Mormonism in Taiwan: A Cultural Perspective

Lee Chang

Mormonism in itself is a social enigma. Mormons seem to not fit in

with any culture. It calls other religions incomplete and unauthorized. On
the political scale, the LDS Church has consistently chosen controversial
positions in opposing abortion, same-sex marriage, and other topics. When
society is centered on these three things culture, religion, and politics it is
miraculous to observe the fast growth of the Churchs membership and
popularity worldwide. This essay will discuss the growth of the LDS Church in
Taiwan and the cultural and religious obstacles it encountered. It is also
important to note that the terms Taiwanese and Chinese will be used
interchangeably in most cases when discussing the culture in this essay.

Christianity and Taiwan

Because the LDS faith shares a foundation with mainstream Protestant
faiths, the history of general Christianity in Taiwan can be studied to observe
some general difficulties of establishing the faith there. Christianity was
introduced to Taiwan the same way many areas were during the expansion of
European countries: through force. When the Dutch first came to Taiwan in
1624, they had better weapons and armor that gave them superior influence
over the native people. A Christian education system was implemented,
intent on wiping out the matriarchal family society that existed before among

the indigenous community.1,2 Many of the original aboriginal rituals were

banished. For a long time, the general populous of Taiwanese natives
harbored subdued enmity towards the foreign religion while their children
were indoctrinated in the western system of belief.

Then, in 1945, the Nationalist government of China, which still

included Taiwan at the time, granted religious freedom. The Nationalist Party
favored Christianity because it represented higher education, forwardthinking, and international involvement. The Catholic Church and other
Christian denominations then began to flourish, with memberships of some
churches seeing a 1,700 percent increase in under 25 years. Under the new
freedom, the Taiwanese people began viewing Christianity in a more positive
light. The Christian presence in Taiwan was further fortified when the
Communist regime expelled the Nationalist government from China to
Taiwan in 1949, forcing most of the westerners to follow for safety, including
a large number of Christians. Taiwan then entered into a golden age of
Christianity, seeing much expansion and integration of the foreign religion. 3

Mormonism Enters Taiwan

1 Chen, Chiung Hwang. "In Taiwan But Not of Taiwan: Challenges of the LDS Church
in the Wake of the Indigenous Movement." N.p., June 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.
2 Chiu, Hsin-hui. The Colonial 'civilizing Process' in Dutch Formosa, 1624-1662.
Leiden: Brill, 2008. Web
3 Chen, Chiung Hwang. "In Taiwan But Not of Taiwan: Challenges of the LDS Church
in the Wake of the Indigenous Movement." N.p., June 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.Print

The first four Mormon missionaries sent to Taiwan wouldnt arrive until
June 4, 1956, when interest in Christianity was on the decline. Serving as
part of the Southern Far East Mission under President Heaton, the
missionaries established a branch in the capitol city of Taipei. Stanley
Simiskey, a convert to the Church was stationed in Taipei. He gathered a few
other servicemen to hold group meetings until they were joined by the
missionaries. Elders Duane W. Degn, Keith A. Madsen, Weldon J. Kitchen, and
Melvin C. Fish assisted the newly assigned Branch President Simiskey in
strengthening the foothold of the Church in the capitol.4,3
The missionaries had just nine months of language training in
mandarin only one of the languages spoken on the island. The cultural
divide, communication barrier, and dying interest in Christianity did not favor
the missionaries work. In fact, under the encouragement from wellestablished Christian pastors and preachers, the Taiwanese people in general
did not accept Mormonism as being the same as Christianity, and had a
negative view of it. Chen Chiung Hwang, in his article, wrote, On the
contrary, Mormonism is seen, at worst, as a cultish, unknown, polygamous
religion or, at best, either as a friendly, polite American guest or as
something exotic.

