美國香港人會館/撰文：關永傑

2026年10月5日的傍晚，舊金山灣區的微風帶著秋天的涼意。六點多，舊金山機場凱悅酒店門外就已經集結了上百人的歡迎隊伍，大家都在等待著卸任後因參與學術交流而首次訪美的台灣前總統蔡英文。這也是我第一次參與台灣人的相關活動，內心除了興奮，更多的是一種“時間不夠用”的緊迫感——我很想在這短短的相聚裡，多去感受和傾聽他們在這個國際形勢複雜多變的時代裡的一些個人感受與想法。

然而，溫馨愉快的時光總是過得很快，過程中也帶著這個時代特有的複雜。在活動之前，我們以美國香港人會館的名義找聯絡人報名時，就應要求進行了一次“考試”，題目是近年涉及香港與大陸的一些政治事件，我們是真金不怕火煉，最終“順利入圍”。當然我們也十分理解主辦方是出於安全的考量，畢竟中共在近年進行的海外滲透無孔不入。另外，在小英總統還沒抵達前，我嘗試著向現場的一對年輕夫妻和一位女士搭話，但或許是因為聽出我不是台灣人的口音，他們顯得有些防備，不太願意多聊。直到08:11，小英總統的車隊終於抵達，從她下車到與大家互動、握手，整個過程大概只有短短的五分鐘。這五分鐘裡，全場都沉浸在一種近乎瘋狂的興奮與激動之中。

台灣前總統蔡英文與在場歡迎的民眾握手互動

當歡迎儀式結束，大家開始回收旗幟與收拾現場時，我終於有機會向一位志工提出了我心中的疑問。我問她：“今天對參與者裝扮的建議，和現場佔大多數的旗幟、橫幅，為什麼都是綠色的？這是因為政黨的原因嗎？”

海外台灣同鄉會旗幟

她的回答徹底顛覆了我之前的刻板印象。她告訴我，這抹綠色的歷史遠比民進黨還要早，最初是老一輩台僑因為受到國民黨的威權迫害來到美國，在異國他鄉為了能認出彼此、記住自己的根，才用代表“大地之母”的綠色設計了最早的同鄉會旗幟。民進黨後來的主色調，其實是參考了海外台僑的這份精神象徵。

那一刻我才明白，這抹綠在海外並不是政黨的標籤，而是一縷連接著家鄉土地、屬於海外台僑的身份認同。這也解開了我們作為局外人一直以來的誤解。

除了顏色的震撼，現場另一個讓我感觸極深的，是一個卸任國家領導人的姿態。

看著前總統蔡英文在海外幾乎沒有太多防備的狀態下，與普通民眾進行如此近距離的接觸和握手，我的內心受到了極大的觸動。這絕非理所當然，這就是民主與自由一直以來最根本的底色。

當晚我除了在公共媒體上發布貼文，也瀏覽了大量的相關訊息，其中有一條推文讓我印象深刻。有人在蔡總統訪美的推文下問：“為什麼海外好像沒有人來抗議蔡英文？”下面有幾條評論回答得很透徹：“對蔡英文不滿的人肯定有不少，但他們不需要跑到海外來抗議，他們在台灣本土的總統府前、在街頭就可以天天抗議她。”這個回答太扎心了！反觀威權專制國家，人們只有到了海外才敢去抗議自己的領導人，因為在本土抗議的那些勇士，已經“被消失”。

這種強烈的對比，更加凸顯了台灣民主的珍貴。香港也曾經擁有過這樣的自由，如今卻成為了最真實的反面教材。台灣人，請一定要珍惜你們今天擁有的一切，希望香港的經歷永遠只是台灣人耳邊長鳴的警鐘，而不是台灣的未來。

香港人致台灣人的誠摯忠告

活動結束後，有人問我：“你大老遠跑來參與，也是站台灣‘綠營’的嗎？”

我的回答很簡單：誰能讓一個國家成為一個民主、自由、法治、平等、保障人權且讓人民不需要生活在恐懼之中的社會，我就支持誰。我支持的不是哪一個陣營，而是這些價值。這個秋天的傍晚雖然短暫，但我不僅重新認識了那一抹代表土地與身份認同的台灣綠，也在這短短的五分鐘裡，真正感受到了民主該有的樣子。

編輯：鍾然 校對：王濱 翻译：戈冰

In the welcoming ceremony for former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the United States, I came to truly understand “Taiwan Green” and the background of democracy

US Hong Kongers Club / Written by: Guan Yongjie (Kwankwingkit / Eddie Kwan)

Abstract: By participating in the welcoming event for Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the United States, the author gained a renewed understanding of the identity of overseas Taiwanese expatriates. Reflecting on the current situation in Hong Kong through the lens of Taiwan’s freedom and democracy, the author calls on Taiwanese people to cherish their hard-won democracy and human rights.

