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Nylon Cheng Liberty Memorial Museum Audio Guide 10.Burnt, but Not Destroyed (1989).
【**Burnt, but Not Destroyed (1989). **】
This is the Editor’s Office at the Freedom Era Weekly. This was where Nylon Cheng self-immolated.
Nylon had famously said, “The KMT cannot arrest me. They can only seize my corpse.” (“The KMT cannot arrest my person, just my corpse.”) From the moment Nylon began his self-imprisonment on January 26, he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.
He installed iron doors, windows and barbed wire to block the police force from entering. Under his desk, he prepared lighters and gasoline. His family and friends, including his wife Yeh Chu-lan, tried to dissuade him, but no one could change his mind.
He once said, “I am a very patient person. I take my time to decide. But once I’ve made my decision, I am resolute and will not change my mind.” Whenever someone tried to dissuade him, he would tell them to read the book The History of the Korean Student Movement- a book about student activism in Korea from the 1940s to the 1980s and some of their decisions to self-immolate as an expression of their beliefs. What Nylon wanted was to awaken the Taiwanese people through self-immolation.
In the early morning of April 7, after a long 71 days of self-imprisonment, hundreds of police, soldiers, and secret police were dispatched to the magazine. First, they jammed up the telephone line of the office by calling and pretending to be interested subscribers. Then, they cut the power supply to the building. By then, the office had completely lost contact with the outside.
In the chaos, the police and soldiers had surrounded the office. They planned to attack from the first floor up.
At this time, Nylon woke up his sleeping daughter, Cheng Chu-mei, and entrusted her to his staff. And then, he told everyone to leave - staff, volunteers, and family members.
While everyone was busy and not paying attention, Nylon locked himself again in the Editor’s office. He lit the gasoline he had prepared, and he set himself on fire. He sacrificed his life for the ideas he pursued, for the Taiwan he cherished, and for the generations to come.
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By 鄭南榕基金會
【**Burnt, but Not Destroyed (1989). **】
This is the Editor’s Office at the Freedom Era Weekly. This was where Nylon Cheng self-immolated.
Nylon had famously said, “The KMT cannot arrest me. They can only seize my corpse.” (“The KMT cannot arrest my person, just my corpse.”) From the moment Nylon began his self-imprisonment on January 26, he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.
He installed iron doors, windows and barbed wire to block the police force from entering. Under his desk, he prepared lighters and gasoline. His family and friends, including his wife Yeh Chu-lan, tried to dissuade him, but no one could change his mind.
He once said, “I am a very patient person. I take my time to decide. But once I’ve made my decision, I am resolute and will not change my mind.” Whenever someone tried to dissuade him, he would tell them to read the book The History of the Korean Student Movement- a book about student activism in Korea from the 1940s to the 1980s and some of their decisions to self-immolate as an expression of their beliefs. What Nylon wanted was to awaken the Taiwanese people through self-immolation.
In the early morning of April 7, after a long 71 days of self-imprisonment, hundreds of police, soldiers, and secret police were dispatched to the magazine. First, they jammed up the telephone line of the office by calling and pretending to be interested subscribers. Then, they cut the power supply to the building. By then, the office had completely lost contact with the outside.
In the chaos, the police and soldiers had surrounded the office. They planned to attack from the first floor up.
At this time, Nylon woke up his sleeping daughter, Cheng Chu-mei, and entrusted her to his staff. And then, he told everyone to leave - staff, volunteers, and family members.
While everyone was busy and not paying attention, Nylon locked himself again in the Editor’s office. He lit the gasoline he had prepared, and he set himself on fire. He sacrificed his life for the ideas he pursued, for the Taiwan he cherished, and for the generations to come.
--
Hosting provided by SoundOn