One of the ROC veterans, Mr. Ho Jing, delivered a speech
On 10 November, the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium (TRO) held an opening reception for the photo exhibition entitled ”A Shared History, A common Destiny” in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of WWII and the Second Sino-Japanese War, in the Bibliothèque Solvay, in Brussels. The exhibit focuses on the Belgian missionary Fr. Vincent Lebbe, who established a rescue service for the Chinese army during the war, and Mrs. Siu Lin Tsien de Perlinghi, who saved many young Belgians, and Mr. John Rabe, who sheltered Chinese civilian population from the war, as well as on the role of the Republic of China (ROC) in WWII more broadly. It aims to keep the memory of Fr. Lebbe, Mrs. de Perlinghi and Mr. Rabe alive by telling their story to the European public, while honouring the sacrifices made by the European and Chinese people to end the war.
On behalf the ROC government, Representative Kuoyu Tung presented Claude Lebbe, grandnephew of Fr. Vincent Lebbe, with a commemorative medal marking the 70th anniversary of the ROC's victory in the war against Japan. Andrew Yang, senior adviser of the National Security Council, and Vanessa Shih, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, were also attending the ceremony. He also conferred medals of commemoration on three ROC veterans. One of the veterans,
Mr. Ho Jing (金鶴) told the story of his military service and explained the stories behind his injuries to the audience. He also expressed his gratitude to the government for its commemoration of the veterans’ sacrifices.
Representative Tung stressed that the ROC became one of the four major Allied nations fighting against the Axis powers and Taiwan then reverted to the ROC, after 50 year colonization by Japan, in 1945. He went on to say that the exhibition aims to characterize a shared history, not of violence but benevolence, and not of loathing but love, which eventually leads to a common destiny of cooperation and development.
Items such as Father Lebbe’s typewriter, ink box and insignia, as well as Mrs. De Perlinghi’s Medal of Honor from the Belgian government and the sign from the street named after her were on display. Films made by ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commemorating the 70th anniversary, were also shown to raise awareness of a somewhat lesser-known aspect of WWII.
The exhibition contains 73 precious pictures from various institutes, such as Academia Historica, the United Nations, the ROC Red Cross Society and from private collectors. While the personal stories of Fr. Lebbe and Mrs. de Perlinghi will be of special interest to the Belgian audience, visitors can also learn more about the ROC’s role in the Allied forces, its involvement in the creation of the UN and the post-war world order, as well as its recent humanitarian relief efforts. The exhibition will be on display at the Bibliotheque Solvay from 11-25 November.
Opening Hours
Free entry:
11 November 09:00-18:00
12 November 09:00-11:30
By appointment only:
13 -25 November 09:00-18:00
Tel: (02)738-7596
Email: venues@edificio.be
