This English version may have been machine-generated from the Chinese original and may not convey the original meaning accurately.
June 30, 2025, was the first day we launched this action in Times Square.
At the beginning of the event, I was not sure whether anyone else would show up. Until just before setting out, I had always thought that this might be an action undertaken by me alone. Even so, I had already made my decision—whether or not anyone accompanied me, I would arrive at the site on time and complete this act of speaking out alone.
Making that decision was more difficult than the action itself.
It meant standing alone in a crowded public space, facing the gazes of strangers and expressing my position; it also meant choosing to make my stance public even in the absence of any response or support. But precisely because of this, that first step held irreplaceable significance—if even “starting” could not be accomplished, everything that followed would be impossible.
That evening, I arrived in Times Square as planned. The neon lights and crowds were as noisy as ever, with tourists from around the world streaming past. No one knew what was about to happen here, and no one knew whether this action would continue.
But contrary to what I had expected, I was not the only person there that day.
In the end, two people stood together.
The number of people was not important, but “not being alone” changed the nature of the event. It changed from “individual expression” into “a collective voice”; from a single attempt into an action with the potential to continue.
We unfurled a banner at the site, expressing support for Taiwan’s freedom and democracy, opposing the use of force to resolve the Taiwan issue, and publicly calling for an end to authoritarian rule and the establishment of a society founded on freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.
That evening had no scale, no organization, and no outside attention. But it accomplished something more important: it confirmed that this was something that could be started.
From that day on, this action was no longer just an idea, but became a presence in reality.
Looking back on that day, its significance lies not in its scale, but in its beginning.
Because everything began with the decision that “even if I am the only one, I still have to go.”