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Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School

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Coordinates: 24°47′54″N 120°59′37″E / 24.79833°N 120.99361°E / 24.79833; 120.99361
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Hsinchu Kuang-Fu
Senior High School
新竹市私立光復高級中學
Address
Map
No. 153, Section 2, Guangfu Road, East District

Hsinchu
,
300

Taiwan
Coordinates24°47′54″N 120°59′37″E / 24.79833°N 120.99361°E / 24.79833; 120.99361
Information
Other nameKFSH
School typePrivate comprehensive high school
Motto儉樸、奮鬥、創造[I]
(Save, Struggle, Create)
Founded1953 (1953)
School number181305
MascotMandrill
Websitewww.kfsh.hc.edu.tw

Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School,[II] also shortened to Kuang-Fu High School,[III] is a private comprehensive high school in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Founded in 1953, it is located in the city's East District, adjacent to National Tsing Hua University. It has a senior high school, a junior high school, a further education school, a vocational school, and a kindergarten.

Kuang-Fu High School garnered international attention in late 2016, when students held a Nazi-themed parade to celebrate the school's anniversary. The incident was condemned by the Taiwanese government, as well as the Israeli and German missions to Taiwan.

History

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Founding and expansion

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The site of Kuang-Fu High School was originally a school for children of workers at an Imperial Japanese Navy fuel plant in Hsinchu. The plant and the school were closed after World War II.[1]

Hsinchu County Kuang-Fu Tutorial High School was opened in 1953. Two years later, the school became Hsinchu County Kuang-Fu Senior High School. When Hsinchu was upgraded from a county to a city in 1982, the school changed its name accordingly. The school expanded in 1967, 1994, and 1999, with the additions of a cram school, a junior high school, and a kindergarten, respectively. A comprehensive education program was also piloted in 1999; Kuang-Fu transformed into a comprehensive high school in 2003 following the program's success.[2]

2011 assault case

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In early 2011, a video circulated online of three Kuang-Fu High School students assaulting a junior high school student from another school who was kneeling down and uncombative. The assault occurred at approximately 4:50 pm on 17 March 2011; the perpetrators kicked, shoved, slapped and insulted the victim.[3][4] The perpetrators were given detention and temporarily suspended by the school administration, but the victim's parents declined to pursue criminal charges after reaching a settlement for NT$3,600 (US$167 in 2024[5][6]) with the perpetrators' parents on 23 March.[4] Local police nonetheless launched an investigation and interviewed seven suspects, but ultimately no charges were laid.[7]

A video of the assault was published online on 25 March 2011 and quickly went viral, allegedly prompting one of the perpetrators to threaten netizens with lawsuits and forge a settlement letter from the victim. The settlement letter, supposedly signed by the victim, offered the families of the perpetrators NT$100,000 (US$4,650 in 2024[5][6]) in damages; it was quickly rejected by the local courts.[4] Two of the perpetrators publicly apologized to the school's principal on 28 March.[8]

Two students unrelated to the original incident were arrested on 30 March 2011 for falsely claiming in online forums that they were gang members acquainted with the perpetrators, and that the assault was in response to the victim's refusal to prostitute herself for a gang. One of the students, a high school senior, was charged with inciting others to commit crimes, and the other, a college freshman, was charged with intimidation.[9]

2016 Nazi-themed parade

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In late 2016, Kuang-Fu High School made international headlines after its students held a Nazi-themed parade to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the school's founding. A history teacher at the school, Liu Hsi-cheng, proposed to his homeroom students that they parade as historical figures for an anniversary event on 23 December 2016.[10][11] Liu suggested famous figures from Arab history, but his students voted to "cosplay" as Nazis instead. Liu warned the students that their chosen theme would be "very controversial", but he ultimately decided to respect the students' decision.[10][11] In preparation for the parade, Liu's students altered their black school uniforms to resemble those of the Schutzstaffel (SS), the paramilitary of the Nazi Party.[11] They also constructed a life-sized Panzer IV tank out of cardboard.[12][13] At the event, students marched around school grounds while carrying Nazi flags and standards;[14] a few students were also photographed giving the Nazi salute.[12][13]

The parade, which took place the day before the start of Hanukkah that year, was widely condemned both domestically and internationally. Israel's de facto embassy in Taiwan, the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, issued the following statement:[12][13]

It is deplorable and shocking that only seven decades after the world had witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust, a high school in Taiwan is supporting such an outrageous action as we witnessed yesterday at Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School. We strongly condemn this tasteless occurrence and call on the Taiwanese authorities, in all levels, to initiate educational programs which would introduce the meaning of the Holocaust and teach its history and universal meaning.

