Hello friends of TaiwaneseAmerican.org!

It’s a huge weekend ahead in our community for many reasons. I’m not sure this message alone can do it justice, but I’m sure going to try!

First and foremost, it is a weekend of remembrance for the estimated 20,000 lives lost during Taiwan’s February 28th Incident and subsequent months, sparking the beginning of the longest period of martial law in the history of the world, from 1947 to 1987. We acknowledge this history because the struggles this island nation has gone through helped to shape the vibrant democracy that exists on Taiwan today.

More than that, the oftentimes turbulent past has played an important role in broadening our sense of Taiwanese identity today. There is no denying that whatever your roots are – ethnic Taiwanese, Hakka, aboriginal descent, ethnic Chinese, half Taiwanese, or any other ethnic or racial group living in Taiwan – we are all in this together under a collective and shared “Taiwanese American” identity. That, indeed, is something to celebrate. History has brought us a long way, and we must never forget.

Here in America, this weekend also marks the start of our “write in Taiwanese” campaign for the 2010 Census. During the last census in 2000, there were only about 144,800 Taiwanese identified. For those of you who have visited the west or east coasts, you know this is completely inaccurate and that we are undercounted by over 80%. In fact, we estimate there are well over 1 million people of Taiwanese heritage living throughout the US.

Help our community be counted. Help us be recognized. When you receive the Census form in mid-March, on question #9, be sure to check “Other Asian” and write in “Taiwanese” if you are of Taiwanese heritage. Spread the word.

On that note, be sure to look out for our upcoming Census video and commercial campaign – brought to you by the Taiwanese American Citizens League (including Taiwanese American Professionals and Leading Youth Forward camp), the Taiwanese American Foundation (midwest), and TaiwaneseAmerican.org! I think you’ll be excited to see what we’ve created! Stay tuned early next week!

And finally, the BIGGEST news of all is no surprise for those who have been following our website and announcements. This weekend marks the culmination of four years of work by Will Tiao and his team to bring the major Hollywood movie, Formosa Betrayed, to theaters! Opening in major cities this weekend and subsequent weekends, some of the prime-time showings are already sold out! Other screenings need your help to make sure those seats are filled! Needless to say, for independent films like these, it takes word-of-mouth and a large turnout for it to stay in theaters or to garner more mainstream attention.

The opening weekend box office numbers will likely determine if this movie stays in theaters for more than a week or two, and how widely it will open in smaller cities across the country! So, it’s our turn as a community to make sure this happens. So, this weekend, come out and show your support! Tell your friends and family. Bring non-Asian friends, too!

With your support, we can make history for the Taiwanese American community and for the Asian American film industry!

Sincerely,

Ho Chie Tsai
Creator of TaiwaneseAmerican.org

Dear Fellow Taiwanese,

This coming weekend, February 26-28, a new movie about Taiwan will be coming to theaters. Formosa Betrayed is the first American film to ever deal with US-Taiwan relations and explore the issues of democracy, identity, and justice during the White Terror period in Taiwan. The movie was largely funded by Taiwanese all over the United States and Canada, who invested over $6 million into the film. This makes Formosa Betrayed one of the largest pro-Taiwan projects ever funded by the overseas Taiwanese community. Most of these investors are not wealthy — they are people like yourselves — hard working individuals who came to America to provide a better life for their children.

I am one of those children.

My parents are from Kaohsiung, Taiwan. While growing up, they taught me to call myself “Taiwanese,” not “Chinese”. This caused them much hardship, which included being put on a blacklist. Some of their friends had worse things happen to them. In some cases, people were killed.

The Taiwanese people have suffered at the hands of many over the last century, but these stories have rarely been told or heard. As a second generation Taiwanese American, I feel it is my duty to educate my generation, as well as the world, about the struggles and suffering of the Taiwanese. We cannot allow our country’s history and our people’s hardships to be forgotten. Once that happens, it only becomes a matter of time before it is repeated. This is precisely why I spent the last five years of my life working on Formosa Betrayed.

As the turbulent reaction to President Obama’s recent arms sale to Taiwan shows, US-China-Taiwan relations are still a hot button topic that is greeted by fleeting interest, faint support, or –worst of all– indifference by the American media. I am hoping the release of Formosa Betrayed will help spur greater awareness and wider discussion about these important matters in the United States and abroad. The Taiwanese people deserve to have an equal voice in affairs related to our country’s future. We cannot sit quietly and allow others to decide our fate. This is why I am urging you to see Formosa Betrayed with your children, family and friends. Not only will this movie educate our youth about our country’s embattled legacy, it will instill in them a sense of pride in their heritage and identity as Taiwanese. Additionally, your support of this film will tell the world that the Taiwanese people have a voice and we are demanding to be heard. No one else is going to do this for us. We must do this ourselves and we must do this now.

A Mandarin version of this letter is attached below along with a new flier with up-to-date theater locations.

Thank you for your time and interest. GO TAIWAN!!!!!

All the best,

Will Tiao
President, Formosa Films
Producer, Formosa Betrayed

[Mandarin version of letter - Click here]