100 Miles Away, A World Apart

What is one place on Earth that is more authentically Chinese than China? Many would argue it’s Taiwan.

The island of Taiwan sits off the coast of Mainland China. Taiwan and China share the same ethnicity, same culture, same history, and same language. But there’s one very big difference: since 1949, China has been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party whereas Taiwan is now a democracy. That one difference has caused these two places, situated a mere 100 miles from each other, to seem like two different worlds.

There is no greater example of this difference than with the treatment of Falun Gong.

Today in China, Falun Gong practitioners are kidnapped from their homes for meditating, seized while handing out leaflets, or arrested for posting information online—and they are frequently tortured and killed.

Today in Taiwan, there are hundreds of practice sites in parks and public spaces where people can go to learn Falun Gong free of charge. Falun Gong is widely acclaimed for its healthy life style and moral living from civil groups as well as the highest levels of government in Taiwan.

Today in China, Falun Gong is demonized whereas in Taiwan it is celebrated. This one fact speaks volumes to the difference between Communist China and democratic Taiwan.