The country has suffered unceasing heavy blows and setbacks during these seven years. Government and people have shown sincerity and solidarity during this struggle to mark a culmination of the spirit of loyalty to the nation and filial duty to the people. I was especially moved when I saw the people, young and old, voluntarily joining in flag raising ceremonies at various places. I was also affected as one overseas Chinese after another came out to fight the forces of evil and uphold the honor of the country. All of this convinces me that everyone in the Republic of China is wholly imbued with the natural virtues of loyalty and filial duty, and that all of them strive to be worthy children of their ancestors and the country.
Ancient sages have told us that the fulfillment of filial duty is not limited to the care of one's parents. The most important expression of all is carrying on the life's work of our ancestors. When the ancient sages taught us to be loyal, they expected us not only to do all within our power but to fulfill our tasks in the face of all dangers and difficulties. For thousands of years, we have regarded loyalty and filial duty as the most precious of virtues and the foundation of na tional existence. Father was a born filial son and extended loyalty and filial duty to a higher realm in belief that filial duty beginning with the care of one's parents should be enlarged to encompass one's duty to the nation and then consummated in personal cultivation. This combining of "filial duty" with "loyalty" assures the creation of a great personality. Father never relaxed in fulfilling his filial duty at home and dedicating himself to the nation. This virtue of his was by no means an accident. I was impressed most deeply by an article he wrote when he was 50. In "Dedication to the Nation and Longing for My Parent," he said: "A man fulfills his life only by dedicating himself to the nation." This was full demonstration of his extension of filial duty to nationalism, love of the people and dedication to the country. On his 60th birthday, Father wrote another moving passage: "I have spent these 60 years in vain. I have failed to express my gratitude to Mother for cultivating me and failed to fulfill my loyalty to the country." This was at a time when the nation was rejoicing over victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan. Yet even at such a time he was so modest and humble as to express regret at having failed to fulfill the virtue of ex pressing gratitude to his mother. He had lived up to Mencius' words: "A man of great filial duty expresses himself in life long respect for his parents."
In the last seven years, the people in our bastion of national revival have struggled against an adverse environment. We have always been aware that Father is with us in spirit. We can therefore work with one will and one mind sharing joy and sorrow with each other while everyone stands at his post and contributes to the uniting of strength to the advance of ethics, democracy and science. We have shown our feelings of common joy and common sorrow and contributed all of our knowledge and skills in time of national crisis. We have not gone astray. To the contrary, we have moved ahead with mounting courage along the historic road of "unifying China under the Three Principles of the People" as our exemplary Taiwan achievements based on the Three Principles of the People are recognized by the people at home and abroad and on the Chinese mainland. The direction of our common endeavor is concrete expression of the fulfillment of loyalty and filial duty.
Our overwhelming and burning historical task of today is to carry out the instruction of "recovering the Chinese mainland." Millions upon millions of our mainland compatriots are waiting for deliverance from the crucible of their lives. Their only hope lies in the government and people of the Republic of China. If we do not do our utmost and deliver them, they cannot be saved. Il we do not make up our minds to carry out this great task, no one else can do it for us. This is our sacred duty and our inescapable responsibility; we must have the sense of dedication to carry out the task. The Chinese Communists are engaged in endless united front tricks as part of their perverse attempts to prevent us from delivering our compatriots on the mainland and to snuff out the cherished liberation hopes of these compatriots. But they can never succeed either in forestalling the carrying out of our task or the driving of discordant wedges into our ranks. China's destiny will be determined by our resolution and the loyalty of our compatriots on the Chinese mainland.
The fall of the Chinese mainland marked a tragic page in the history of the Chinese people. I remember that when Father left the military academy at Chengtu for Taiwan on December 10, 1949, he bade me stand beside him. We stood together and sang loud the national anthem in front of a portrait of our National Founding Father and our national flag. This was a traumatic moment but one of courage. Since then our compatriots on the mainland have had little chance to see the national flag and the protection of freedom is gone from their lives. Father always encouraged us to stand firm for our national ambitions and convictions. We shall raise our national flag on the mainland again and sing our national anthem together one day.
"Millions upon millions of our mainland compatriots are waiting for deliverance from the crucible of their lives.
Their only hope lies in the government and people of the Republic of China."
President Chiang, with visitors to his father's tomb. (File photo).
So it is that all through the years I am reminded of this heartbreaking and historic moment whenever I see my fellow countrymen voluntarily joining in flag-raising ceremonies and singing the national anthem together at daybreak and in chilling rain and whenever I see the moving scene of Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad resolutely standing up to light the Chinese Communists. When we regard international sports activities and see the Chinese Communists engaged in their evil attempt to boycott our national flag and national anthem, we must demonstrate our spirit of national justice with a sea of national flags and the thunderous sound of our national anthem to demoralize and frighten the enemy. In thinking of past traumas, I firm up my determination and my convictions for the reconstruction of the country.
Father told us again and again that "to recover the mainland is the main goal of our perseverance in struggle. We must not ignore this fundamental goal because of the pressure of secondary problems, lest we provide the Chinese Communists with opportunity to escape their doomed destiny." We have persevered and endured in order to reach this supreme goal that Father always cherished.
Our forbearance at home is expression of our harmony and solidarity; our forbearance abroad is a demonstration that we seek a great goal and are not indulging in a display of temper. Our determination will assuredly lead to our success. Our principles and fundamental position of safeguarding democracy with revolutionary spirit and carrying out the Three Principles of the People under our constitutional system and rule can never be shaken. On this Tomb-sweeping Day honoring our ancestors, I should like to join with my fellow countrymen in pledging that we shall once again raise our national flag of "blue sky and white sun over the crimson land" on the Chinese mainland and join together in the thunderous singing of the national anthem there. Together, we shall carry through the ideal of "the unification of China under the Three Principles of the People" on a basis of our national spirit and ambition as expressed in loyalty and filial piety. In doing so, we shall console the souls of the ancestors of the Chinese people, our National Founding Father, the martyrs and of Father resting in heaven.