Brief History of Taiwanese Association of America – Minnesota Chapter
Author: Chi-Ming Tseng
When did Taiwanese people begin living in Minnesota? It’s hard to know exactly when they began arriving, but we do know that in 1960, there were approximately 32 international students from Taiwan. The Formosan American Club of Minnesota was established in 1966-67, with Ying-ming Shih as the President, Charles Song as the Chief Advisor, and about 114 members, whose names filled 8 full pages of a typed address book. The Formosan American Club participated in the Taiwanese Association of America national meeting for the first time in 1972.
According to the 2000 Census, there were 747 people in Minnesota who considered themselves Taiwanese, which is 0.4% of the Asian American and Pacific Islander population. This was the first time that Taiwanese people had been counted separately. According to the 2010 Census data, 1078 people in Minnesota considered themselves Taiwanese (1,375 people if multi-ethnic individuals are counted), ranking Taiwanese as the 14th largest group in the Asian category, and 22nd largest among Taiwanese populations across the United States.
The term length for the President of the Taiwanese Association of America – Minnesota Chapter is usually one year, with the term beginning in September of the previous year. The past presidents are listed as follows:
| 1966 | Ying-ming Shih | 1967 | Ying-ming Shih | 1968 | Fu-chuan Liu | 1969 | Chen-chi Huang | 1970 | Ching-yao Wu |
| 1971 | Han-chin Liu | 1972 | Shu-mei Chang | 1973 | Chung-yuan Liao | 1974 | Cheng-hsing Chou | 1975 | Che-lang Chang |
| 1976 | Che-hsiung Tu | 1977 | Ta-chin Wu | 1978 | Adrian Lin | 1979 | Wen-chien Lin | 1980 | Ching-ping Cheng |
| 1981 | Le-chun Chen, Fred Juang, Edward Yu | 1982 | Ming-cheng Wang | 1983 | Chin-shan Wang、Cheng-Cher Huang | 1984 | Sung-Peng Hsu | 1985 | Chin-Hsin Jason Liu |
| 1986 | Yu Pai | 1987 | Edwin Hsu | 1988 | Chih-chung Hsu | 1989 | Yi-fu Lin | 1990 | Rung-ji Liu、 John Ko |
| 1991 | John Ko | 1992 | George Lin | 1993 | Cheng-Cher Huang | 1994 | Wen-chien Lin | 1995 | Mei-you Ko |
| 1996 | Susan Huang | 1997 | Amy Hsu | 1998 | Juey-hong Lai | 1999 | Chuan-chieh Hsu | 2000 | Ching-chang Ko |
| 2001 | Ying-Yuh Lu | 2002 | Tsan-kuo Chang | 2003 | John Ko | 2004 | Ray Tsai | 2005 | Jennfeng Yan |
| 2006 | Raymond Lu | 2007 | John Ko | 2008 | Kuang-sheng Cheng | 2009 | Ying-Yuh Lu | 2010 | Mike Sie-tung Liu |
| 2011 | Charles Chiang | 2012 | Jennfeng Yan | 2013 | Kent Cheng | 2014 | Ying-Yuh Lu | 2015 | Cheng-Cher Huang |
| 2016 | Kuang-sheng Cheng | 2017 | Kuang-sheng Cheng |
Aside from celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Lunar New Year, and welcoming dinners, and summer picnics, the association also regularly hosted visitors, politicians, scholars, experts, and various community leaders from other states or from Taiwan, as well as local Taiwanese Americans to give speeches or perform. The following list is a summary of these speeches and performances:
| Visitor/Speaker | Topic or Performance Content | |
| 1979 | Ming Min Peng, Hamline University Professor: Richard Kagan | Taiwan’s Political Situation |
| 1979 | Musician: Shu-te Li | |
| 1982 | FAPA President: Tron-Rong Tsai | |
| 1983 | Tangwai (“outside-the-party”) figure: Hsin-liang Hsu | |
| 1984 | Writer: Bo Yang | The Ugly Chinaman |
| 1985 | Writers: Wu Yung-fu, Li Kuei-hsien, Lin Heng-tai, Yang Ching-chu, Li Chiao | |
| 1986 | Tangwai figures: Hsin-liang Hsu, Roger Hsieh, Sisy Chen, Ho Duan-fan, Chou Ching-yu, You Ching
Writer: Wang Tuoh |
|
| 1987 | Writer: Sung Tse-lai | |
| 1988 | Writer: Lin Yang-min | “From Central Daily News Reporter to Tangwai Writer” |
| 1988 | Artist: Chen Lai-hsing | “Problems in Taiwan’s World of Fine Arts” |
