Young Taiwanese have been paying close attention to these developments, and those who participated in the Sunflower movement can empathize with victims of indiscriminate police violence. The idea of resisting China and protecting Taiwan has become a shared belief among the nation’s youth. This generation grew up after martial law was lifted, which means they were not fed anti-communist material in school as their parents were. This consolidated the KMT’s long hold on power, while a vast majority of Taiwanese grew up with a conformist mindset and weakened ability to engage in rational debate, logical analysis and self-reflection. Martial law was lifted and Taiwan started democratizing in the late 20th century, but even after the central government underwent its first transition of power in 2000, many people were still bound by self-imposed martial law.

Source: Taipei Times December 31, 2019 16:41 UTC