4 Barney, Ralph D., and Gary G. Y. Chu. "Differences between Mormon Missionaries'
Perceptions and Chinese Natives' Expectations in Intercultural Transactions." The
Journal of Social Psychology98.1 (1976): 135-36. Web
5 Chen, Chiung Hwang. "In Taiwan But Not of Taiwan: Challenges of the LDS Church
in the Wake of the Indigenous Movement." N.p., June 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.Print

The first baptism in Taiwan was Thomas V. Kintaro Sr., the husband of
a Church member, on July 22 1956; however, the first native baptisms didnt
occur until April 27, 1957. The two first native converts, Ch'iu Hung-hsiang
and Tseng I-Chang, were joined by more than 50 other converts by the end of
1957. Missionary work then spread to Tainan and Kaohsiung in the 1960s.6

A Cultural Influence
Many people were drawn to the Mormon Church due to its
Americanness. The Church wisely played on its American image by
promoting English classes and American activities. This attracted members
from the upper crust of the Taiwanese society.5 By 1958, there were 286
members in Taiwan, primarily around the capitol.6 These early converts
mainly came from other Christian denominations and had the religious
education to form a firm structure for the church to continue building on
later. Jasmin Huang, an early convert in Taiwan, describes her exposure to
the Church.
When I joined the church, most people were really young. Most of
them were students [and they joined] because they were interested in
foreign experience. I joined the church when I was a student, but most

6 Hillam, Bradford. "Country Information: Taiwan." LDS Church News. The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

people like me were not really interested in the religion. They were just
interested in foreigners.7
However, the Churchs Americanness had a simultaneous negative
impact on its growth in Taiwan. In 1987, when martial law was lifted, Taiwan
sought to reestablish its own cultural identity. The indigenous Taiwanese
people wanted to maintain their individuality from foreigners as well as the
Chinese people that escaped from China to Taiwan (commonly referred to as
wai shen ren, (translated as Outer Region People). As new as the LDS
Church was to Taiwan, it was at a disadvantage trying to train its
missionaries in Mandarin, only to discover a widespread movement to restore
the native tongue of Taiwan, also known as Hoklo. The LDS Church
established Mandarin (the official language of Taiwan) as its primary
language in conducting meetings and missionary work. English was
maintained as the standard for Church administrative functions. The
emphasis on Mandarin ostracized many of the indigenous people who were
indignant about needing a translator at meetings and in lessons.

It would not be unreasonable to say that Chinese remains one of the

Churchs greatest linguistic mountains to climb. Even the Bible, translated

7 Huang, Jasmin Hsiu-Fen, and Arien Hamblin. "Interview." 1994. MS 1, LDS Asian American
Oral History Project. Brigham Young University, Provo. Print.
8 Chen, Chiung Hwang. "In Taiwan But Not of Taiwan: Challenges of the LDS Church in the
Wake of the Indigenous Movement." N.p., June 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.Print

decades before the Book of Mormon, is still criticized for awkward Chinese
conversion despite many revisions.
Still more worrisome was the lack of cultural understanding from the
missionaries. A study done in 1976 on returned missionaries showed that
missionaries misunderstood 66.7 percent of Taiwanese cultural subjects after
their time in Taiwan. The study focused on the areas of personal appearance,
tradition, language, personal manners, church behavior, and personal space.
The returned missionaries generally completed their missions with serious
cultural knowledge deficiencies.9
Unfortunately this issue is still prevalent in modern situations. Many
returned missionaries assume that because of a two-year stay in a land, they
understand the culture. They do not consider that the language barrier
prevents them from asking about or understanding the deep 5,000 year old
culture. As deep as the Chinese culture is, many missionaries project their
native customs onto the foreign culture, causing misunderstanding. An
example is that people in Taiwan will give the best things to the missionaries
because they are visitors from a foreign land all the way from home. When it
comes to visitor customs, the importance of gifts is never understated. The
following experience of Jasmin Huang is a common occurrence:

9 Barney, Ralph D., and Gary G. Y. Chu. "Differences between Mormon Missionaries'
Perceptions and Chinese Natives' Expectations in Intercultural Transactions." The Journal of
Social Psychology98.1 (1976): 135-36. Print.

