Originally published by The International Journal of Taiwan Studies on 01/02/2022.
‘We Have to Save Our Own Nation Ourselves’ (自己國家自己救) emerged as a memorable slogan from Taiwan’s Sunflower occupation in early 2014. So memorable in fact that a few months later Umbrella activists would proclaim, ‘We Have to Save Our Hong Kong Ourselves’ (自己香港自己救). This is just one striking similarity which makes comparing these social movements so tempting. This is exactly what Ming-Sho Ho, professor of sociology at National Taiwan University, has done in Challenging Beijing’s Mandate of Heaven (2019).
Here we have two movements emerging in the same year with a similar student base, tactics, and with particular appeal among young people. Moreover, both movements directed their fury at leaders who they saw as increasingly accommodating towards Beijing. For the Sunflowers the fear of greater economic integration with China drove their occupation of the Legislative Yuan. While Hongkongers took to the streets in an effort to complete the process of democratisation despite pushback from the mainland.
READ FULL REVIEW HERE.