Taiwanese-American independent journalist Clarissa Wei recently wrote an article about why she chose to immigrate back to Taiwan from the United States, and contributed to CNN. She pointed out that although China’s threat to Taiwan is increasing day by day, due to the deterioration of the security and political situation in the United States in recent years, she cannot believe that the United States is a suitable place to live. She also praised Taiwan’s political stability, security and parenting environment as compared to the United States. Well, this is also the reason why she chose to immigrate back to Taiwan from the United States in 2020.
Wei Beishan’s parents grew up in the 1970s. Since Taiwan was under martial law at that time and the threat from China to Taiwan was getting higher every year, they believed that Taiwan was not an ideal place to raise a family. And her father still remembers the scene when the United States and the People’s Republic of China established diplomatic relations in 1979. Her father told him, “We are not sure whether the United States will protect us if there is a conflict.” In the 1970s and 1980s, 20% of Taiwan’s college graduates chose to study abroad, and few of these people who went abroad came back.
Because of such changes in the environment, they moved away from Taiwan, which they were familiar with, in their 20s. Therefore, Wei Beishan was born in the suburbs of Los Angeles. To his parents, America was a safe haven, and they wanted her to grow up in a comfortable environment rather than the cramped, moldy building they had grown up in. At the same time, they did not want their children to grow up under the shadow of martial law, so Wei Beishan grew up in a very comfortable and free environment from birth.
However, in 2020, she did the opposite. With the COVID-19 epidemic raging around the world, she and her husband chose to move back to Taiwan and gave birth to a baby boy in Taipei. Although he chose to move back to Taiwan, the threat from China has not diminished. At the same time, the concept that Taiwan is dangerous has become deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so that every time my husband and I leave Taiwan, we are cared about by our friends and family. They ask us are we safe in Taiwan? Will China attack Taiwan?
Despite China’s growing threat to Taiwan, she and her husband chose to move back to Taiwan. They believe that Taiwan still has many advantages. For example, in the past 30 years, Taiwan has transformed from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime. At the same time, during the transfer of power, the transfer of power was peaceful, which is no longer certain in the United States. Furthermore, it is illegal to possess guns in Taiwan. Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children in the United States. In addition, Taiwan is also more advanced than the United States in terms of health insurance and childcare environment and policies. These reasons also made her choose to move back to Taiwan from the United States.
Wei Beishan also pointed out that although the United States is still a popular destination for immigrants, it also carries the dream of most people who want to immigrate to the United States. However, with the changes in the political situation and the deterioration of the security environment in the United States in recent years, they no longer think that the United States is a suitable place to live. After they moved to Taipei, they felt a long-lost sense of relaxation. In Taipei, she could walk in dark alleys with her wallet in the middle of the night without worrying about being robbed. She can also put her phone, wallet, and laptop on the coffee shop table before going to the bathroom and make sure all my belongings will be there when I come back. This sense of comfort and relaxation was something she had never felt in the United States.
