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February 3,2022
Austin Kuan
A country is a large-scale organic organization developed by mankind over the last two thousand years, from primitive settlements to the city-state stage. A country's supreme ruler may be a hereditary monarch, or the president or prime minister elected through elections of the development of democratic politics over the last century. Of course, there is a bureaucratic organization stacked one on top of the other under him. Leaders command the bureaucracy, and officials manage the power of the people in the operation of the entire country.
If the leaders are wise and the officials are diligent and honest, the power of the people will be naturally unleashed. Of course, this is the best case scenario. But, are the orders issued by the country's leaders or bureaucracy always correct? Can you disobey your superiors' orders as a member of the bureaucracy? Can you disregard the laws of the country if you are the people? The answers to the preceding two questions are, in principle, to "obey the law," but under what circumstances is disobedience acceptable? It is well worth debating.
If your disobedience is motivated by kindness and respect for life, and you disobey for the sake of "love and peace," you will undoubtedly pass the test of the times. In the following articles, you will meet characters from both the East and the West who use "disobedience" to demonstrate the noblest aspect of human nature.
Life is short, but have you ever considered how many lives an ordinary person like you can save in this life?
Then please bring the time and space of your thoughts to the Consulate of the Republic of China in Vienna, the capital of Austria, in 1938.
Austria cannot be considered a country in 1938. It was annexed by Germany and became a province under the empire's jurisdiction. That year also marked the start of Nazi Germany's persecution of Jews. 30,000 Jews in Austria had been imprisoned in the concentration camp since November 9th of that year. Anyone familiar with history knows that after entering a Nazi concentration camp, there are only three options: death by enslavement, death by shooting, or mass suffocation with gas. Although the Jews were unaware of the Nazis' methods of extermination at the time, they were aware that Death was looming in the distance and that they needed to flee Austria. However, Europe was in the grip of World War II at the time, and the United States, Canada, and Australia, which had not yet entered the conflict, were unwilling to accept Jewish immigrant visas. Recognizing that the lives of his entire family were in jeopardy, a 17-year-old Jewish adolescent visited more than 50 consulates in Vienna, all without success.
At night, the Vienna Opera House shines just as brightly as the imperial glory of the past. The waltz's splendor and ease make people even more convinced that the soul here can be enriched and at ease thanks to the genius of Mozart and John Strauss. On that cold November night in 1938, the Jewish youth felt persecuted and abandoned. The piano concerto around him became a reminder during the day, and the quiet streets in the evening seemed to have guns and sticks trying to tie him at all times. He finally walked into the Republic of China consulate, albeit reluctantly. According to his impression, it was an old and war-torn country that still existed, and he had no hope of obtaining a visa.
What happened to the Jewish God? I'm not sure. However, from 1938 to 1940, He manifested the existence of God through the Republic of China's consulate! Finally, with the approval of Consul General He Feng-shan, the young man obtained 20 visas for his family to visit Shanghai. This is truly incredible, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Republic of China to assist the Jews! Those who were already in the concentration camps could be released if they obtained a visa from the Republic of China! Fortunately, up to 1,900 Jews were able to flee Austria and fly to Shanghai.
However, He Feng-shan, 37 years old at that time, was immediately subjected to international political pressure. His supervisor in Berlin, Germany, requested that he cease issuing visas. He disobeyed! He was later accused of embezzlement and visa trafficking, but no evidence was found, so he was proclaimed to be innocent. He Feng-shan appeared to have become the Jews' nanny at the time, not only issuing visas but also frequently caring for Jews who had not left the country as a diplomat. He Feng-shan did not stay in the consulate as an arrogant official, nor did he beat his chest for the country's ongoing defeat in the Sino-Japanese War. He chose to assist and save others, establishing the Republic of China consulate as a beacon in the ocean and the far east as a refuge for the Jewish sanctuary.
In politics, the phrase "If the power is not used, it will be invalidated after the expiry date" refers to the timely appropriation of power in officialdom. However, when the Jews faced extermination by the Nazis, He Feng-shan used all of his power to show foreigners the mindset of the officials from the Republic of China, which far exceeded their expectations. What exactly is patriotism? It is the best way to demonstrate patriotism by assisting those in need in other countries as well as the lonely and helpless at home. Others will respect you because you give true love without expecting anything in return.
A 58-year-old woman in San Francisco, California, read an obituary in October 1997: Mr. He Feng-shan, the former ambassador of the Republic of China to Colombia, died in San Francisco at the age of 96. "During his time at the Vienna Consulate, he helped many Jews escape Nazi persecution by issuing visas." "I finally found Mr. He!" the woman exclaimed in tears. Her parents, it turned out, enlisted He Feng-shan's assistance and gave birth to her after they moved to Shanghai.
The woman quickly summoned her other friends and elders: Many of the six or seven-year-old children who flew to Shanghai in 1997 already had a large number of descendants; they had regarded He Feng-shan as a great benefactor since they were children. Before their parents died, they were instructed to seek out He Feng-shan or his descendants and express their heartfelt gratitude. This incident gradually drew the attention of the Israeli government. It turned out that there was a diplomat in the Republic of China who was unobtrusive and kind to Jews. On January 23, 2001, Israel held a ceremony at the Jewish Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem to bestow the title of "International Righteous Man" on He Feng-shan. This is Israel's highest honor bestowed on foreigners; it is also the first wave of gratitude. The ceremony was attended by He Feng- shan's daughter He Man-li, son He Man-de, and survivors or descendants who had been helped by He Feng-shan. The gratitude scene returned to Vienna seven years later, in 2008.
In 2010, the Israeli representative in Taiwan made direct suggestions to the Republic of China's government, hoping that He Feng-shan's great deeds would be included in Taiwan's primary and secondary school textbooks. The waves of gratitude in Israel have also included the second and third generations of survivors. It demonstrates that, in terms of emotions and justice, saving people from crisis cannot always be rewarded with gratitude in a single generation. He Feng-shan's life-saving visa is now treasured as a family heirloom, and it is even more revered as the "visa of life." The two-page visa exchanges valuable lives. Perhaps in He Feng-shan's heart, anyone who has been oppressed unfairly is a compatriot. It is imperative that they be rescued. Even if he objects to the orders, he must help them without hesitation.
The only regret is that He Feng-shan was accused of corruption and forced to resign as Colombian ambassador in the late 1960s. The Control Yuan also impeached him. In 1973, he became agitated and relocated to San Francisco. This incident prompted the Republic of China's government to vigorously praise He Feng-shan, but it was caught up in the old case that year and was unable to carry it out. Heaven can see what good people have done, and the Israeli government has given He Feng-shan justice.
Disobedience must be motivated by a noble cause, or it will be abused by a large number of people. And this nobleness must withstand the test of time, and He Feng-shan is deserving of it.