Unveiling the Forgotten Republican Era｜November Talks in Taipei - 汪精衛與現代中國

The Cultural Salon Series, organized by Hong Kong Kittiwake Social Service Association, held its autumn session at the Love Hope Foundation in Taipei to a full house and enthusiastic response. Responding to readers’ keen interest in uncovering historical truths, two major talks will be launched this November 9th and 16th as part of the winter program, continuing the exploration and reflection on the history of Republican China.

The first talk, titled “The Choice Between War and Peace: Wang Jingwei and the Paradox of the Kuomintang”, will be delivered by media and literary figure Chip Tsao, with Dr. Gabriel Chai as moderator. Drawing on first-hand historical sources, the talk will examine why Wang Jingwei advocated “Peace to Save the Nation” at a time of national crisis, analyzing how his ideas were tied to the preservation of the nation’s spirit, the people’s survival, and the pursuit of sovereignty and equality. The speakers will also reflect on the enduring implications of this “choice between war and peace” and its resonance with today’s conflicts around the world.

The Love Hope Foundation
6/F, No. 154, Bo-ai Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei (Telephone: 02-23816678)
Date: Sunday, November 9, 2025
Time: 2–4pm
Admission: Free

The second talk, hosted by the Kaohsiung Main Public Library, will feature a dialogue between Chip Tsao and Wang Jingwei’s granddaughter Cindy Ho. Entitled “Dreaming of Being a Guest: Wang Jingwei Adrift in the Currents of His Time,” the discussion will confront how this period of history has been exiled from public memory and marginalized from mainstream narratives. The speakers will further explore the roles and contributions of Taiwan’s Hakka community within Wang Jingwei’s Reorganized National Government in Nanjing, and invite audiences to consider how authentic history should be written, remembered, and understood.

Kaohsiung Main Public Library
7F International Conference Hall
No.61, Xinguang Road, Qianzhen District, Kaohsiung
Date: Sunday, November 16, 2025
Time: 4–5:30pm
Admission: Free
Reserve NOW!

Extensive research and archival materials related to both talks have been presented in the Wang Jingwei & Modern China book series. Copies of the series will be available for signing at both events (limited quantities). Through these books and talks, readers can gain deeper insight into one of the least understood yet most revealing episodes of modern Chinese history.

Chip Tsao

Renowned Hong Kong columnist, broadcaster and author, now residing in Manchester, England, Chip Tsao has pointed out that the publication of Wang Jingwei & Modern China is a major event in the story of modern Chinese history. "To understand a character," he wrote, “one needs to understand his self analysis, and not use nationalist sentiments to jump to superficial labels and conclusions.”

Gabriel Chai

Ph.D. from the New Asia Research Institute. Director of the Hong Kong Historical Society and leader of the Research Group for Republican History. Host of “Simplicity in Complexity.”

Cindy Ho

Granddaughter of Wang Jingwei, executive editor of the Wang Jingwei and Modern China series, and board member of the Wang Jingwei Memorial Trust. Curator and co-editor of Quentin Roosevelt’s China: Ancestral Realms of the Naxi at the Rubin Museum of Art. Author of Trailing the Written Word and West of the East. Founder of a New York nonprofit for cultural heritage preservation and recipient of the Archaeological Institute of America’s 2016 Outstanding Public Service Award.

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