| Taiwanese Cultural Association | |
| Abbreviation: | TCA |
| Founder: | Chiang Wei-shui, Lin Hsien-tang |
The Taiwanese Cultural Association (TCA;) was an important organization during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. It was founded by Chiang Wei-shui on 17 October 1921,[1] in Daitōtei, a district in modern-day Taipei.[2] It gathers Taiwanese intellectuals and aims for the delivery of progressive ideas and values. It also functions as a political group advocating for Taiwanese collective consciousness and thought. The association was founded on October 17, 1921, when Lin Hsien-tang (林獻堂) was elected as president, Yang Chi-chen (楊吉臣) as vice president, and Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水) as director.
After World War I, a wave of self-determination and democracy engulfed the world. Taiwan was also inundated with this new sense of independence. Inspired by the Samil Movement in Korea in 1919, Taiwanese college students in Japan further developed their craving for an independent Taiwan.
At that time, only wealthy Taiwanese families could send their children to Japanese universities. Most of these children were born and raised during Japanese colonization of Taiwan. Therefore, they were taught using Japanese methods and customs quite different from the education they got in their homeland which was a formal Chinese educational system that taught strict traditions and ancient philosophies. In Japan, Taiwanese students underwent extreme racism from not only Japanese students but also their friends and relatives. When improperly treated by the Japanese (e.g. being called), these students would often search for methods of circumventing trouble. Due to these actions, they were often taunted by Korean students for not fighting for their own rights.
Japan was not only the hub for advanced education for Taiwanese students, but also an excellent opportunity to learn revolutionary ideas such as equality for all people and freedom, options that the oppressive Japanese regime would not allow. This was where intellectuals adopted new and more innovated ideas in order to gain either independence or autonomy for Taiwan. These intellectuals often held conferences discussing beneficial possibilities. They petitioned the Japanese government to permit the enactment of a representative committee which spoke in favour of Taiwanese people, thus taking a vital step towards democracy. The committee, established in 1921, was called the Petition Movement for the Establishment of a Taiwanese Parliament. Lin Hsien-tang was elected as their chairperson. During its fourteen-year span, many rallies were held.
The Taiwanese Cultural Association excelled at disseminating new knowledge to the public through various means, such as mass media, public events, etc. The association published The Taiwan Minpao and established newspaper-reading clubs throughout Taiwan. Furthermore, they set up bookstores, theater troupes, and organized workshops and lectures.[3] Among these activities, lectures gained significant acceptance due to the substantial illiteracy rate in Taiwan at the time, which resulted in the weakened efficacy of written communication. To promote The Taiwan Minpao, the association conducted a tour lecture series across the island. These lectures focused on issues of nationalism and criticizing the policies of Taiwan Soutokufu (Office of the Governor-General). This approach resonated strongly with the people of Taiwan. The number of attendees in 1925 and 1926 remarkably reached over 230,000.
As the Taiwanese Cultural Association continued its "Petition for the Establishment of a Taiwan Parliament" movement, Taiwan Soutokufu began to feel increasingly threatened. In response, they not only mobilized their devoted gentry against the petition movement, but also implemented measures to stifle dissenting opinions. Eventually, in 1923, a number of the association members were arrested by Taiwan Sotokufu on charges of violating the Peace Preservation Law.[4] From the very beginning of the association, many participants were Taiwanese students studying in China or Japan, and they promoted socialist ideology. This, in turn, caused divisions in the organization, with a stark contrast between the moderate faction dominated by landlords and the socialist faction led by the youth. As the association became increasingly involved in labor and peasant movements gradually radicalized, it disbanded in 1931 after the arrest of several of its members.