TAIPEI, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) — On a bustling avenue working north to south by means of downtown Taipei, vehicles weave by means of morning visitors, neon indicators flicker to life, and workplace employees hurry previous cafes and comfort shops, hardly ever pausing to contemplate the road title that accompanies them every day — Guangfu North Road and Guangfu South Road.
The phrase “Guangfu” means restoration in Chinese.
For those that are aware of Taiwan’s earlier days, the title carries the load of historical past, serving as a reminder of the island’s restoration to China in 1945 after 50 years beneath Japanese colonial rule.
Eighty years after the historic second, cautious observers nonetheless spot “Guangfu” within the names of streets, markets, railway stations, bridges and cities throughout the island.
In 1895, following its defeat in a conflict with Japan, the Qing authorities was compelled to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan. Fifty years later, after 14 years of relentless battle, the Chinese folks overcame Japanese aggression throughout World War II, resulting in Taiwan’s restoration to the motherland.
On Oct. 25, 1945, the ceremony to just accept Japan’s give up within the Taiwan Province of the China conflict theater of the Allied powers was held in Taipei.
Historical archives present that the 2 months between Japan’s give up on Aug. 15 and the day of Oct. 25 had been extraordinarily busy in Taiwan. People had been altering the names of every thing — private names, store indicators, firm titles and road names — to erase the marks of colonial rule.
Japanese journalist Ito Kinjiro, who lived in Taiwan between 1944 and 1946, described the scene in an article, noting that as quickly as Japan surrendered, folks in Taiwan instantly reclaimed their unique Chinese names, and streets named after Japanese governors had been all modified, many to “Zhongshan,” the given title of Chinese revolutionary and statesman Sun Yat-sen, or to “Guangfu.”
“For Taiwan, Japan’s surrender meant restoration — the proof that Taiwan is part of China, which is recognized by the world,” stated Chi Chia-lin, chief of a Taiwan historical past analysis affiliation.
During Japan’s occupation, the colonial authorities imposed insurance policies to drive native folks to undertake Japanese names and exchange Chinese-style road names with Japanese programs. To erase that legacy, the Chinese authorities issued a collection of directives after 1945 to revive conventional Chinese nomenclature.
According to Chi, 4 rules guided the renaming of streets in Taiwan: honoring distinguished figures or historic occasions, celebrating nationwide values, selling the political beliefs of Sun Yat-sen, and suiting native geographic options and customs.
Changing names of locations concerned not solely altering the way in which folks known as them, but in addition updating family registration information and a collection of associated paperwork. At the time, the folks of Taiwan typically welcomed and gladly accepted the modifications, Chi stated.
A brand new township in Hualien in jap Taiwan, established after an administrative reorganization in 1946, adopted the title “Guangfu.” Five years later, the railway station close by was renamed Guangfu Station.
An outdated bridge connecting New Taipei City with Taipei was renamed from a Japanese title to “Guangfu,” and a railway route in Hsinchu adopted the identical title, as did a significant market in Taipei.
The most symbolic of all is a gathering room on the second ground of Taipei Zhongshan Hall, the place on Oct. 25, 1945, Japanese basic Ando Rikichi, the ultimate Japanese governor-general of Taiwan, signed the instrument of give up.
Today, the assembly room bearing the title “Guangfu” nonetheless preserves its unique decor, with polished picket flooring and excessive arched home windows quietly serving as a witness to the ceremony that marked the top of struggling and humiliating days for folks of Taiwan.
“Although 80 years have passed, the history of Taiwan’s restoration is still seen in our everyday life, a proof that this part of memory is indelible,” stated Chai Hsuan, an impartial media commentator.