Descendants of resistance heroes retrace historic route

Descendants of Taiwan's anti-Japanese aggression resistance heroes recently retraced a historic journey across the Chinese mainland to Shaanxi province, following the route taken by their ancestors 80 years ago. The group's journey commemorated Taiwan's restoration to the motherland and honored their shared heritage.

Organized by the Association of Relatives of Taiwan Martyrs Against Japanese Militarism, the delegation completed the 7,000-kilometer journey from Aug 29 to Sept 13, traveling from Taipei and Taichung to mainland cities including Shanghai, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, Jinan in Shandong province, Chongqing, and Xi'an in Shaanxi province.

The journey commemorated a historic expedition in August 1946, following Taiwan's restoration the previous year, after 50 years of Japanese colonial rule. Seeking to express gratitude and trace their ancestral roots, the group proposed a visit to the mainland to strengthen cross-Strait ties and reaffirm their connection to the motherland.

Chiu Nien-tai, a prominent Chinese patriot, led the initiative to organize the 1946 delegation. He was the son of Chiu Feng-chia, a leader of the anti-Japanese resistance in Taiwan in 1895. Chiu Nientai's name reflected his father's lifelong vow never to forget Taiwan.

The 1946 delegation first traveled to Nanjing to pay tribute at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum before heading toward Shaanxi to pay homage to the Yellow Emperor, regarded as the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation. The journey was intended to trace their cultural roots and reaffirm their shared identity.

However, severe weather and primitive transportation halted their progress when they were still about 100 km from their destination.

Undeterred, the delegation held a solemn ceremony on a sports field at Zhongshan Middle School in Yaoxian county, now Yaozhou district in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province. Unable to reach the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum, they performed the ritual from afar and solemnly proclaimed Taiwan's return to the motherland after half a century of resistance to Japanese colonial rule.

In 2006, inspired by surviving pioneers and their descendants, a younger generation returned to Shaanxi. They revisited the site of the ceremony and finally reached the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum to pay homage in person. They also erected a stone tablet at the mausoleum, bringing closure to a regret that had endured for six decades.

To mark the 81st anniversary of Taiwan's restoration and the 80th anniversary of the 1946 expedition, a new generation of descendants retraced the historic route to carry forward their forebears' legacy.

Standing before the monument during the commemorative ceremony, Yeh Wei-nan reflected on the legacy of his father, Yeh Yung-chung, a prominent Taiwan patriotic intellectual who was a key member of the 1946 delegation and who wrote the ceremonial address delivered to the Yellow Emperor.

"Being here helps us truly understand why our fathers made this arduous journey," Yeh said. "Their goal was to clearly demonstrate that the people of Taiwan had returned to their motherland. As their descendants, it is our sacred duty to pass this history down through generations."

Lin Ming-tsung, head of the association, also joined the journey, bringing with him a family legacy. His ancestor Lin Hsien-tang was one of the 15 members of the 1946 delegation. Originally from Fujian province, the Lin family later settled in Wufeng district in Taichung and became known for decades of resistance to Japanese colonial rule.

"Finishing this long, historic route has deeply moved me and awakened a strong sense of kinship," Lin said. "At that moment, the regrets of history were finally brought full circle."

He said the journey demonstrated that "the roots of Taiwan compatriots lie deep within the mainland and this kinship forms an unbreakable bond that no force can ever sever".