Being Su Beng's biographer

Finally, at long last, after over three years, I have dropped everything to focus exclusively on working on this project- to write and document Su Beng's life.

There are hours upon hours of video footage and audio recordings of interviews, which need to be translated and edited. I am still working out a balance between focusing on the actual writing of the biography and editing of video footage.

The network of people who's lives have been touched by Su Beng is extensive and rich. In working on the concept of a video documentary I have started interviewing some of these people, as another angle from which tell the story of Su Beng's life. It is amazing how I have come to find these contacts through my personal networks.

Since I've been back in North America I have interviewed someone who knew Su Beng in his youth, in Taiwan. This person now happens to live in the state of Massachusetts.

From 1981-1982, when Su Beng was still based in Japan, he began traveling overseas (to Europe and North America and Brazil) to mobilize overseas Taiwanese in the fight for Taiwan's independence. He traveled around reaching out to these Taiwanese communities. He would spread the word and speak about why Taiwan should become independent, and promote the Chinese language version of Taiwan's 400 Years of History which was published in 1980. In the process, he further broadened his underground network of activists and supporters worldwide. Of course there are some supporters and members of his underground network in the U.S. that I'll be reaching out to while I'm here.

Now I am based in New York, the publishing mecca of the world. Opportunity awaits.