| 1990 | Former Magistrate of Yilan County: Chen Ding-nan | Outdoor speech and picnic |
| 1990 | Local Taiwanese American, Scholar of economics: David Dai-sheng Hong | “Environmental Protection in Taiwan” |
| 1991 | Kansas State University Professor: Liang-Shing Fan | “The Economy and Independence” |
| 1991 | Folk music composer and traveling musician: Chen Ming-chang | Concert |
| 1991 | University of Wisconsin Madison Professor: Hung-mao Tien | “Taiwanese Politics” |
| 1991 | Intellectual: Dr. Jer-Shung (Hon-Tze) Lin | Forum |
| 1991 | FAPA President: John Chen | Speech |
| 1991 | WUFI: Bei Hung Kuo | Speech |
| 1992 | Local Taiwanese American and philosopher: Sung-Peng Hsu | “Divine Nature, Buddha Nature, and Human Nature” |
| 1992 | Li Hung-hsi, Lung-Chi Chen, Fang-Ming Chen, etc | Midwest Taiwanese Summer Conference Speeches |
| 1992 | Rui Mu Lee | Speech, fundraiser for the Taiwan Nation-building Research Institute |
| 1993 | Legislator: Annette Lu, National Assembly Member: Chang Fu-Mei | Attended the “China: A Turning Point in History” Seminar at University of Minnesota, gave speeches for the Taiwanese American community. |
| 1994 | Local Taiwanese American: Wen-po Su | Speech |
| 1996 | Folk music composer: Ming-che Wang | Concert tour |
| 1996 | Professor of Dentistry at University of Minnesota: Ching-chang Ko | “Oral Hygiene” |
| 1996 | Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Minnesota: Wei-Shou Hu | “Artificial Livers” |
| 1996 | WUFI: Professor Chao-tang Huang | Speech |
| 1996 | Taiwan Independence Party: Professor Lin Shan-tien | “The Constitution” |
| 1997 | Sociologist: Shen Hsiu-hua | “Women in the Wake of the 228 Incident” |
| 1997 | FAPA President: Wen Yen Chen | Speech |
| 1997 | Folk Artist: Mynor King | Speech |
| 1998 | Local community member, Legislator: Sing-nan Wang | Taiwan’s Political Situation |
| 1999 | Singer: Chris Hung and his Wife | Gospel Concert |
| 2001 | Local Taiwanese American and retired structural engineer: You-ren Tsai | Reported on his experience participating in the Taiwan 921 earthquake rebuilding mission |
| 2001 | Deputy ROC Representative to the United States: Lee Ying-yuan | “Diplomacy with America and More” |
| 2001 | Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs: Joyce Chen Chu | Dinner talk: “Difficulties and Prospects for the New Government” |
| 2003 | Ph.D. Candidate for Environmental Conservation Research at the University of Minnesota: Mei-hsiu Huang | “The Life and Death of Taiwan’s Black Bears” |
| 2004 | Examination Yuan member: Professor Chen Mao-hsiung | “An Analysis of Taiwan’s Presidential Elections” |
| 2004 | FAPA: Michael Fonte | Taiwan Presidential Election Post-election Analysis |
| 2005 | Ambassador-at-large and Chairman of the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, Sun Ming-hsien | Accepted the “Outstanding International Leader Award” from the University of Minnesota Alumni group, and gave a speech introducing the history and Achievements of the Asian Vegetable Research Center. |
| 2009 | FAPA: Coen Blauuw and his wife, Iris Ho | Introduced Taiwan-US Relations and FAPA YPG (Young Professional Group) |
| 2010 | Local doctors: Dr. Jerome Siy and Dr. Albert Tsai | “Stroke Prevention and Treatment” |
| 2011 | Local Taiwanese American, retired economics professor: Wu-tien Peng | “Taking Care of your Health” |
| 2015 | Local Taiwanese American, retired economics professor: Wu-tien Peng | Farewell speech on health – Challenges in Adapting to the Minnesota Environment《惜別養生座談會》- 兼談移居明州面臨水土不服的嚴重考驗 |
