Journey Through The White Terror: A Daughter's Memoir

by Kang-i Sun Chang

The book is about the story of Kang-i Sun Chang's father Paul Sun, who, along with numerous others, was imprisoned in Taiwan more than 55 years ago during what was known as the "White Terror" episode. The "White Terror" period usually refers to the decade following Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government's withdrawal from mainland China into Taiwan in mid-December, 1949, during which a policy of "better to kill ten thousand by mistake than to set one free by oversight" was widely implemented. In that period many innocent civilians became victims of ferocious searches and persecution. Chang's father was in prison from 1950 to 1960. At the time of the arrest, the author was not even 6 years old; when her father finally returned home, she was already 16.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Kang-i Sun Chang (born 1944), née Sun Kang-i (Chinese: 孫康宜; pinyin: Sūn Kāngyí), is a Chinese-American scholar of classical Chinese literature. She is the inaugural Malcolm G. Chace Professor, and former chairperson of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Alie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really enjoyable to be read. Perhaps, the white terror is same with Indonesia in new order under the reign of Soeharto.

[Peter A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This personal memoir covers the time from the Feb 28, 1947 incident (now often referred to as 228 Incident) and subsequent White Terror after Chiang Kai-shek’s troops arrive in Taiwan in 1949 after fleeing the mainland until the lifting of martial law in 1987. The author tells her story through a series of 21 vignette-chapters and gives insights into a variety of the people in her family and life, that allowed her to survive the white terror and to ultimately triumph in her studies and ultimately her professorship at Yale.

Two key characters in this story are her father, who uses the name Paul Sun, who had to endure 10 years of imprisonment on Green Island, and her mother who held the family together during the time her husband, the author’s father, was away. For many of us who grew up in the United States during this period, her story is nothing short of shocking. Yet the author tells it calmly that is both mature and unsettling.

As a professor of literature, she adds many wonderful quotes from Chinese and other poets. She also attributes her father’s ability to survive from the 10 years in prison and to survive afterwards to his faith in Christianity.

A major value of this book is that it adds another voice and view to growing up in Taiwan during this period, of the help from teachers, strangers, and family to survive and flourish in the aftermath of trauma that many of us never had to experience.

I thank the author for sharing her story with the world.

FB: A very personal memoir of living through Taiwan’s White Terror, told through vignettes. It is clear that family, friends, and even strangers are helpful in the times of troubles described by the author. For people interested in a view of the times, this is a good read.

Note: I will admit to reading an ebook version of this story, given the significant cost differential, about $8 for the ebook, and about $50 for the book.