Looking Back at the Wild Lily Movement, Fan Yun Says Civil Society is the Fertile Ground for Taiwan's Democracy
Legislator Fan Yun, in an interview, reflects on her experience as the general commander of the 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement. She recalls how students, numbering up to 6,000, held a sit-in at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, presenting four major demands including the dissolution of the 'ten-thousand-year parliament.' Fan Yun believes the key to the movement's success was the broad support of Taiwan's civil society, a fertile ground that ultimately led to the first direct presidential election in 1996 and served as a crucial catalyst for Taiwan's democratization. She also shared her political awakening process during college through reading banned books and learning about Taiwanese history.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 13:26
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This year marks the 30th anniversary of Taiwan's first direct presidential election. "In March 1990, the number of students sitting in at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall reached up to 6,000. This was Taiwan's first large-scale student protest after the war, and tens of thousands of citizens surrounded and protected the students every day, worried that riot police would try to disperse them," said Legislator Fan Yun, recalling the Wild Lily Student Movement. She admitted that she never expected the movement's demands, such as a full parliamentary re-election, to succeed. In retrospect, she attributes the success to the silent support of Taiwan's vast civil society, a fertile ground that allowed Taiwan's democratic movement to blossom and bear fruit.
The 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement's four demands—dissolving the National Assembly (the 'ten-thousand-year parliament'), abolishing the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion, convening a National Affairs Conference, and setting a timetable for political and economic reforms—were a key catalyst for the direct presidential election. Fan Yun, who was the movement's general commander, shared in an interview with CNA her journey of political awakening, from 'self-educating' about the island's true history to daring to take to the streets to fight for democracy and freedom.
As an NTU freshman in 1986, Fan was captivated by an 'illegal' campus speech. The shock came when two students sang 'Formosa' (美麗島), a song she associated with the fearsome trio of 'Taiwan independence,' 'communism,' and 'the enemy.' Yet, its lyrics about the land and its people felt deeply familiar and warm. This experience, coupled with learning about the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident and the 228 Incident for the first time, sparked a profound questioning. "Why, as a child born and raised in Taiwan, did I never learn about these painful tragedies in school?" she wondered. This led her to a path of self-education, joining a student club to read about forbidden Taiwanese history, cross-strait conflicts, and political theories, slowly deconstructing the 'Great China' framework imposed by the authoritarian state.
Her college years coincided with a tumultuous era in Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was founded in 1986, martial law was lifted in 1987, and internal KMT power struggles erupted in 1990. The final straw for students was when the lifelong members of the National Assembly voted to extend their terms and raise their own pay in March 1990. "How could a president elected by them represent the will of the Taiwanese people?" Fan Yun questioned. On March 14, she led NTU students to protest at the KMT headquarters. On March 16, a sit-in began at CKS Memorial Hall, and by March 18, it had grown into a nationwide mobilization.
The movement's symbol, the Taiwan Wild Lily, was chosen through a democratic process. An initial idea of 'Zhong Kui catching ghosts' was rejected because Zhong Kui was not a native Taiwanese figure. The wild lily, a native plant, was perfect. It symbolizes the highest honor in Rukai indigenous culture, represents youth and ideals, and blooms in March. It came to represent grassroots democracy, and a sculpture of the lily was placed in the center of the square, 'growing from the crowd' and watching over the thousands of students.
The 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement's four demands—dissolving the National Assembly (the 'ten-thousand-year parliament'), abolishing the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion, convening a National Affairs Conference, and setting a timetable for political and economic reforms—were a key catalyst for the direct presidential election. Fan Yun, who was the movement's general commander, shared in an interview with CNA her journey of political awakening, from 'self-educating' about the island's true history to daring to take to the streets to fight for democracy and freedom.
As an NTU freshman in 1986, Fan was captivated by an 'illegal' campus speech. The shock came when two students sang 'Formosa' (美麗島), a song she associated with the fearsome trio of 'Taiwan independence,' 'communism,' and 'the enemy.' Yet, its lyrics about the land and its people felt deeply familiar and warm. This experience, coupled with learning about the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident and the 228 Incident for the first time, sparked a profound questioning. "Why, as a child born and raised in Taiwan, did I never learn about these painful tragedies in school?" she wondered. This led her to a path of self-education, joining a student club to read about forbidden Taiwanese history, cross-strait conflicts, and political theories, slowly deconstructing the 'Great China' framework imposed by the authoritarian state.
Her college years coincided with a tumultuous era in Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was founded in 1986, martial law was lifted in 1987, and internal KMT power struggles erupted in 1990. The final straw for students was when the lifelong members of the National Assembly voted to extend their terms and raise their own pay in March 1990. "How could a president elected by them represent the will of the Taiwanese people?" Fan Yun questioned. On March 14, she led NTU students to protest at the KMT headquarters. On March 16, a sit-in began at CKS Memorial Hall, and by March 18, it had grown into a nationwide mobilization.
The movement's symbol, the Taiwan Wild Lily, was chosen through a democratic process. An initial idea of 'Zhong Kui catching ghosts' was rejected because Zhong Kui was not a native Taiwanese figure. The wild lily, a native plant, was perfect. It symbolizes the highest honor in Rukai indigenous culture, represents youth and ideals, and blooms in March. It came to represent grassroots democracy, and a sculpture of the lily was placed in the center of the square, 'growing from the crowd' and watching over the thousands of students.