Promoting Taiwanese culture to the American public is one of our main activities. In 1977, the Association held its first Taiwan Day event at the University of Minnesota. The Association participated in the 3- to 4-day long event, Festival of Nations, for the first time in 1979. This has become the Association’s most important annual event, which consumes more time and resources than any other of our activities. As of today (2017), the association has participated in this event for 39 years. In 1987, Festival of Nations evaluated exhibition booths and presented awards for the first time, and the Taiwanese booth won first place. The theme that year was Festival, and the association created an exhibition about the Lunar New Year and the story of the 12 zodiac animals. In the 31 years that awards have been granted to participants, the Taiwan booth has won 29 prizes. In 2017, the Association was invited to host the “Urban Expedition to Taiwan” event in the historical Landmark Center in St. Paul. Listed below are the Festival of Nations cultural exhibition themes and the contents of the Taiwanese booth.
| Year | Festival of Nations Theme | Taiwanese Exhibition Booth Contents | Interactive Project |
| 1987 | Festival | The Lunar New Year, the story of the 12 zodiac animals | |
| 1988 | Tradition | Traditional Living Room | |
| 1989 | Costume | A collection of clothing of the common people and various ethnic groups | |
| 1990 | Wedding | Traditional wedding customs, dress, and a sedan chair | |
| 1991 | Fable, Fairy Tales and Folklore | Year of the Ram and the story of the 12 zodiac animals | Paper mâché sheep for visitors to sign, find your own zodiac sign |
| 1992 | Flower | Flowers and a sedan chair | Orchids in petri dishes |
| 1993 | Festival | Temple Festival Parade | |
| 1994 | Tapestry | Traditional Embroidery | Golden thread metallic embroidery demonstration |
| 1995 | World of Children | Children’s Growth | Carrying a baby doll on one’s back, bamboo cradle, paper windmill |
| 1996 | Ethnic Market | Traditional Street Market, Snack Stall, and Herbal Medicine Shop | |
| 1997 | Ethnic Celebration | Celebrating the Lunar New Year and New Year’s Eve Dinner | |
| 1998 | Folk’s Art | Folk Art Exhibition: Woodcarvings, lantern, paper umbrellas, dough figurines, and shadow puppets. | Shadow puppet play |
| 1999 | Wedding Tradition | Traditional wedding customs, dress, and a sedan chair | Demonstration of newlyweds bowing to the heavens, their ancestors, and each other at the family hall |
| 2000 | Celebration of Seasons | Celebrating the rice harvest and the various uses of rice | Making dough figurines and stamping stick rice cakes in the shape of a red turtle |
| 2001 | Costume and Adornment | The boudoir clothing of a bride-to-be | |
| 2002 | Global Homes and Gathering Places | Leisure activities done in a temple courtyard | Tea brewing, puppet show |
| 2003 | Children of the World | Games that children play in front of the temple, red envelope tree, painting of a hundred children | Pull bells (diabolos), spinning tops, bamboo dragonflies, kaleidoscopes… |
| 2004 | Ethnic Celebrations | Sky lanterns, beehive firecrackers, lantern festivals, Lunar New Year festivities | Riddles at the lantern festival |
| 2005 | Celebrating Ethnic Tradition | Assembly of 100 carved “longevity” characters in different fonts, birthday celebration at family hall, 12 zodiac animals | Understanding your own zodiac sign |
| 2006 | Ethnic Markets | Night market, snack, fruit, art, and food stalls, fortune-telling booth | Dough figurines |
| 2007 | Toys, Games and Sports | Children playing in front of the temple, puppet show stage | Puppets, pull bells (diabolos), spinning tops, bamboo dragonflies, kaleidoscopes, puppet show video |
| 2008 | Art and Architecture | Doors and windows of tradition-style homes | Paper cutting |
| 2009 | Transportation and Invention | From railways (narrow-gauge trains in the cane sugar fields) to the information technology super highway (the transformation from agricultural to industrial development) | Computer game |
