Taiwan Sunflower Movement Student Protesters “Have No Pubes”

Although Taiwan’s student protests (also known as the Sunflower Movement) came to an end on April 10th, debate surrounding the movement’s legacy is still a hotly debated media topic. Recently, Taiwanese media commentator Li Ao has weighed in, inciting strong reactions from Taiwanese netizens. Li is a pivotal figure in Taiwan’s democratization movement, and a prolific author and philosopher. He briefly had his own TV commentary show Li Ao Has Something to Say, an hourly talk show that served as a platform to broadcast his unique viewpoint. Li is also a fervent supporter of immediate cross-strait reunification.

From Apple Daily Taiwan:

Li Ao Criticizes Sunflower Movement, Mocks Students As “Not Even Having ‘Pubes’”

Although author Li Ao has already declared his position on the Cross-Strait Service and Trade Pact (CSSTA), his stance towards the student-led Sunflower Movement seems to be less than favorable. For days now, it seems a new piece of criticism has been leveled at the student movement each day, either mocking the students as “bastards” or criticizing the students as “little tadpoles”, even saying: “[the students] don’t even have a pubic hair (plot/scheme),” evoking debate among netizens.

Yesterday Li Ao again lectured on Weibo, using Zhang Hong’s celebrated remarks made during the anti-Japanese resistance: “you have no poise to practice democracy, nor the guts to carry out revolution!” He also added “I can express this all using just 14 Chinese characters, and see through these cowards decrepit vicious lies. Taiwan’s democracy is a sham, others aren’t real either, this is only creating a disturbance.”

On April 11th, Li went on to mock Taiwan’s habit of looking to America for guidance on everything, simultaneously sticking it to the students in a single stroke: “Washington is saying to Beijing: ‘Ma Yingjeou is our American running dog, the DPP is my other hand, while the students are tadpoles who just grew their tails and don’t have a single “pube” to call their own. [Li Ao is making a play on words here, “陰毛”, the word for pubic hair, sounds somewhat similar to the word “陰謀”, the Chinese word for plot or scheme.]

The article was praised by netizens: “If only China had a few more people like Master Li.” But there were also netizens who expressed disapproval: “Originally I thought responding to your statement with silence would be fine, because I know this is an issue of differing principles unable to join a common cause. Yes, you were educated to think this way, and I respect that you were raised in this way, but your opinion only demonstrates one thing, that you don’t understand us (Taiwanese).”

Comments from Apple Daily Taiwan:

台大員

Haha……”the Great Turd” [the word for “master” and “turd” sound somewhat similar in Chinese]……nothing but a big mouth left……

John Lemur

It’s alright, we still have our prostates, he doesn’t. [Note: Li Ao underwent surgery in 2003 in order to fight prostate cancer.]

黃敏智

The guy whose pubes are about to fall out has the balls to talk big?

王羽華

Demagogic old geezer, he no longer even has a prostate, yet has the gall to say others don’t have pubes. If this isn’t laughable, then what is?

Dwayne Hern

At the very least he went to jail in his fight for Taiwan’s democracy… The majority of you just know how to talk big/mouth off.

Tze Chung Yuan

At first Pro-Independence Taiwan groups only had the guts to bully Ma Yingjeou, but when they meet a stronger opponent, they immediately cower off, and when they encounter the CCP, their knees shake in fear. Taiwanese history expert Professor Yin said it best: If those who support Taiwanese independence want to be tough, go be tough with the Chinese Communists, because it is the Chinese Communists who won’t let you have independence, and if you have the guts, go fight it out with the Chinese Communists. But you don’t have the guts either. So what’s the use of running around complaining about it?

No wonder Taipei City’s Zhongzheng District Police Chief Fang curses these Taiwan Independence supporters as cowards. Even their commander-in-chief Lin Fei-fan [the leader of the Sunflower Student Movement] admits they don’t have guts! It’s no wonder that they don’t dare offend the White Wolf [Zhang Anle, a former crime boss turned politician] or dare offend the CCP. It turns out they’re afraid to die, an how can you start a revolution if you’re afraid to die?

It is only against a “nice guy” like Ma Ying-jeou that they are so arrogant/aggressive.

If you have the guts, go join the military, directly “fight the Communists”, and if the PLA makes landfall, let Lin Fei-fan and Chen Wei-ting [also a leader of the Sunflower movement] fight the first battle and be the first to do a meritorious deed [be on the front lines risking their lives], as opposed to blustering at home, only daring to bully the police and their own people [other Taiwanese people]!”

Comments from Facebook::

陳勇翰

Soon there will be a new fan group.
One person, one pubic hair, mailed to Li Ao!
500,000 strands of pubic hair [500,000 being the number of people that attended the student organized rally on March 31st] should be enough to make at least a few wigs. That will send him a message.

林家正

Pfft, old people with nothing left but mouths to blabber are totally useless.

Sheng-yuan Chiu

There’s honestly no need to waste time on one of China’s running dogs.

水犽兒

…The only thing Li Ao has got left is the ability to piss…and talk big.

游清翔

Ma Yingjeou has deer antlers growing from his ears.

Orion Lee

Why is that a whole bunch of has-beens are coming out of the woodwork to make news recently?
Taiwan isn’t chaotic enough as it is right now?
Big Shot Xu Nailin, the gaudy make-up bear, and now pubic hair Li Ao… Taiwan’s innocent bystanders beg you to let us live in peace…

Raiden Fu

May I ask what does Mr. Li does with all the pubic hair he’s grown?

Cerise Lin

Vulgar

Cheng Wei Shih

He’s still alive?

鄭善

Taiwan really doesn’t need these Chinese people who simply live in Taiwan making arguments.

Xun Yu

Is it against the law to not have pubes?

James Teng

Keep talking. Otherwise, there won’t be a job for you in China!

Luka Lin

His pubic hair has all been shaved off by the CCP, like a sex slave who’s had permanent hair removal. Even his children [scrotum] is in the CCP’s hands, simply a neutered eunuch.