On the evening of October 5, 2026, a cool autumn breeze swept through the San Francisco Bay Area. Past six o’clock, a welcoming crowd of over a hundred people had already gathered outside the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, all awaiting former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who was making her first visit to the United States after leaving office to participate in academic exchanges. This was also my first time attending a Taiwanese-related event. Beyond the excitement in my heart, what I felt even more was an urgent sense that “time was running short”—I was eager, within this brief gathering, to feel and listen more to their personal feelings and thoughts in an era of complex and rapidly changing international dynamics.

However, warm and pleasant times always pass quickly, and the process was also tinged with the complexity characteristic of this era. Before the event, when we registered with the contact person under the name of the US Hong Kongers Club, we were required to take a “test” as requested. The questions concerned political events involving Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland in recent years; as true gold fears no fire, we ultimately “passed successfully and were shortlisted.” Of course, we fully understood that the organizers’ considerations stemmed from security concerns, given that the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration overseas in recent years has been pervasive and omnipresent. In addition, before President Tsai had arrived, I tried striking up a conversation with a young couple and a lady at the scene, but perhaps because they heard that I did not have a Taiwanese accent, they appeared somewhat guarded and reluctant to chat much. It wasn’t until 8:11 PM that President Tsai’s motorcade finally arrived; from the moment she stepped out of the car to her interactions and handshakes with everyone, the entire process lasted only a short five minutes. During these five minutes, the entire venue was immersed in an excitement and thrill bordering on frenzy.

Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen shakes hands and interacts with the welcoming crowd

When the welcoming ceremony came to an end and people began collecting the flags and tidying up the venue, I finally had the opportunity to ask a volunteer the question on my mind.

I asked her: “Why were the attire suggestions for participants today, as well as the majority of the flags and banners on-site, all green? Is this due to political party affiliation?”

The flag of the Taiwanese Association of America (TAA)

Her answer completely shattered my previous stereotype. She told me that the history of this green far predates the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Initially, the older generation of Taiwanese expatriates, having suffered authoritarian persecution under the Kuomintang (KMT), came to the United States. In a foreign land, in order to recognize one another and remember their roots, they used the color green—representing “Mother Earth”—to design the earliest Taiwanese association flags. The DPP’s subsequent primary color tone was actually modeled after this spiritual symbol of the overseas Taiwanese community.

Only at that moment did I realize that this shade of green overseas is not a political party label, but rather a strand connecting to the native land, an identity belonging to the overseas Taiwanese diaspora. This also resolved the misconception that we, as outsiders, had held for so long.

Beyond the impact of the color, another thing at the scene that moved me deeply was the demeanor of a former head of state.

Watching former President Tsai Ing-wen interact and shake hands with ordinary citizens at such close range overseas—in a state with almost no heavy security precautions—my heart was profoundly touched. This is by no means something to be taken for granted; this is precisely the most fundamental underlying hue of democracy and freedom.

That night, besides posting on public media, I also browsed through a vast amount of related information, among which one tweet left a deep impression on me. Someone asked under a tweet about President Tsai’s visit to the United States: “Why does there seem to be no one protesting against Tsai Ing-wen overseas?” Below it, several comments answered very thoroughly: “There are certainly many people who are dissatisfied with Tsai Ing-wen, but they don’t need to run overseas to protest; they can protest against her every day in front of the Presidential Office and on the streets in Taiwan proper.” This answer was deeply piercing to the heart! By contrast, in authoritarian and autocratic countries, people only dare to protest against their own leaders after reaching overseas, because those brave souls who protested in their home country have already been “disappeared.”

This stark contrast highlights the preciousness of Taiwan’s democracy even more. Hong Kong once possessed such freedom as well, yet today it has become the most real negative example. Taiwanese people, please be sure to cherish everything you have today; I hope Hong Kong’s experience will forever remain merely an alarm bell ringing in your ears, and never become Taiwan’s future.

A Sincere Advice from a Hong Konger to Taiwanese People

After the event, someone asked me: “Did you travel all this way here to participate just to side with Taiwan’s ‘Green Camp’?”

My answer was very simple: Whoever can make a country into a democratic, free, law-abiding, equal society that safeguards human rights and allows its people to live without fear, I will support them. What I support is not a specific political camp, but these core values.

Although this autumn evening was brief, I not only gained a renewed understanding of that shade of “Taiwan Green” representing land and identity, but also—within those short five minutes—truly felt what democracy ought to look like.

Editor: Zhong Ran Proofreader: Wang Bin Translator: Ge Bing