Following the exchange and sharing at the February 28 National Memorial Hall Forum, nine European and American human rights experts from five countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the United States, and Italy continued to gain an in-depth understanding of the current situation of transitional justice in Taiwan. I was very shocked and wondered if there are two Taiwans of democracy and authoritarianism in the world? The human rights group went to Miaoli on July 30 to visit the Tai Chi Gate Miaoli Gymnasium, learn about the process of making dragons and cultural heritage, and investigate the mountain where Tai Chi Gate was illegally auctioned. The center of harmony and peace, showing the soft power of Taiwanese culture, but it was all disrupted by false cases made out of nothing. The group left Taiwan in early August, but they said they would continue to pay attention to and support the case. Christine Mirre, vice-chairman of the French human rights organization CAP-LC, pointed out that this incident is a great loss to Taiwan and the whole world, and damages Taiwan’s human rights reputation. Taiwan has lost an opportunity to show the world how democracies can make changes.
uropean and American human rights experts visited Taiwan on the spot, wanting to understand Taiwan’s transformational justice and the inside story, from visiting the 228 National Memorial Hall, participating in forums and exchanges with Taiwanese law professors, and visiting Miaoli forests and Taijimen Miaoli Gymnasium, etc. to the real inside story of the persecution. They learned that the Taijimen case was an index case announced by the Supervisory Yuan for the country’s major human rights protection. It originated from a fake case fabricated by Hou Kuanren in 1996 when prosecutors illegally investigated and handled it. Supreme Court acquitted, no tax owed. Later, the Internal Revenue Service corrected the five annual tax bills to zero, but only the illegal tax bills in 1992 have not been revoked. In 2020, it even illegally auctioned off and nationalized the holy land of Taijimen practice, which aroused solidarity and condemnation from international public opinion.
Fabienne, a disciple of Taijimen, said that the head of Taijimen originally planned a complete piece of land in the mountainous area adjacent to Miaoli Daoguan, not only as a practice center, but also as an overall development center for Qigong Wushu Academy, Philosophy Academy, and Chinese Medicine Academy. Share the highest wisdom of Tai Chi Yin-Yang philosophy with the world, benefiting people all over the world.
A disciple surnamed Qiu mentioned that he used to go up the mountain with the head of the sect to see the land. The land he chose was suitable for the long-distance development blueprint of Taijimen, and he hoped that Taijimen could benefit the whole world for a long time. Therefore, teachers and apprentices invested a lot of resources and effort, material resources and spirit, but it stopped abruptly because of the persecution in 1996.
Christine Mirre, vice-chairman of the French Coordination for Individuals and Organizations Freedom of Conscience (CAP-LC), believes that this incident is indeed very unfortunate for Taiwan and the world. A better image, and Dr. Hong’s purpose is to let the rest of the world understand Taiwan’s culture better. Taiwan has lost a great opportunity to show the world how a real democracy can make a difference.
Hans Noot, chairman of the Gerard Noodt Foundation for Freedom of Religion or Belief in the Netherlands, mentioned that for philosophy and belief groups, it is very important to have a place where people can gather and dedicate themselves to realize their beliefs, so it becomes a sacred place. There are many similar cases like this in the Netherlands and elsewhere, and it’s really insulting when property is taken. The Taijimen case is a human rights violation case in the post-authoritarian era, and the ultimate goal of Taijimen is to create peace, but this case has limited the promotion of peace.
Human rights experts also visited Taijimen, the largest gymnasium in Miaoli in Taiwan. Taijimen Miaoli Gymnasium is the venue for making dragons. Disciples shared the process of making dragons, saying that the two 144-meter-long blue and gold dragons, under the guidance of the master, selected bamboo from the mountain, cut bamboo, and made keels. Stitch by stitch. More than 20,000 scales are sewn on the body of Shenlong. Master guides his disciples in how to make various ancient mythical beasts, inherits and maintains the culture of the ancient sect, and teaches his disciples to appreciate the wisdom and meaning contained in the mythical beasts, and integrate them into the spirit of the performance. Taijimen master-student inheritance is a holistic and all-round life culture education, including beliefs and yin and yang philosophy, such as how to live healthily and happily, get along with yourself, others and the environment in harmony, and how to maintain peace in severe situations And quiet, and become the best self, and then realize the true meaning of life, not belong to any study course in the world.
Tai Chi dragons are exquisitely made, and they have repeatedly appeared in important cultural exchange occasions at home and abroad. They also have different meanings, such as the opening performance of the 2000 Olympic Games, March 2000 to the Capitol Hill in Washington, USA, and many Taiwan National Day performances. There are also many Tai Chi dragons Different performances bring auspiciousness, blessings and blessings to Taiwan.
Professor Introvigne said that he had read the papers on how the masters and apprentices of Taijimen made dragons and their spiritual significance, so when he saw the place where the dragon was made and preserved, he had a deeper experience and moved him, and he also understood the important spirit of the dragon. significance. The Taijimen convey a message of peace, love and conscience, their spirituality is rooted in esoteric Taoism, and the dragon is one of those spiritual manifestations.
Massimo Introvigne, editor-in-chief of “Bitter Winter” magazine, said that the mountainous area in Miaoli is not ordinary land, but a very important sacred place with spiritual indicators. He stated that depriving any spiritual group of a sacred place is absolutely prohibited under international law, and It shouldn’t happen so easily or even for any public reason. He believes that the entire Miaoli land auction and confiscation process is quite illogical. He encourages Taijimen to continue to seek international solutions to correct injustice and practice substantive justice.