For the 726 recall anniversary, Gang-Hu published a series of retrospective articles about how we went from the recall campaign to civil defense, and invited members to share their own perspectives on the past year.
The Taiwan Reunion curatorial team and the North Coast Democracy Resilience Association chose the dates 726–823 — the two dates of last year’s recall votes — to hold the “Love Letters to Taiwan” exhibition.
Beyond the static exhibition, a series of talks also tried to approach the subject from different angles and open a dialogue with society.
Gang-Hu Civil Defense Corps was fortunate to be invited to the hidden 8/21 session, “Island Shield,” to talk about what “whole-of-society resilience” means, and about the possibilities for civil defense between government and the public.

For those who’ve been deeply involved for a long time, civil defense is preparation that can never be finished.
For those who haven’t been involved, it sounds distant, unfamiliar, far away.
But it’s actually the everyday extension of how we resist China.

In politics, it takes the shape of a recall, of election mobilization, of showing up to support your candidate.
And beyond the vote every two years, on all the days in between — besides paying attention to current affairs — what civil defense is working on is everything else we can do, outside of politics, to accumulate, piece by piece, the things that protect our way of life.

Looking back over the past decade or so, it’s really been the same thing all along.

During the Sunflower Movement, it was blocking the trade services pact.
During the anti-red-media movement, it was blocking media from being bought out.
The 2020 and 2024 presidential and legislative elections, the 2025 mass recall — the theme was always clear too: protecting Taiwan.
Some call this fear-mongering, but the plain reality is, our neighbor genuinely wants to swallow us.

These are all political paths, and effective ones.
Many people have come this far this way — myself included.

But starting in 2024, we’ve seen a different situation emerge.

When the Legislative Yuan is held hostage, the path within the system becomes very hard to walk.
Budgets get cut, bills to protect Taiwan get blocked, procedures get bypassed.
The 2025 mass recall was our attempt to use democratic means to turn that around, and in the end, not a single legislator was recalled.

What if the political path stops working?

Political mobilization still has to continue.
We still have to vote in every election, still have to stand at the intersections that need staffing, still have to try to persuade whoever can be persuaded.

But over that same stretch of time, we also have to start working hard on things outside of politics.
Getting prepared. Building resilience.

And thoroughly preparing has another layer of meaning too.
It lets the other side know we’re preparing with everything we’ve got.
A society that has seriously prepared makes an aggressor think twice before acting — it’s not so easy to act on impulse.

In prison, the weak and skinny get targeted, so everyone tries to bulk up.
Taiwanese people have a lot of lovely virtues, but we often forget there’s a bully right next door — we need to bulk up too.
Civil defense is about strengthening every part of your life, so you can handle whatever comes.

Civil defense and political participation aren’t in conflict.
Standing at a petition booth on the street, casting your vote, canvassing for a candidate — these are all acts of resisting China.
Civil defense is the everyday version of the same thing: learning a skill, stockpiling a bit of supplies, getting to know the people around you.

Compared to an election, it’s not exciting, and there’s no moment when the votes get counted.
But it’s solid, and it doesn’t reset to zero just because someone takes office or steps down.

Thanks to “Love Letters to Taiwan” for organizing this talk, for giving these words a place to be said.
Occasions like this don’t just happen on their own — someone has to be willing to make them happen.

If over these past few years you’ve voted for Taiwan, stood at a street corner, tried to persuade your own family — then you’re already doing this.
Civil defense just extends it to all the days beyond election day.
Come join us. Become one of the prepared.