We try to treat them as nice as we can. A lot of missionaries there

tend to take advantage. When they get back from their missions and
they have some friends here from the home town, they keep that kind
of thinking. They think, [Your people didnt] mind. Why shouldnt I
take those things for granted? Some people will just come over to our
house, eat all our food and leave.10
The young elder and sister missionaries, oblivious to the customs of Chinese
people, insulted the native Taiwanese people unknowingly. This example
relates a conflict when considering the Chinese custom of Li Shang
Wang Lai. This four-word idiom presents a foundational understanding to
how many, if not most, of the eastern cultures work.
When given a gift, the receiver has the duty to not only gratefully
receive, but to plan on giving a gif back of either equal or greater value. No
gift is accepted freely. While there may not always be a purposeful intent
behind each gift, this concept of a gift, fair, precedes correspondence is not
reflected in the western culture. It is also ironic that in the Asian culture, part
of respecting your visitors is not embarrassing them. Thus, when the
oblivious missionaries except gifts from the natives unfamiliar with western
culture, they do not recognize the cultural significance of a gift. In fact, some
missionaries will return to a certain restaurant because the restauranteur

10 Huang, Jasmin Hsiu-Fen, and Arien Hamblin. "Interview." 1994. MS 1, LDS Asian American
Oral History Project. Brigham Young University, Provo. Print

gives them free meals. Likewise, missionaries are known to return to certain
homes expecting gifts of ties.
Jasmins experience is not unique to her personally. Although those
that become familiar with missionaries eventually understand that their
behavior is innocent, this cultural divide and misunderstanding left some
Taiwanese natives with distaste for missionaries.

Translating the Book of Mormon

Confucius compared some undertakings to negotiating a deep abyss,
or like treading on thin ice (problems 174). Even with the translation of the
Bible, western religions encountered difficulties with the Asian languages.
The presence of honorific classifications, archaic, classic, and modern
versions of the same phrases complicated the translation process immensely.
The language used in the Bible is crucial to western Christians. It maintains
the sacredness of the text and sets it apart from modern day texts. However,
Chinese usage of high-classical language is delicate and often misunderstood
by westerners. One of the primary complaints of the translated Bible was
that its language was too high.11
The English Bible is known for having a mixture Isaiah-esque language
quoted within the New Testament, which writing style is more readily
11 Morris, Robert J. "Some Problems of Translating Mormon Thought into Chinese." BYU
Studies10.2 (1970): 173-85. Web.

understandable. In the Chinese arena however, readers were generally

unfamiliar with the archaic and metaphoric writing style of Books such as
Isaiah from the Old Testament or The Book of Revelation from the New
Testament. In the initial stages of Taiwanese Christianity, the natives
struggled with applying the awkward foreign translation of an unfamiliar
doctrine to their own lives.
The same struggles applied in 1959 when the LDS Church began
translating the Book of Mormon into Chinese.12 In his article Some Problems
of Translating Mormon Thought into Chinese, Robert Morris describes a
cultural conflict when the English proper nouns are transliterated. The
English written language is simply phonetically based whereas written
Chinese is evaluated on its visual appeal, per-word connotation, and what
this essay will call syllabic cadence.
[A] quick glance at the names will show that they do not follow
Chinese style, and this is a rub to a lot of people. A few names will
illustrate: Li Hai (Lehi), Ni Fei (Nephi), Yeh Su Chi Tu (Jesus Christ), Shih
Mi Yueh Se (Joseph Smith).13
All of these names, popular and crucial to the Mormon faith, do not
follow the syllabic cadence of customary Chinese names making them sound

12 Hillam, Bradford. "Country Information: Taiwan." LDS Church News. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

