The IHP Archives holds two identification papers dated 1950 and signed by Director Fu Ssu-nien (1896–1950) for Research Fellow Hsiao-ting Li’s (1918–1997) mother and nephew.
Li was born into a wealthy landowning family in Changde, Hunan, and later moved to Taiwan with the IHP in May 1949, while his mother, Li Zhang Sida (?–?), remained at their hometown. She ultimately decided to flee, however, with her daughter’s son when informed that the Communist Party planned to engage the area in battle. Li’s memoirs describe that his mother was illiterate and had bound foot; nonetheless, she traveled a long distance despite language difficulties with her young grandson and was finally able to take a ship to Taiwan from Hong Kong in early 1950. This remarkable story serves as a reminder of the difficulties faced by IHP staff and their families when making the move to Taiwan during the turmoil of war.
For more, see Hsiao-ting Li, Lamenting Those Who Passed (Taipei: Dongda tushu gongsi, 1996) (in Chinese).
Li was born into a wealthy landowning family in Changde, Hunan, and later moved to Taiwan with the IHP in May 1949, while his mother, Li Zhang Sida (?–?), remained at their hometown. She ultimately decided to flee, however, with her daughter’s son when informed that the Communist Party planned to engage the area in battle. Li’s memoirs describe that his mother was illiterate and had bound foot; nonetheless, she traveled a long distance despite language difficulties with her young grandson and was finally able to take a ship to Taiwan from Hong Kong in early 1950. This remarkable story serves as a reminder of the difficulties faced by IHP staff and their families when making the move to Taiwan during the turmoil of war.
For more, see Hsiao-ting Li, Lamenting Those Who Passed (Taipei: Dongda tushu gongsi, 1996) (in Chinese).