Su Beng

Su Beng (; 9 November 1918 – 20 September 2019), was a Taiwanese revolutionary, historian, and political activist. Widely regarded as a founder of the Taiwan independence movement, Su was an advocate of Taiwanese left-wing nationalism in the socialist sense and was a member of the Taiwan independence Left who opposed Japanese and Chinese imperialism.

Early years and exile

Su was born on November 9, 1918, in Shirin Town, Taihoku Chō, Japanese Taiwan (modern-day Shilin District of Taipei). His birth name was Lîm Tiâu-hui . When he was eleven years old, he began using his maternal surname, Shih .

Return from exile

In 1993, Su Beng returned to reside in Taipei, Taiwan. The following year, April 1994, he began the Taiwan Independence Action motorcade, which he conceived as a way to raise the Taiwanese people’s consciousness. The motorcade makes its rounds from Taipei county to Taipei city, every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, delivering messages calling for Taiwan’s independence and the normalization of Taiwan as a country.

Labeled a radical, violent militant and communist, he was dubbed the "Che Guevara of Taiwan". Several tall tales existed about Su Beng’s controversial life decisions, one of which included electing to have a vasectomy when he was in his twenties while working undercover for the CCP in China.

Su died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure at Taipei Medical University Hospital on 20 September 2019, aged 100.

Pen name He first used Su Beng (史明, literally "to clearly understand the history") as his pen name for Taiwanese’s 400 Year History in 1962. In choosing his pen name, he wanted to express his motivation for writing the book. Su Beng believed that once the Taiwanese people understand their unique history, they will be able to know who they are, what they want for themselves and their nation. The two characters which make up his name mean "history" and "clear", respectively. Taken together, they may be interpreted as “history clearly”, as in “to know history clearly.”