[Special Feature] Chinese Male University Student Shouts "I am from the Republic of China!" Senior Dissident Laughs: Seeing Myself from Back Then

During a political ideology class, a male university student from China shouted "I am from the Republic of China!" after disagreeing with the teacher's discourse. The video recently went viral online. Chinese current affairs commentator Lu Qing commented, "It's good, I see myself from back then." He pointed out that students from China express this sentiment across generations, not necessarily out of deep affection for Taiwan, but because the four words "Republic of China" can encapsulate the aspirations and beautiful imagination of Chinese society and the nation over the past century. #Reported by Reporter Cheng Kuan-jen# University Political Ideology Class: Teacher and Student Confrontation According to online reports, during a political ideology class at a university in Yunnan, China, a male student disagreed with the teacher's ideological discourse and told the teacher, "Your lecture is indeed useless." The teacher responded, "The greatest failure of China's education is cultivating people with Chinese faces, eating Chinese food, and smashing Chinese bowls." The student, labeled as unpatriotic by the teacher, immediately retorted with a smile, "Teacher, I am from the Republic of China!" This caused gasps and laughter from the class, and the entire incident was filmed by classmates on their phones. Although the student quickly added, "Just kidding, just kidding," the teacher was already angered and approached the student with their phone to film, asking the class, "He just said he was..." to which the entire class responded in unison, "The Republic of China." According to online rumors, the student was immediately disqualified from the final exam and barred from retaking the course. Senior Recalls "Astonishing Act" from His Past Chinese current affairs commentator Lu Qing stated that seeing this scene made him feel complex emotions, as if he were seeing himself from years ago. He recalled that when he was in university, there were no such political ideology classes. Instead, the school used evening study sessions for grade counselors to lecture on "Current Affairs and Tasks." The counselors would talk about Taiwanese politicians fighting and attacking each other in the Legislative Yuan, warning, "Don't think Taiwan is all good," and often demonizing or critically discussing democratic systems. Lu Qing said that as he listened, he simply disliked these narratives. He would say the opposite of what the counselor said after class and complain publicly, but he wouldn't openly contradict in class. However, he did commit another "astonishing act." Lu Qing: "(Original sound) Some people asked if I would skip the exam. I said if I don't participate, I don't participate. I truly didn't attend the exam, I just skipped it." The school later announced that this exam had to be passed before graduation, requiring Lu Qing to take a make-up exam. Lu Qing laughed, saying that the "Current Affairs and Tasks" at the time had no textbook, only lecture notes. Taking the exam essentially meant "copying answers." The teachers knew everyone was copying, but the grades still had to be passed. Expectations for China's Reform Pinned on the "Republic of China" Seeing the younger generation exhibit "dissident" traits now, Lu Qing said, "It's good." He also pointed out that the desire to say "I am from the Republic of China" is not fundamentally about having deep affection for Taiwan. Instead, it reflects a reflective sentiment towards modern Chinese history or certain historical events, with the primary aim of directing criticism towards Beijing. He explained that the Republic of China is a readily available and visible democratic society in the Chinese-speaking world. Regardless of its issues, it operates under a democratic constitutional system and is currently a very good country. Therefore, it embodies the realistic expectations of mainland Chinese for future reform or revolution in China. Lu Qing: "(Original sound) These four words can actually hold all the beautiful societal and national expectations of China over the past 100 years." Teacher's Improper Handling: What Will Be the Student's Fate? Chinese current affairs commentator Lin Chenbin expressed concern that the male student might be expelled by the university, and other schools might be hesitant to admit him. This incident would be recorded in his personal file, potentially making his future life difficult. Lin Chenbin also mentioned that the female teacher should not have confronted the student directly. She should have maintained a teacher's perspective and magnanimity instead of resorting to verbal abuse and punishing the student by disqualifying him from the final exam and preventing him from retaking the course. He described this as malicious, lacking in professional ethics, harmful to the student, and potentially affecting him for life. Lu Qing also felt that the teacher's handling of the situation was improper and that she would inevitably be criticized by school leaders and the vice-principal in charge of ideology. The teacher would need to write a self-criticism report because, within the bureaucratic system, such a significant news event indicates the teacher's failure to manage the situation properly. Therefore, the school administration would demand that the teacher "handle it properly" to prevent it from becoming news again and turning into a "sequel." He predicted that the school would subsequently handle the situation with a "downplay" approach, such as requiring the student to write a letter of repentance or a self-criticism report, reinstate his eligibility for the final exam, allowing the school and the teacher to save face, and preventing the incident from escalating and leading to the circulation of more related videos online. Lu Qing noted that the entire class cheerfully shouting "Republic of China" in unison suggests that most people were in a "watching the show" mentality, without taking a stance, representing the "silent majority." The male student's expression of his stance, along with the rebellious spirit of his generation of "dissidents," has a legacy-passing effect. From a social movement perspective, this thread, this plot, this sentiment, like the previous "White Paper Movement," will "emerge from the soil" at the appropriate time.