The 22 March presidential election in Taiwan has not only influenced the island, but also renderred an unexpected impact on mainland China —- and it's a political one. As the new president-elect Ma Ying-jeou suggested in his speech after the victory,

几千年来的华人社会，只有台湾能够在这么小的地方，却走的这么远。

In our Chinese society with a thousands-of-years history, nowhere but Taiwan has gone so far on the way of democracy”, the breakaway island of China, as an politics avant-garde, stirred the mind of numerous Chinese .

Due to the last 8-year media propaganda on mainland, Taiwan has been an example of how bad democracy is and that Chinese are not suitable for the western democracy, which means suffrage, votes, multi-party system and justice independence. News about congress delegates slashed and punched each others during sessions has been prevalent on mainland papers and TV, as evidence that democracy brings chaos. Also, the continuous reports on the controversies between the two Taiwan parties created an image of group tension rampant on the island. And the president Chen shui-bian, who won the re-election in 2004 but pestered by rumors of corruption and bribe, was also thought to be a product of democracy. But after 22 March, this kind of points is greatly challenged. Just one day after the election of the new Taiwan president, a post by 南熏殿行走 named “After 2.33, no mainlander dares to jeer the democracy in Taiwan is just a farce” appeared on Tianya.com, which incurred it 5 pages of comments.

政府开明了，开明到让我们可以坐在电视机前全程观看台湾大选，开明到我们可以到网络上发表各种政治言论，我们享受到了改革开放前根本不敢想象的自由，但 是我们又是苦涩的，因为我们只能眼睁睁的看着一水之隔，同文同种的同胞享受民主的权利，享受自由的选择。而我们，号称人民民主专政的我们，只能在可怜的村 一级实行直选，而且是极端混乱的直选。 　　 　　台湾的民主，就像一个蹒跚学步的孩子，时常会跌倒，但是毕竟是在努力学着像个人一样站立着 行走，而且越来越成熟，越来越稳健，但是对岸的某些人，死死抓住选举中某些负面的情况，说：看，这就是所谓的民主，不就是闹剧吗？他们所忽略的是，我们连 起码的站立的权利都没有，就像一个高位截瘫的病人，却还摊倒在地上嘲笑刚学会走路的孩子。

The government is going more open, so open that we can watch the presidential election of Taiwan, so open that we can make every kind of political comments online, and enjoy what we could never expect of before the 1980 reform. But on the other hand we suffer from a bitter taste, because we can just WATCH our countrymen across the strait enjoying the democratic rights and the freedom of choice, while our country, which is called “People’s Democratic Dictatorship”, could only have suffrage on the village level, and still a mess. The democracy in Taiwan is like a toddling child who tumbled at times. But at least, he is learning hard how to walk on feet and going more mature and steady. Some people here, however, stick to a few negative aspects of the vote, saying that the so-called democracy is nothing but a farce. Nevertheless, what they ignore is that we don’t even have the right to stand staright. It’s like a paraplegic laughing at a kid just learning how to walk.

The author further slapped back a prevalent idea in China that Chinese are not cut out for democracy,

如果我们承认这一点，那我们就该为台湾的民主进程感到高兴，甚至自豪。长期有一种言论，认为中国人经历了几千年的专制，不适合也不可能搞民主，即使经济发 达的新加坡，港澳这些华人地区，也谈不上什么民主，但是台湾用它这几天堪称伟大的表现历史性的戳破了这一理论，他证明了中华民族是伟大的民族，不仅在长期 的古代历史中创造了辉煌的文明，不仅在西方列强的宰割中浴血重生，再次掌握自身命运。而且还能反省自身，鼎故革新，走上人类文明现代化的主流道路，这一 切，如果台湾能做到，那理论上已经没有任何障碍证明大陆人不能做到了。

If we concede to this (Taiwanese don’t 100% accept mainlanders), then we should be glad, and even proud of the democratic progress in Taiwan. There is a long-stand point that the Chinese who have been through thousands of years of autarchy are not fitting for and also impossible to have democracy. And even the places like Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau don’t pretty enjoy democracy. However, Taiwan contradicted such a theory with her historic performance in these few days, indicating that Chinese people are great —- we have not only created a splendid civilization in history and resurrected even after the western exploitation, but also self-questioned and refreshed ourselves so as to step on a main avenue of human civilization. As Taiwanese has fulfilled all of this, then theoretically, mainlanders have no problem to be able to do so as well.

And he commented that the “expected” conflict didn’t show up.

