The Death of Li Ao

Li Ao died aged 83. He was well-known as a critic, historian, and writer. He died around 11:00 am on Sunday, March18, in Taipei, Taiwan’s Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

Ao had been suffering from a brain tumor since July, 2015. His death was reported as peaceful based on reportage from Xinhua that quoted a hospital statement.

Ao was born in 1935 in Harbin, which is the Heilongjiang Province capital. He was raised in Beijing until the age of 14. His family left, and he with them, in 1949 for Taiwan, where he studied history.

Ao was a critic of the island’s ruler of the time. This resulted in an imprisonment in March, 1971. Ao was freed in November of 1976. He was openly critical of political situations and events and opposed the independence of Taiwan.

He argued for China’s reunification, according to Xinhua. Apparently, his commentary was valued and worth sparking conversation. For example, one casual comment in 2005 began to spark commentary from Chinese Singaporeans.

He was touring China in September of 2005. At a press conference in Hong Kong after the tour, Ao said, “Taiwanese are still better. They’re scoundrels but they’re lovable. Hong Kongers are craftier. Singaporeans are stupider. The Chinese are more unfathomable.”

It led to columns, conversations, and letters in the Singapore Chinese newspapers including Shin Min Daily News and Lianhe Zaobao.

He ran a popular talk show called Li Ao’s Standpoint. He claimed that the leadership of Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew was based on the collective rather than the individual.

In this, the Republic becomes a “collective creation,” which leads to not as many “outstanding people.” He made the nativist argument that the forefathers of Singapore were poorly educated, so the Singaporeans are “not of a good stock.”

References

Focus Taiwan. (2018, March 18). Renowned writer Li Ao dies (update). Retrieved from http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201803180008.aspx.

The Straits Times. (2018, March 18). Taiwanese author Li Ao dies after battling with

brain tumour. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwanese-author-li-ao-dies-after-battling-with-cancer.

Xinhua. (2018, March 18). Taiwan writer Li Ao dies aged 83. Retrieved from http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/18/c_137047544.htm.