| 2010 | Folklore and Heroes | The story of the black dog and the princess (the origins of Taiwan’s earliest inhabitants) and the legend of Alishan (how the young Ali fought a tiger to save a couple of fairies, and his flesh became the origin of Alishan’s forest) | Paper tiger masks, chunks of fragrant Hinoki cypress wood |
| 2011 | World Markets | Night market, snack stalls, herbal medicine shop | Bwei divination and drawing sticks, video |
| 2012 | Ethnic Celebrations and Events | Sky lanterns, firecrackers, lantern festivals, and celebrating the Lunar New Year | Origami sky lanterns, riddles at the lantern festival, video |
| 2013 | Children: Our Past and Future | Children playing in front of a temple are linked to classrooms and study rooms by a large banyan tree. The banyan tree represents growth and inheritance. | Calligraphy, mental math challenge, pull bells (diabolos), spinning tops, bamboo dragonflies, kaleidoscopes, origami cranes |
| 2014 | Peace among the People | The island of Taiwan made up of collaged portraits, Taiwan’s history, peace memorial monuments, and an exhibition board about Taiwan’s various social movements. Exhibition of Taiwanese and American school children’s “peace” paintings and a “peace wall” for visitors to write on. | “Peace wall” for visitors to write on |
| 2015 | International Arts | Puppet show and shadow puppet show | Shadow puppet show |
| 2016 | Folklore & Fairy Tales | Story of the 12 zodiac animals | Understanding your own zodiac sign |
| 2017 | Rituals and Ceremonies | Traditional wedding customs, dress, and a sedan chair | Demonstration of newlyweds bowing to the heavens, ancestors and to each other at family hall |
In conjunction with the annual North American Taiwanese Heritage Week held every May, the Overseas Community Affairs Council arranges for various art groups to tour North America. We also coordinate as much as possible to have them perform on the main stage at the Festival of Nations. Thus, Minnesota is often the first stop for groups that come to the United States to perform. Listed below are the various groups that have come over the years and the contents of their performances:
| Year | Group | Performance |
| 2002 | Lan-Yang Taiwanese Opera Company | Opera: “Du Tzu-chun” |
| 2004 | Taiwanese Hakka Chorus | Hakka, Hoklo, Mandarin, and Aboriginal songs |
| 2005 | I Wan Jan Puppet Theatre | “A Chance Encounter” and “Mayhem in the Crystal Palace” |
| 2008 | Dance Works | “Taiwan Style” Tap Dance |
| 2009 | Shih Chien University Luo Han Men Cultural Theater Group | Performed the Song Jiang Formation, Aboriginal dances, the Dadaocheng March, etc. at the Festival of Nations |
| 2010 | “Chiao Shou Hsin Chuan” Folk Art Troupe | Showed a variety of arts, including: painting lion head figures, blowing malt sugar candies, carving, fan painting, paper cutting, straw and bark art, dough figurine-making, puppets, decorative knot-tying, and other types of arts at the Festival of Nations exhibition and demo booth. |
| 2011 | The Chairman (band), Suming, etc. | Performed “All Voices Strike” at the Festival of Nations |
| 2014 | Takao Run | Sing to the Land of Taiwan |
| 2015 | National Dong Hua University College of Indigenous Studies Dance Troupe | Performed “Original Taiwan” at the Festival of Nations |
| 2016 | Formosa Circus Art (FOCA) | Performed at the Festival of Nations |
| 2017 | National Taiwan University of Art Daguan Dance Troupe | Performed “Splendor of Taiwan” at the Festival of nations |
The Association has established a number of different scholarships and awards, such as: the Li-Huey Lai Memorial Scholarship, the Suji Lee Scholarship Award, the Chin-fong Lai Memorial Scholarship, the Outstanding Contributions to Taiwanese Culture/Community Welfare Award, and the Youth Scholarship for children of TAA members.
