Episode Details

On March 9th Taiwan Post will be issuing a stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Canadian missionary George Leslie Mackay in Northern Taiwan. Mackay was unlike most 19th century missionaries. He has been referred to as the "son-in-law of Taiwan," and was a forward thinker. He was one of the first to oppose the Head Tax imposed on Chinese in Canada.

To help understand who George Leslie Mackay was and the significance of his contributions, I'll be speaking with Reverend Michael Stainton, the founder of the Canadian Mackay Committee. Reverend Stainton has worked for the last 25 years to promote the recognition of Mackay in Canada and on several campaigns for Canada Post to issue a stamp to commemorate George Leslie Mackay.

Those interested in contacting the Canadian Mackay Committee can email Canadianmackay@gmail.com

This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by the Taiwan Elite Alliance 優社 and the Taiwanese United Fund.

The Taiwan Elite Alliance 優社 was established in 2000 to promote Taiwanese and Taiwanese American arts and literature, and to protect and enhance the human rights, freedom and democracy of the people in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese United Fund is an arts and culture foundation that celebrates the cultural heritages of Taiwanese Americans. Established in 1986, the foundation's mission is to facilitate cultural exchange between the Taiwanese American community and other American cultural communities, hoping to enrich and expand our cultural experiences. To learn more about TUF visit their website http://www.tufusa.org/

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• How and when Reverent Stainton first learned about Dr. George Leslie Mackay
• How Reverend Stainton was a student radical at York University and was involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement and interested in China
• How Reverend Stainton became disillusioned with the friendship work with China that he was doing
• How Reverend Stainton was initially reluctant to go to Taiwan to work with the Presbyterian Church in 1979
• How the Kuomintang had cancelled elections in response to U.S. President Jimmy Carter's switch in recognition from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China (in 1978)
• The Tangwai movement in 1979
• How Reverend Kao Chun-ming, who was the guarantor on Reverend Stainton's visa to Taiwan (in 1979) had gotten arrested for helping to hide Shih Ming-teh
• How things in Taiwan were in chaos when Reverend Stainton arrived there in 1980
• Upon arriving in Taiwan Reverend Stainton was assigned to the Aboriginal Student Center
• At the time the Kuomintang believed the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was a cat's paw of the Chinese Communist Party
• Reverend Stainton was warned that he would be watched and under surveillance with his phone calls tapped and letters opened
• How Reverend Stainton was asked to play the part of Dr. George Leslie Mackay in a play was put on for the 100th anniversary of the Mackay Memorial Hospital in 1981
• In 1992 after Reverent Stainton had returned to Canada, he saw the importance of promoting the recognition of Dr. George Leslie Mackay in Canada
• How Dr. George Leslie Mackay breaks the stereotypes of 19th century missionaries
• How Joseph Steere a professor of Zoology at the University of Michigan who met Mackay in Taiwan in 1873 wrote that he observed that Mackay treated the Chinese as equals rather than an inferior race
• How Mackay learned Taiwanese culture and language from his students
• How Mackay accepted his students' suggestion and arrangement for him to