Taiwan Unbound: A New Chapter

Content

Guest Introduction 1
Preface 8


Part 1: The Mist

I. The Curious Case of the Democratic Progressive Party
When Taiwan’s GDP per capita Surpassed Korea and Caught Up with Japan 18
The Billionaire Surge 19
The “0.1 percent” 22
The Opposition 25
Arrogance 26
Undermining Legislative Procedure 29
Blowback 32

II. The Kuomintang
May 1st, Year 80 of the Republic of China (1991) 34
The Hard Work of Ma Ying-jeou 39
Delusions about the Chinese Communist Party 41
The Chen Yun-lin Incident Told through the Lens of the Jehol Diary 47
The Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement: Disregarding Taiwan's Safety and Security 50
The Perils to Taiwan 52
Deceptive Maneuvers 55
No Longer Able to Speak for the Nation 58
The Loss of Counterbalancing Power 60
A Failure So Profound 62

III. The Ko Wen-je Phenomenon
The Protest Vote and the Youth Vote 64
The Darling of Short-Form Media 66
The Multiple "Ko Wen-jes" 67
Betraying Supporters 71
Regressive Policies in an Era of Chaos 74
Muddled Political Thinking 77
The Emperor and Palace Intrigue 79
The Paradox of Decision Making and Mastery in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) 81
Why China Hopes Ko Wen-je Runs for President 82

IV. The Case of Terry Gou
Gou's Investments in China: A Conflict of Interest? 83
The Art of CEO Governance 86

V. How Should We Choose?
The Blue-White Alliance? 88
How to Cast Your Vote in these Tumultuous Times 92






Part 2: The Smoke

VI. Entangled in Disdain
An Unexpected Lady 96
From Silver Bullets to Smoke Grenades 97
The Amplifiers 100
“Let’s All Vote out the DPP" 102

VII. On Fear
Diplomacy and Dialogue? 103
Is a Humiliating Peace Still Peace? 104
The Illusion of Peace Agreements 106
A Vote for the Democratic Progressive Party is a Vote to Send Your Child to Battle? 107


Part 3: The Elephant

VIII. Not Just Unaffordable Housing Prices
Housing Justice 110
The Government as Property Speculator 111
Housing Prices and Urban Renewal 113
Election Campaigns and Soaring Housing Prices 114
The Shadowy Rental Market 116
"Subleasing" and "Rental Management" 118
Solutions for the Rental Conundrum 120
Social Housing: More than Just an Issue of Supply 121
Alternative Solutions to Social Housing 122

IX. Beyond Low Wages
Why Is There a Labor Shortage? 124
Hopelessness 126
Beyond the Labor Standards Act 128
Traffic and "Kinship" 130
Precarity 132

X. Beyond Dopamine
The Children Don’t Know Snow White 134
Dopamine Addiction 135
Challenges Facing the Educational System 138
A Signal in the Suicide Rates of a Specific Age Group 141


Part 4: The Ocean

XI. Not Relying Solely on the Government
Starting with Whitebait (魩仔魚) 144
Of Whales and Dolphins 146
Spotlights as Searchlights 148

XII. Embracing the Maritime
Geopolitical Perspectives 151
Retelling Taiwan's Story 152
A tale Inspired by Moby Dick 155

XIII. New Preparations
The Parable of Lord Ye's Love of Dragons 158
Lessons from Hong Kong 162
The Culture of Circles 164
The Culture of Insularity 167
Navel-Gazing 169
Vanishing Public Intellectuals and their Return 170

XIV. Dreams and their Realization
The Beacon of Brave Dreams 173
Individual Potential 176
The Alternative Path of Liu Yu-yu and Lin Hsiu-peng 178
The Third Force 185
The Cultivation of the Mind 189
The True Nature of Echo Chambers: Tribalism 191
Courage and Collaboration 193
Embracing the Margins 194
The Slowest Yet Swiftest Tale 197


Epilogue 199


Appendix

The Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement and Its Controversies: Origins and Impacts 205
Chronicle of Personal Involvement in the Anti-CSSTA Movement 208
We Have Less Than Twenty-Four Hours Left 212
Resignation Letter as National Policy Advisor 217
A Statement on the Special Act for Forward-Looking Infrastructure 225
Unlocking Resources for the Old Industrial Production Model 229

Rex How

A leader and changemaker in the publishing industry for over 40 years.
Established Locus Publishing in 1996.
Co-founded Taipei Book Fair Foundation in 2005.
National Policy Advisor to the President of Republic of China Ma Ying-jeou from 2009- 2013.
The script writer of Abi-Sword, graphics by Chen Uen, 1990.
The author of Abi-Sword Prequel Volume 1 and 2, 2020
The author of Confessions of an Underground Buddhist, 2009; Taiwan Unbound, 2016; Taiwan Sets Sail: New Hope, 2016, and others.
The translator of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke; How to Read a Book, Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren.
Bestowed the title Knight of the Order of the Italian Star in 2021.


封面插畫

Animo Chen

Artist
Short Elegy, Winner of Comics of Ragazzi Awards of Bologna Children’s Book Fair, 2020.
Love Letter, Special Mention of Poetry of Ragazzi Awards of Bologna Children’s Book Fair, 2021.