Mailing away a new car:
Even Dr. Chi, when reading over the essays he has written, has a deep feeling that "there is a prevailing thirst for blood" in them. However, "because I am already deeply angry, there is just no way to control my writing." He thereupon breaks into a chuckle.
In going through the various media reports detailing the disorder of the Legislative Yuan and the endless use of position by politicians to carry out unconscionable acts of self gain, anyone who cares about Taiwan has many things to say. Getting into a taxi, even before being comfortably seated, one is immediately treated to a discourse by the driver regarding his or her feelings on MRT construction or the recent strike by bus operators. Even this is a kind of mutual dissemination of ideas!
Though Dr. Chi is, likewise, a man full of opinions, the difference between him and others is that he not only expresses his opinions through his writings, but he also spends great time and effort in publicizing these opinions: in addressing envelopes and affixing stamps. On average, each time there is a mailing of several hundred letters, not only is Dr. Chi kept busy, but so are his wife and two sons.
Time consuming, his mailings are a great monetary burden as well. Two years ago when the cost of mailing printed materials increased from NT$1.5 to NT$3.5, his costs per mailing became four to five thousand NT dollars. The costs are substantial even on a dentist's income.
Previously, Dr. Chi hired people to type out his writings, but later, because typists were difficult to find and expensive, he began to write out his opinions by hand, and, afterwards, to use a copier to make several hundred copies.
"My friends laugh at me. They say that by spending my money on expressing my views, I've thrown away a new car." He laughs at their logic. Even so, how many letters has he mailed out? "Making a conservative estimate, with each mailing I mail out approximately four or five hundred letters. At that rate, I've mailed out at least forty or fifty thousand letters over the years!" He carefully makes a calculation and comes to a realization that from the time he sent out his first letter, seven years have already gone by.
Writing essays in the morning, working in the afternoon:
It is said that only unrealistic people pursue their ideals. What is the perspective that drives Dr. Chi to carry out his passion with the enthusiasm that he obviously does?
When the 48 year old Dr. Chi was a student at National Taiwan University's School of Medicine he joined in with a group of friends who were fervently dedicated to a pursuit of culturally enhancing activities. They mutually agreed that in their lives they would never become government officials. This, all because they "thought that only through cultural pursuits could real breakthroughs in education occur. Such breakthroughs would in turn directly influence the sentiments of the people. In political life it is impossible not to get entangled with profit oriented interest groups; in such an environment truth cannot evolve."
Though Dr. Chi does not necessarily agree with the perspectives of political figures, he does realize that the actions of politicians have a great impact on the rights of the people. As a result, he merely hopes to relate his opinions regarding these politicians' conduct and make sure that these politicians are aware of what he thinks.
Mornings, Dr. Chi does not work in his Taipei dentist office. Instead he devotes that time to his own activities.
One of those activities is working with the Republic of China Camping Association. Since 1975 when he joined the association, Dr. Chi has actively helped the group plan and carry out trips to Taiwan's many recreational activity areas. Because of roughly twenty years of involvement with the group, Dr. Chi has had the chance to witness first hand the destruction of the environment. These observations have made him deeply realize the effects an inappropriately formed public policy can have on the lives of the people. Hence, he believes there exists a need to let policy makers know the sentiments of the little man and continues to send out his letters one by one.
The first letter he wrote was in 1986. In it he related his opposition to the opening of the Kuan Tu Plains. In later letters he wrote regarding public health insurance, the second phase of land reform, political party factional fighting, the pros and cons of construction of the fourth nuclear power plant, outside leisure activities, the mass rapid transit system, etc.
Whatever the issue, Dr. Chi has an opinion. This extends even to his observations regarding the various camping areas he has visited, which have been written down and printed in three separate pamphlets. In forty different commentaries, he has also written out his feelings focusing on a wide range of social issues, all of which he personally paid to have compiled into a book entitled, Thoughts Prior to the Unification of the Two Chinas: Letting Taiwan Become A Truly Beautiful Island. Like his other writings, Dr. Chi also mailed this book out to his mailing audience.
The dentist is here again:
When he first began writing his letters, Dr. Chi only mailed them to members of the media. Later, however, he began to feel that such a course lacked effectiveness, and he changed tactics. He began to send the letters to a broader audience including various administrative bodies. Over the years, few administrative officials are not aware of "the graduate of National Taiwan University's School of Dentistry, Dr. Jackson G.S. Chi."
In addition to these administration officials, any scholar named in the pages of the newspapers is immediately noted by Dr. Chi, and subsequently recorded on his list of recipients.
Dr. Chi also often goes to drop off his mailings at Sung Chiang Road's Central Communications Building, where all the newspapers keep post boxes. After seeing him go there many times, the building's guards already know him, and sometimes they smile and wish him well, saying, "The dentist is here again dropping off his mailings!"
For several years, Dr. Chi has resolutely delivered these mailings. The thing, however, that normally makes people most curious is how those "troubled" by these mailings, individuals such as parliamentarians, governmental officials, etc.--react to them.
