Sun Kuo-hsi vividly remembers the chaos of the final years of the Chinese civil war and the government forces he fought for collapsing in front of Mao Zedong’s Communists, forcing him to flee by boat to Taiwan in 1949 in a perilous eight-day crossing.“There was no dock; everyone was splashing around in the water,” Sun, 110, said in his government-run veterans care home in the northern city of Taoyuan. “Talking about it with young people now, they’ve not been through that time, they don’t care, say it’s in the past. Nobody listens,” said Sun, one of the last generation in Taiwan to have fought against China and experience war. Although the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan more than seven decades, there was never a peace treaty to end the war with the People’s Republic of China. Neither government recognizes the other.During the past four years, China has ramped up its military pressure against the nation it claims as Chinese territory, including staging two rounds of major military exercises, stoking fears of a war that could drag in the US.
Award of Excellence
Taiwan’s last generation to fight China
Ann Wang
Reuters
Taiwan
Ann Wang came back to Taiwan by accidentally due to Covid, left as a teenager she had the opportunity to learn about the island again as an adult and a photojournalist, but this time around her homeland became what the Economist magazine called “the most dangerous place on earth”. Her work focus on documenting the undercurrent conflict between China and Taiwan. Military action by Taiwan ministry of defense, civil defense training held by local community groups, but also focus on the history of Taiwan, how millions of people fled China in 1948 after losing the civil war and made Taiwan their home. Despite the global attend to the potential conflict, she also try to document how the people on this island carry on with their lives, finding love at match making events, fashion shows, religious events and reproductive rights for female when they choice to go through grilling and time consuming egg freezing operation. She hopes her work presents a balanced view of Taiwan to the global audience.
[ ISSUE REPORTING PICTURE STORY ] A long-term project on a single topic. It could focus on science, news, politics or any number of topics, ranging from coverage of a single person to an entire community. The project must convey a deep understanding of the subject. Each submission consists of 10 to 40 images. Each participant is allowed to enter up to 2 submissions. All images must be taken in 2023.
Judges for Issue Reporting Picture Story
Quick links to award categories: Spot News / Portraits / Nature & Environment / Recreational & Traditional Sports / Sports Action / General News / Daily Life / Daily Life Picture Story / Portrait Series / Issue Reporting Picture Story / Cultural Practices / Photographer of the Year, Asia
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