13 Morris, Robert J. "Some Problems of Translating Mormon Thought into Chinese." BYU
Studies10.2 (1970): 173-85. Web.

crude and uncultured. Quite often the translated Chinese names of foreign
people, places, or objects carry an awkward combination of tones and
sounds. One example is the transliterated name of Nephi: Ni Fei contains two
character which rarely, if ever, appear in Chinese names. The rising tone of
ni combined with the sudden tonal drop of fei is unpleasant to Chinese
ears. In addition, the ni character is phonetically the same sound as the
Chinese word for mud, demeaning the name. Because all words in Chinese
are single syllable, many words sound the same or similar to one another,
causing many mishaps to occur. One example missionaries encounter is
when introducing the Book of Mormon, originally translated as and
Romanized as Mo Men Jing. When investigators do not have a visual
confirmation of the actual characters, combination of Mo and Men is very
quickly misunderstood to mean Hells Gate or The Door of the Devil, thus
the title would mean The Scriptures of the Devils Door.
The Mormon Church became known as the Mo Men Jiao, the exact
sounds that mean the Church of the Devils Door. The incumbent Christian
preachers encouraged the misconception of the LDS Church as a cult, using
the unfortunate mis-transliteration as evidence. Chen Chiung Hwang writes,
Externally, comprising a small portion of society in Taiwan, Mormonism
continues to be seen as a cult-like religion. Even to this day, almost a
decade after the Church retranslated the name of the Book of Mormon in
2007 to the less confusing title of Mo Er Men Jing (), many Chinese

people still recoil in revulsion at the mention of the Mormons, identifying the
Church as a xie jiao (evil cult) due to the initial transliteration.

Expansion
In April 1960, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, then assistant to the LDS
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was appointed the supervisor of the Asian
missions. Under his care, the Asia area saw the expansion of missions,
building of many church facilities, and purchase of the land later used for the
first chapel in Taiwan. In the same year, many local missionaries were called.
A portion of the local missionaries were assigned to be building missionaries.
1415

The early Chinese members had a general feeling of disappointment

and embarrassment when called to be a building missionary. The culture
viewed manual labor as a lower class of employment where the uneducated
and underprivileged toil.
Not all effects of assigning members as building missionaries were
negative however. Larry Chen, an early convert, shared his story of how
building missions actually brought his family to the gospel.
14 Cannon, Donald Q., Richard O. Cowan, R. Lanier. Britsch, David F. Boone, and Fred E.
Woods. A Light Unto Every Nation: Gospel Light Reaches Every Land. Salt Lake City, UT:
Deseret Book, 2003. Print.

15 Bigelow, Christopher K. "Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith." Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

When I found out my brother joined the church, I thought he

was in a bad church. Hes a bad guy and became a good person. I was
really curious. I said, How can that happen? My friend said the
Mormon Church was the wrong church. My brother joined the wrong
church but he became a good person.
When my brother joined the [LDS] Church, he changed his
behavior. I became curious. When my brother joined the Church, I was
in the military, serving in the marines for almost three years. I heard
that he decided to join the Church, and my parents said this behavior
changed a lot. Before he joined the church, he didnt use his money
wisely. He usually spent it in the wrong way. His behavior didnt really
please my parents. Sometimes he even got out a family treasure that
was given by our forefathers and sold it.
My parents said that he had changed. When he received his salary, he
paid the tithing first, and he didnt spend a lot of money to do the
wrong things now. I wanted to see myself.16

Larrys brother became the first building missionary. He helped build

the first Taiwan chapel. Larry would go visit his brother when he came home
from his military service. He realized that indeed, there was a change. He
began to accompany his brother to young adult activities, where he
eventually met the sister missionaries.
16 Chen, Larry, and Arien Hamblin. "Interview." 1995. MS 1, LDS Asian American Oral
History Project. Brigham Young University, Provo.

The foreign missionary came from Australia. The Australian

missionary didnt know how to speak mandarin and I had a hard time
understanding what she was talking about. I told her, give me the
pamphlet, and Ill read it myself. After I read some pamphlets, I
continued to listen to about two lessons, I said, Okay, Ill join the
church.

