the address more like a policy report. Tsai’s earlier speech at the beginning of the year stressed the 70 years of ROC sovereignty in Taiwan, which angered both pro-independence and pro-unification voters. But it echoed the view in a number of polls that the majority favored maintaining the status quo and conditional reunification/independence. Indeed, the stagnation is the result of Sino-US confrontation, but it can also be explained by China’s expansion and Taiwan’s military-civilian efforts to maintain the current state of relations.

Great powers relied on myths and heroic legends to establish their national narratives. But it’s not the case in ROC on Taiwan. According to the survey in July by Chengchi University, over 65% of the respondents consider themselves Taiwanese, the record high since the lift of the Martial Law. It shows Taiwan has established its imaginary community through practices after democratization. As told by Xu Jing-fang (許菁芳) in her book Wish to Bloom (甘願綻放), through personal experiences of the island’s seasons, food, sea, and mountains, common lifestyle has been established and cherished. Such lifestyle leads to the construction of its national identity, dismissing the thought of civil wars. That’s why the youth marks the National Day by checking into locations via social platforms.

But as an immigrant society and a member of the international community, can this so-called national identity based on a common way of life serve as a model for other emerging democracies to follow? Or can it be an alternative to the world-wide post-populism? This may depend on how well Taiwan can accept and embrace the predecessors and newcomers, how it can define and protect the red line. At least, it seems going well so far. The Golden Melody Award winners include Indigenous Paiwan singer and Taiwanese performers. Chengchi University graduate Taozi (陶子) and Chenggong University graduate Han Sen (韓森) were previously recognized by writing songs combining Vietnamese, Chinese and English.

Taiwan’s birth date may be seen as an accident, but it’s up to us to decide how to live in the present moment. The process to make life fulfilling is what matters and embodies the very essence of independence.

(Austin Wang, Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Nevada, Las Vegas)

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