"Some of the legislators use my letters to ask questions." On the cabinets in Dr. Chi's dental office are return correspondence from Examination Yuan Minister Wang Tso-jung, Justice Minister Ma Ying-chiu, Kuomintang Party Secretary Hsu Shui-teh, Ilan County Magistrate Yu Hsi-kun, and Parliamentarians Chau Shau-kang, Wei Yung, Hsieh Chang-ting, and Chang Chun-hung. These letters show that these leaders have read his opinions with respect, and admire their writer and his "concern for the nation and its people." Looking over these letters, Dr. Chi voices what he is thinking: "They read my letters, or at least their assistants do." To Dr. Chi, this is enough to keep him going.
"Daddy Chi" yells at people:
After working hard delivering letters for so many years, what most frustrates him is laboriously convincing an official to agree with his opinion, then witnessing that person change jobs. "In one fell swoop, I'll have to start all over again."
With respect to the Taipei MRT System's proposed ticket pricing structure, Dr. Chi wrote a letter to the system's former director, Chi Baocheng, in which he pointed out that at the NT$75 proposed price of a one-way ticket from Tamshui to Taipei, a family of four will have daily commuting expenses of NT$600. For a month that is equivalent to NT$15,000. How can a lower income family afford such an expense?
In turn, the MRT Department agreed that its goal should be to make service its central theme. Its concern should not be whether or not the system will make money; breaking even is enough. Later however, another organization was created, the Taipei MRT Corporation Preparatory Office, and the matter of ticket pricing is again an unsettled issue. Thus, Dr. Chi feels. at least on this issue, he has fallen short of success, and he is disappointed.
Chi's dental clinic colleague, a classmate from National Taiwan University, Chen Sheng-mao, aware of his colleague's love of sending out his letters, has felt its effects. Not only does he help Dr. Chi by reading newspapers and clipping out relevant information, he also follows his example, taking part in environmental movement activities.
After work, on his way home, he picks up discarded newspapers, then sorts them, and turns them in for recycling. Every two weeks such efforts yield twenty kilograms of papers.
"Although he is keenly aware that there are many people that just simply cannot accept his way of thinking, he still wants those officials in positions of power to be aware of the common person's attitude towards his society, as well as towards the direction Taiwan is headed in the future," says Dr. Chen about his friend and working partner. He goes on to describe Dr. Chi as "a person incredibly dedicated to the pursuit of good."
The young members of the camping Association call Dr. Chi, "Daddy Chi," because Dr. Chi is the member most involved in the association's workings, as well as the person that yells at people the most." Joining the group around the age of ten, and being brought up in its midst, Liu Wen-hung has several views on Dr. Chi's relentless pursuit of sending out mailings. In addition to saying such activities are a little "crazy," he is also not particularly able to accept the essays' "save-the-people, save-the-nation" tone.
This is to be expected, however, for in his nearly 50 years Dr. Chi has seen many things others have not witnessed: from the abolition of relations between the R.O.C. and the United States, the movement to protect Tiao Yu Tai Island, to the instability and changes of the 1970's and 80's. Adding to this his experiences related to representing the Republic of China Camping Association in overseas activities, Dr. Chi has acquired a deep intuitive understanding of the international situation facing Taiwan.
Something which is always on his mind is "our inability to fully implement Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People and Chiang Kai-shek's two additions to the Principle of the People's Livelihood." Instead, Taiwan has turned to capitalism to develop . . . . Thus, to Taiwan's current younger generations, these thoughts (Sun's and Chiang's) are the thinking of past generations, and perhaps are too rigid and too outdated.
Even so, Dr. Chi has a flexible side. Sometimes when newspapers would like to use his materials, but hope to modify them slightly, or due to space limitations are not able to print these materials in full, Dr. Chi unhesitatingly agrees to changes. "As long as they don't change my intended meanings, any changes are OK with me."
Saving the spirit is most important:
In Chinese history, there have been many cases of doctors who realized that medicine can only cure the flesh, so they turned to political or literary endeavors in the hope of curing the spirit. Many other doctors have pursued such a course, for example, Sun Yat-sen, the author Lu Hsun, and more recently, National Assembly Member Chen Yung-hsing, and Legislative Yuan member Shen Fu-hsiung.
Dr. Chi on the one hand practices medicine and on the other composes essays. Medical teachings tell him that it is doctors who come in direct contact with human nature, as well as with the common man.
"Though as doctors our salaries are higher than average, these salaries are a result of our relationship with the people. We owe something to these folks!" Dr. Chi defines his job ar "working for the people."
Chi, who lives on Peitou's Sankungchuan Road, finds the three vices of drunkenness, lust and anger to be utterly empty. Still, he is aware that in order to carry out his goals, a certain amount of personal wealth is necessary. (Greed is traditionally known in China as the fourth vice.) Without it, "how can I do my social work?" Even with the thought of bringing a little cultivation to the world, Dr. Chi's greatest hope is only that those who enact policy can understand the desires of the common people they represent.
[Picture Caption]
p.110
What is the commonality between activities of a dentist and commentaries on the course of a nation? Dr. Jackson K.S. Chi has his own kind of logic.
P.112
Responses to Dr. Chi's letters accumulated over the years. Included are letters from governmental officials and other political figures.
p.113
Dr. Chi at his suburban Peitou home, next to mountains and rivers, with his stamp and envelope pasting assistants, his wife and two sons; his gentle and refined looks contrast with the "thirst for blood" of his essays.
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