Brother Larry Chen eventually became the mission president of the

Taiwan Taipei Mission. His brother served an honorable mission, and their
parents also joined the Church. His father took the longest time, quitting
heavy drinking, smoking, and even womanizing. Eventually, Larrys father
served in the Tokyo Japan Temple in the later years of his life. His mother
died faithful in the Church, sealed to her family for eternity.
As Elder Hinckley continued to expand the LDS Churchs presence in
Taiwan, the local peoples perception of the Church improved. Health and
service missionaries travelled around the island, educating the community
about sanitary habits, gaining the appreciation of the government. Taiwan
was organized into three districts on November 17, 1964. Taiwan became its
own mission in 1974.17

17 Hillam, Bradford. "Country Information: Taiwan." LDS Church News. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

The Taipei Taiwan Stake was created in April 1976. Taiwan native
Chang I-ching was called to be the first native stake president. The Taipei
mission was then divided later that year, with the second mission based in
Kaohsiung in the southern part of the island. Membership of the church in
Taiwan at that time was just under five thousand.

18

Culture, Customs, Clash!

The movement of the Taiwanese people to rediscover their identity in
the 1980s was accompanied by rapid modernization of the countrys
infrastructure. Interestingly in contradiction with common studies, religious
interest did not decrease with the surge of education, industry, and
technology in fact it increased.19 While modernization in the western culture
has slowly driven religion from the public scene (schools eliminating the use
of the Bible or the phrase God) Taiwan actually saw a revitalization of
interest in religion. The native people wanted to re-establish their own
religions as the functioning spiritual identity. The momentum began slowly in
the 80s and actually sped up, leading to humanitarian initiatives being led
by Buddhist and Taoist factions rather than Christian denominations. The
18 Cannon, Donald Q., Richard O. Cowan, R. Lanier. Britsch, David F. Boone, and Fred E.
Woods. A Light Unto Every Nation: Gospel Light Reaches Every Land. Salt Lake City, UT:
Deseret Book, 2003. Print.

19 Chen, Chiung Hwang. "In Taiwan But Not of Taiwan: Challenges of the LDS Church in the
Wake of the Indigenous Movement." N.p., June 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.Print

number of structured Buddhist organizations increased. The practice of

ancestor worship also was reinvigorated.

20

As with many ancient turned modern civilizations, China and Taiwan

have their own deep-rooted religion except it is not a single religion. China
and Taiwan are most commonly associated with Buddhism; however,
Buddhism was actually introduced to the Ancient Chinese Empire through the
Middle East. Eventually, native Chinese beliefs, such as Taoism,
Confucianism, and ancestor worship shaped the modern Chinese Buddhism.
A person educated in religion can observe a mix of practices in the daily life
of the average Taiwanese native as they go to the Buddhist temple to pray in
the morning, then purchase incense and offerings to burn at their ancestors
shrine, and finish off singing Christian hymns.

20

Confucianism may have been one element of Chinese culture that

contributed to this ideology of accepting multiple religions simultaneously.
Philosophical approaches to accept any and all good things to strengthen
ones self is a foundational teaching of the ancient Chinese philosopher.
Epistemologically, Chinese people generally have a very
different view about religion and deity from Westerners. The Chinese,
in general, see religion as a natural human tendency, not something to
force upon someone, or to express with undue insistence. Religion is
seen by many Chinese people as a way of life but often not in the
20 Groot, Jan Jakob Maria. The Religious System of China: Book II. On the Soul and Ancestral
Worship. Vol. IV. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1901. Print.

formalized and ritualized way Westerners/Christians are used to. They

do not claim the only truth; instead, they believe that truth
encompasses everything.21
The following section will compare and contrast the spiritual practices
of most Taiwanese people and the Mormon faith. Comparisons between each
individual religion and Mormonism will not be conducted because the
average Taiwan native does not distinguish between religions; in truth, many
natives treat religion as one great whole. Therefore, focus will be given to the
practices of the Taiwan populace. This section will focus on ancestor worship
because it is the largest spiritual and cultural point of conflict between
Mormonism and Taiwanese spirituality.

