People in Taiwan have long seemed to be tangled in a web of issues pertaining to historical origins, differentiating one another with labels such as wai-shengren (外省人) — Mainlanders who fled from China with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) after 1949 — or the benshengren (本省人), those who came to Taiwan from China centuries ago. Recent reports on the outpouring of love and care for Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒), however, have debunked claims that a “provincial complex” (省籍情結) divides the people in this country.
A fundraiser was held last week for Chin, a political commentator known for his outspoken pro--Taiwan independence stance. The fundraiser was initiated as a means to help Chin, who is embroiled in financial difficulties because of multiple lawsuits against him. The financial burden is expected to take a bigger toll on him following his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in August.