The Association intermittently organized a choir, which was led over the years by Yun-ming Lai, Ling-chen Lin, Liyun Tsong, and Yi-chun Chiang. A number of concerts were also held, and in 1993, the association held a concert based around Tyzen Hsiao’s works, and Professor Hsiao came in person to perform and conduct. In 1995, Professor Sung-ren Hsu came to perform in and conduct a concert based around his works. Lin Hwai-min’s Cloud Gate Dance Theater performed in Minneapolis three times (1998, 2003, 2007).
The Taipei Philharmonic Chorus (conducted by Dirk Du Hei) also came to Minnesota to participate in the Sixth World Choral Symposium (2002). Taiwanese teams came to Minnesota participate in the Special Olympics (1991) and the Beep Baseball World Series (2010). When the Taiwanese National Baseball Team and Youth Baseball Team participated in a warm-up match before the World Series (2000, 2010), local Taiwanese Americans received them enthusiastically and attended their games to cheer them on. Additionally, when Huang Chin-pao and his family, who were traveling around the world on bicycle, traveled across North America, they stayed in the Twin cities for a week, and the Taiwanese American community received them warmly (2003).
Taiwanese Americans in Minnesota have not fallen behind in participating in activities that advocate for democracy and freedom. When Deng Xiaoping visited the United States after China-US diplomatic relations were established, over 20 people flew to Washington D.C. to participate in protests held by Taiwanese Americans from around the country.
Additionally, three days prior to Christmas 1979, over 60 Taiwanese Americans braved freezing temperatures of 12 degrees below to participate in a demonstration in Minneapolis that protested the Kuomintang’s use of the Meilidao (Formosa Magazine) Incident to suppress Tangwai (“outside-the-party”) democratic figures. In 1996, before Taiwan’s first Presidential election, over 200 Taiwanese Americans and overseas Chinese gathered in Minneapolis for anti-Chinese aggression demonstration to protest China’s use of missile exercises near Taiwan’s coasts as an intimidation tactic. In 2014, they also held a rally supporting the Taiwan Sunflower Movement.
We care about disasters that occur all around the world and have donated money for disaster relief to those suffering from the Red River Valley Flood in 1997, the Turkey earthquake in 1999, the 921 earthquake in Taiwan in 1999, the September 11th Attacks in 2001, Typhoon Toraji and Typhoon Nari in Taiwan in 2001, the Taiwan SARS epidemic in 2003, the earthquake and tsunami in South Asia in 2005, Hurricane Katrina and flooding in the Southern U.S. in 2005, Typhoon Morakot and flooding in Taiwan in 2009, the Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011, the Kaohsiung gas explosion in 2014, the Tainan earthquake in 2016, and more.
We care about our homeland, Taiwan, and we have held multiple seminars, celebrations, and Taiwanese film screenings. We also care about our local community, so we have participated in charity kitchen programs to feed the homeless and helped provide hot food to the children living in the Ronald McDonald House. We have also participated multiple times in the St. Paul Dragon Boat Races (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010).
This article is an excerpt from Chi-Ming Tseng’s “Important Events for Minnesota’s Taiwanese Americans”: http://taiwaneseamericanhistory.org/blog/ourjourneys123/
Sourced from Chi-Ming Tseng