败者谢长廷，坦然认输，风度仍在，虽然花招耍尽，但在大局已定的情况下承认失败，接受“人民的决定”，并且激励绿党检讨自身，再图后来，这就是民主政治的 真髓，失败者要输的起，大家虽然政治立场对立，有明有暗各种龌龊斗争，但都承认一个共识：不论胜败，社会的和平稳定和人民的利益才是第一位的。

The loser Xie faced his failure in a decent manner…. This is the nature of democracy, that the losers concede to the fact of failure. Though their political stands might be in conflict, sparring on and under the table going on, but they agree to one point: no matter victory or loss, the social stability and people’s benefit should be at the first place.

整个选举，秩序井然，平稳进行，没有出现某些人预料中的混乱场面，在结果产生后，双方立刻承认现实，将非法性纷争的可能降低到零。虽然有差距过大的因素， 但不得不承认，今时今日的台湾政治制度，确实已经从陈水扁时代的混乱不堪逐步过渡到成熟稳健的民主政治，就像马英九自己说的，“民主国家的政党轮替是一种 常态”

The whole election is going smooth, without the confusion anticipated by some people. And after the result is out, the two sides soon submit to the reality and take out any chance of chaos. Though it is possibly due to the overwhelming margin, we have to admit that the political system in Taiwan today has shifted from the messy one in Chen Shui-bian times to a more mature politics. As president-elect Ma said,’ it’s common to have party alternation in democratic nations.’

台湾已经走上了正轨国民党必将不再是那个黑金独裁政党，民进党接受这次惨痛教训后，也必将不再是那个只会挑逗族群斗争玩弄选举花招的激进意识形态团体，这当然是台湾之福。但对于我们13亿大陆人民来说，却是千般滋味，皆在心头。

Taiwan has changed. National Party is no longer the party of bribe and autarchy, and the Democratic Progressive Party will also not be the aggressive group that just understands how to provoke group hatred and play tricks. This is of course the blessing of Taiwan. But for us 1.3 billion Chinese, we envy, feel bitter, and get lost.

牙齿闪亮 gave a sincere response,

顶一个,最烦那些说中国人不适合民主的贱人\骗子,自己犯贱就行了,还要代表中国人.民主也是需要一个进程的,但我相信中国人绝对配得上民主。

Up! I hate most those liars/mean guys who say Chinese aren't suitable for democracy. You don’t have to allege to stand for all of Chinese if you are so willing to be low-priced（servile). We need time to go for democracy. However, I believe Chinese absolutely deserve it.

为完成said,

非常好！ 　　我得承认，我昨天一方面看的牙痒痒，一方面看得心痒痒……

Excellent! I have to confess I was so itching for it when watching yesterday…

新非典型病人 said he felt like bursting into tears when hearing the Chinese ideal of democracy finally blossoms on an oversea island, after decades of pursuit. The most frequent quote inside the thread is what the National Party chairman Wu Bo-xiong said,

吴伯雄，“人民最大！只有人民手上的选票最大，没有一个政党比人民大！”

The priority belongs to people! The most powerful are people’s votes, and not a single party is superior to people!

wertyu84 commented on this,

我觉得说的非常好！大陆选主席能让咱们普通的老百姓也投上自己的一票么？ 虚伪的人大！

I think the saying is great! Could common people on mainland have votes in the president election? The People’s Congress is just deceptive.

Under political pressure, irony is always a good way. That’s why 黑心地主 “complaint” on the quote by Wu,

太TMD反动了

So damn counterrevolutionary!

Taiwan people, let’s first put down the controversy across the strait. Here is the echo from mainland that concerns the future relationship between the two areas. At the point, mainlanders feel their country overshadowed.

我爱啤酒花 希望台湾搞得好点，也算是中国人的一块实验田。

I hope Taiwan will be better, so that it could be a testing field for Chinese.

And a very “seditious” comment by 178676465

台湾统一大陆好像也挺好的。为啥非是大陆统一台湾。

It seems good for Taiwan to unify mainland. Why does it have to be the mainland to unify Taiwan?

xgw000001

　　而我们，号称人民民主专政的我们，只能在可怜的村一级实行直选，而且是极端混乱的直选。

But we in comparison, could only have suffrage at the village level, a nevertheless super messy suffrage.

Finally, let’s talk about this post. It appeared on Tianya.com, a crowded net café that is famous for users’ insight and care for the society. But after all, it’s supervised by the authority. Therefore the posters all worried about the fate of this post, in which many comments have crossed the line. A user said

此贴能够存在我就承认中国的民主还是有希望的！

If this post stays alive I agree that the democracy in China is still promising!

Today, I came to the post again. It disappeared. (I have downloaded the thread as I thought it would be removed soon. Though it later held on to accommodate 5 pages of comments, it is still gone finally.)