Taiwan’s two “fathers of democracy,” Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), passed away during the past two years. When Lee and Peng bade farewell to the nation, there was no sign of authoritarianism in Taiwan, as remembered at sites such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei or the Touliao Mausoleum in Taoyuan’s Dasi District (大溪), which commemorate former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) respectively.
That is as it should be, because Lee and Peng’s great achievements have long been integrated into daily life.