This English version may have been machine-generated from the Chinese original and may not convey the original meaning accurately.
This time, the breeze was gentle and the light and shadows interwove, and a new face joined us in the record of our 45th gathering. This kind of “fluid” growth—the persistence of old friends and the arrival of newcomers—is precisely the vitality that has sustained our action to this day.
There was an interesting interlude while I was taking photos.
A passerby looked at our slogan and said earnestly to her friend: “Taiwan is a country.”（Taiwan is a country.）
My thoughts on this issue are very simple: whether a place is called a “country,” or what kind of future it moves toward, ultimately does not depend on struggles among outside forces, but on the people who live on that land.
Very often, the outside world is accustomed to defining Taiwan’s position, attributes, and identity for it, but the ones who truly bear the consequences are Taiwanese society itself. And they have already established a mature democratic system—elections, changes of governing parties, and space for free expression. These are not abstract concepts, but realities operating in everyday life.
By standing here, we are supporting the Taiwanese people’s right to choose their own way of life. They possess an extremely precious democratic system, as well as the right to speak freely, vote freely, and define their own identity freely. This “right to define” itself is the core appeal of democracy. We hope even more that this democratic system can spread to China, so that more Chinese people can enjoy the happiness brought by democracy and freedom.
At the 45th gathering, attendance was steady and the atmosphere was gentle.
Without having to struggle against harsh weather, we had more space to reflect on the meaning of “expression” itself. When someone voluntarily helped take a group photo for us, or when passersby firmly expressed their understanding, these moments all showed that even a fixed banner can reflect different rays of light in different people’s eyes.
We do not need to convince everyone. We only need to stand there honestly and wait for those moments of resonance to occur.
Next Monday, at the 46th gathering, see you again.