FCR asked former staff writer Carl Chang to take a break from his current job with the Taiwan Provincial Assembly and ask an assortment of senior (and near-senior) citizens about their retirement plans and what role they see the government playing in improving the quality of life for all senior citizens. Excerpts from his interviews follow:
Hsi Yu-ching, now 55 years old, began planning for retirement 10 years ago when he was still a researcher at the ROC Agricultural Testing Institute in Tainan. "I never expected great achievements in life," he says. But he did seek "a stable and comfortable existence" that would eliminate worries about personal and family finances. Even this goal seemed remote, because he considered his salary as director of the Cotton and Jute Department of the Institute inadequate for his long-range plans. As a result, he transferred to Chung Hsing University in Taichung, where he became a professor.
The new position offered more than a better salary and retirement program; it gave Hsi time for further education. He attended medical school at night, earned a degree in pharmacology in 1983, and the following year passed the national accreditation examination. "I never gave much thought to depending upon my children for support during my old age," he says. "I just thought I should have some sort of job to supplement my retirement pension."
The pharmacy license offers an ideal future. "I don't have to be outside delivering goods to customers, and there's no heavy labor involved either," Hsi says. He has more active ambitions for the present, however, and does not plan to wait another 10 years to retire. "In two years I plan to leave my job. Among other activities, I want to take an around-the-world trip."
Because Hsi has given considerable thought to his retirement years, he has some suggestions about government policies toward senior citizens. "The government should build apartments on public land for the poor to rent or buy, and then use the money to reinvest or set up public facilities such as restaurants, meeting halls, and recreation centers for the residents," he says. "Also, there should be more nurses and doctors available to serve old people. It's important that these people know someone cares about them."
Hsi wants to be as independent as possible after retirement: "My father also valued an independent existence, although his goal wasn't to run a business after retirement. Since he was a government employee, he wanted eventually to become an adviser or chairman of some government board."
Father and son are similar in other ways. "We both like horticulture, particularly cultivating orchids," Hsi says. "Since I have many other hobbies, I'm never bored. I like to cook, watch TV and videos, care for flowers, read, and drink tea and chat with friends. Retirement should be no different. I don't worry about money — what I need to be prudent about is my health. My only big concern is that I might not have enough time to do what I'd like to do and learn what I'd like to learn."
Wu Kuo-tai, 66, was a farmer and fisherman until he retired in 1983. He spent the first decades of his life on the land, helping his father in the rice fields. At 40 he became a fisherman as well, dividing his time between the two according to the seasons.
"I never joined the Farmers' or Fishermen's Associations, so I don't expect any retirement benefits from the government," Wu says. "In fact, I've never given retirement much thought. I've had a stable and comfortable life for the most part."
Like his father, Wu raised waterfowl on the side. "Now my children and grandchildren are well educated. They want to have their own future, and I won't ask them to follow my path. Sadly, all the waterfowl ponds are going to be abandoned in the future," he says.
Wu decided to go into semi-retirement six years ago. Because he owns his land, cultivating a few acres of fruit trees brings in enough money to provide the comforts he desires. "I'm hoping to travel and do some sightseeing someday," he says. "My only problem is language. I've got to find English-speaking relatives or friends to go with me. But I'm not in a hurry — I live well here, don't I?"
Chang Chu-fa, a 74-year-old retired lieutenant colonel, says he always did what the government asked him to do. But he is not eager to talk about his retirement life. Chang was an army officer who saw action in the wars against both the Japanese and the Chinese Communists. He retired in the mainland when the government asked him to do so. "I retired because it was the government's policy. A soldier is trained to obey orders. When we are not needed, it's the only choice—to retire as requested. "
Later on, when the controversial general Sun Li-jen was recruiting volunteers on the mainland, Chang immediately joined the general without any reservations, happy to have another opportunity to be in the army and serve his country. But again he was asked to quit for the same reason: policy. This time he retired in Taiwan. With almost no personal assets, he roamed around the island for years—to Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taipei, and finally Taichung, where he used his savings to buy a studio apartment in an 11-story building. He became a guard at the building, and settled down.
When first asked how much the government paid him when he retired, Chang says, "It's useless to talk about that." When the question is repeated, by asking him to compare his first and second army retirement compensation, he suddenly bursts out with the facts: "Too little to support basic daily life. But I do not blame the government at all for this."
Chang continues, nearly shouting now: "What I blame, what I complain about, is that the government didn't give me a chance to die. Didn't the late President Chiang Kai-shek tell his cadre officers in Chungching, Szechwan Province, that he wanted them to die for the country, for the revolution?"
The note of bitterness in Chang's voice intensifies as he quotes the Generalissimo: "He said that those of ability have all died; only rice buckets [those who eat but do nothing else] survived. I'm not ashamed of the government, nor the country, nor the people, but myself. A soldier cultivated by the country should obey the country's orders, and even die for it without any complaint. What else could we ask for? Those who keep complaining are either too ambitious or being manipulated. I have dedicated my life to the country, how could I mind whether or not I was paid a retirement pension? I am ashamed only of myself. I hate that I survived. Why haven't I died? What a shame it is for a revolutionary soldier to lose a war and survive."
There is silence for a moment in the room. Chang then says in a softer voice: "But my idea applies to the officers only. For the enlisted men, I think they are justified to ask for some pension."
Chien Pi-chou, 54, is a housewife who expects to retire in two years, along with her tailor husband. "I really haven't thought much about world travel, but I enjoy many things right here, like hiking and other sports," she says. Chien's parents retired from business when they were 45 and 47. "They just completely retired and enjoyed their tien lun chih le [happy multi-generational family existence]. I don't expect the same kind of life. My husband and I would like to live on our own. Two of our daughters are already married and have moved out. Our two sons are still single, but after they get married, they will move out, too. Times are different now."
Li Tsun-ching, the 63-year-old Commissioner of the Department of Reconstruction, Taiwan Provincial Government, says he "would prefer to retire as early as possible," although he is still two years away from mandatory retirement age. "There isn't much I can do at this age," he says. "I fear important governmental affairs might be affected. Besides, I should give way to the youngsters. "
Concerning his plans for retirement, Li says he does not have any firm ideas yet. "I'd only like to travel abroad, or read and grow flowers. My father was a farmer, and he didn't retire until he was sick. He died a few years later. I wouldn't want to live a life like his. Instead, I want to quit as soon as possible."
After failing to win in a controversial campaign for the Control Yuan, Li was appointed to his present position by the late President Chiang Ching-kuo. Li says that he does not expect any welfare for old people, although he thinks "there should be some things such as universities for old people, and other clubs for painting, calligraphy, and so forth" to help make the later years of senior citizens more comfortable and enjoyable.
Not all senior citizens planning their retirement years on the island are Chinese. Sister Eleanor Mary Buckley, 67, is chairwoman of the Department of Western Languages and Literature of Providence College of Arts and Sciences in Taichung. She came to Taiwan in 1971, and plans to retire in three years.
"I expect a peaceful life during my retirement years," she says. "I'd like to read and write books on teaching English, and spend time going here and there to visit friends." Although she is "not too informed" about special programs for senior citizens, she says an insurance program that would cover all retirees, both Chinese and "even long-term resident foreigners," would certainly be a welcome form of support.