The office offered the school educational resources and were invited to speak to the students about the Holocaust. Germany's de facto embassy in Taiwan, German Institute Taipei, stated: "Sadly, the students clearly do not understand that the Nazi symbol stands for disregard for human rights and oppression."[12] The Taiwan Presidential Office expressed its regret and disappointment, stating:[12][13]

We feel it is extremely disrespectful to the Jewish people who had been victims of the oppression perpetrated during wars, but more importantly, it highlighted ignorance about history. The responsibility of an education facility is to teach students that peace and diversity did not come easily. The freedom of thinking should be based on justice and respect, rather than misconduct. Education authorities should require the school to shoulder responsibility by seriously reflecting on the incident, understand and improve education in related fields of study and apologize to the countries it offended.

Taiwan's Ministry of Education expressed its "astonishment and regret", and the then education minister, Pan Wen-chung, publicly apologized and urged other Taiwanese schools to educate their students about the Holocaust.[12][13][15]

Kuang-Fu High School's principal at the time, Cheng Hsiao-ming, immediately resigned following reports of the parade.[11][16] In his resignation letter dated 25 December 2016, he accepted responsibility for the incident and apologized to the public, as well as victims of the Holocaust.[11] He also announced that Liu would be held accountable for the incident along with the school's administrators, but the students would not be punished.[11]

Basketball team

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The Kuang-Fu High School basketball team was founded in 2015 and is a member of Taiwan's prestigious High School Basketball League [zh] (HBL).[17] The team has been crowned HBL champions twice, in 2022 and 2023.[18] Its logo depicts a mandrill.[19]

Notable alumni

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^
  2. ^
  3. ^

References

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  1. ^ Huang, Wan-hsiang; Lin, Shen-chen; Lin, Ping-yen (2013). 新竹第六海軍燃料廠之美軍空中拍照及戰後移交資料 [Sixth Naval Fuel Plant of Hsinchu: Aerial Photographs by the US Military & Materials Transferred Post-WWII] (PDF). Hsinchu City Archives Quarterly. p. 88. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  2. ^ 沿革理念 [History / Philosophy]. Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  3. ^ Yao, Nan-hung. 新竹遭霸凌女學生在部落格道謝 網友擔心象腿幫又威脅她 [A female student in Hsinchu who was bullied posted a thank you message on her blog. Netizens are worried that the Elephant Leg Gang is threatening her again.]. NOWnews (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b c 新竹「象腿幫」 打人後疑脅迫簽和解書 [Hsinchu's 'Elephant Leg Gang' allegedly forced someone to sign a settlement agreement after beating them up]. Liberty Times (in Chinese). 26 March 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Taiwan Dollar to US Dollar Spot Exchange Rates for 2011". Exchange Rates UK. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "$1 in 2011 → 2024". CPI Inflation Calculator. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  7. ^ 少女遭霸凌 涉案人送辦 [A little girl was bullied; the people involved were sent to justice] (in Chinese). Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  8. ^ 象腿幫向師長道歉 網友批應洗門風 [The 'Elephant Leg Gang' apologize to their teacher as netizens criticize the scandal]. Liberty Times (in Chinese). 28 March 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ^ 康叔本尊 竟是2網友惡搞 [Uncle Kang's true identity was actually a prank by two netizens]. United Daily News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2 April 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  10. ^ a b Wang, Amy B. (27 December 2016). "A Taiwanese teacher asked his students to vote on a parade theme. They chose Adolf Hitler". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Tsai, Chang-sheng (26 December 2016). "Principal resigns over Nazi outrage". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Lin, Sean (25 December 2016). "School's Nazi costumes draw Israeli ire". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e Winer, Stuart (25 December 2016). "Taiwanese high school holds Nazi-themed parade". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  14. ^ Eichner, Itamar (26 December 2016). "Taiwan high school holds mock 'Nazi rally'". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  15. ^ "The Ministry of Education is deeply concerned by Kuang Fu High School's anniversary activity and has taken immediate action". K12 Education Administration, Ministry of Education (Taiwan). 5 January 2017. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  16. ^ Bowerman, Mary (28 December 2016). "Principal resigns after Nazi parade at Taiwan school". USA Today. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  17. ^ Wan, Shih-lien. 成軍僅四年 光復高中籃球隊勇闖HBL八強 [Only four years after formation, the Kuang-Fu High School basketball team has made it to the HBL quarterfinals]. TaiwanHot (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  18. ^ 高虹安允給光復籃球隊150萬無下文 [Mayor Kao Hung-an to give $1.5 million to the Kuang-Fu High School basketball team without explanation]. Central News Agency (in Chinese). 27 November 2023. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  19. ^ 光復高中-球隊故事 [Kuang-Fu Senior High – Team Story] (YouTube) (in Chinese). Hsinchu: Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High TV. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  20. ^ a b Tsai, Chang-sheng (25 December 2016). 私立光復中學小檔案 [Kuang-Fu High School Archives]. Liberty Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
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