Veneration of the Dead

While is a large divide between traditional Taiwanese religion and
Mormon doctrine, most dissonant native practices are largely resolvable,
with one exception: veneration of the dead. Worship of the deceased was
and is an integral part of the Chinese and Asian community. Its practice has
become routine in everyday life. Family members bring incense, foods, and
21 Chen, Chiung Hwang. "In Taiwan But Not of Taiwan: Challenges of the LDS Church in the
Wake of the Indigenous Movement." N.p., June 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.Print

mock necessities to relatives graves before going to work. Children say a

quick prayer of gratitude and protection at the family shrine placed in the
living room after arriving home from school. This practice has become so
ingrained in the Taiwanese way of life that it has become a point of culture as
well as religion.22
Veneration of the dead has been practiced in dynasties around the
ancient globe. For the Chinese however, it has been perpetuated the longest.
Much of the Chinese practice of ancestor worship developed from the
spiritualistic aspects of Taoism. Taoism is the only widespread religion that
originated from the Chinese culture. The Taiwanese veneration of the dead
has also incorporated some of the indigenous Taiwan deity worship (such as
the worship of the god of the local stream, or the god of the backyard
garden).
The Taoists believe that there exists a universal Yang which
envelopes reality. This power breaks up to form souls. Once the soul expires,
it returns back to the main body of spiritual substance. All things on this
earth and in reality are created from this soul-substance, signifying that
Taoist Chinese believe that all things possess a spirit form. The belief is that
in worshipping the ancestors soul, the descendants are able to preserve
their spiritual life. The lack of worship causes the soul to be re-absorbed by
the Yang. Without going into further detail, this teaching proved to be two
22 Groot, Jan Jakob Maria. The Religious System of China: Book II. On the Soul and Ancestral
Worship. Vol. IV. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1901. Print.

points of simultaneous harmony and conflict with the emerging Mormon

religion in Taiwan.

23

Through ancestor worship, the Chinese honor their deceased. They

burn incense, mock money, and food, trusting that the spiritual versions of
the materials will reach their ancestors for use. The habitual repetition of this
ritual eventually made ancestor worship automated in the daily lives of the
people. Often the Taiwanese people didnt know what effect their offerings
had beyond the honoring of their dead. Larry Chen described his familys
religious situation:
My mother didnt know anything about religion. It was just
tradition. We didnt understand what they were doing or what they
were worshipping. The only thing we knew was that part of our worship
was respecting our ancestors. Chinese always respect all the people
that have passed away. That was their religion

Comparisons
The Latter-Day Saints actively perform ordinances of baptism, confirmation,
and endowment for their deceased. These practices are born out of doctrinal
necessity rather than simply honoring their ancestors. There are similarities
when compared with the Taiwanese perspective that their ancestors souls
23 Groot, Jan Jakob Maria. The Religious System of China: Book II. On the Soul and Ancestral
Worship. Vol. IV. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1901. 273, 452.Print.

must rely on the prayers and offerings of their descendants. Thus for the
Chinese, the concepts of performing important functions for the dead is not
unusual.
The Chinese people also emphasize the importance of family records.
In many smaller, more traditional villages where most of the villager are
related, there are special buildings containing the genealogical records. The
practice came from Pre-Communist China, but unfortunately during the
revolution, family records were burned by the new government in an effort to
decentralize the family unit. The only Chinese regions actively maintaining
the practice of record-keeping and ancestor worship are Hong Kong and
Taiwan, the latter being more active.
The Latter-Day Saints also believe in meticulous record keeping,
although they focus on the doctrinal importance of it.
Then, let there be a general recorder, to whom these other
records can be handed, being attended with certificates over their own
signatures, certifying that the record they have made is true. Then the
general church recorder can enter the record on the general church
book, with the certificates and all the attending witnesses, with his
own statement that he verily believes the above statement and
records to be true, from his knowledge of the general character and
appointment of those men by the church. And when this is done on the
general church book, the record shall be just as holy, and shall answer

the ordinance just the same as if he had seen with his eyes and heard
with his ears, and made a record of the same on the general church
book.24
Most of the Chinese people appreciate the teachings and practices of
the Mormon Church in regards to the deceased. Whereas most other
Christian faiths teach the perpetuation of the soul after death, Mormons
seem to be the only church that supported the doctrine through actionable
ordinances.
Unfortunately, as with the Americanness of the Mormon Church, the
advantages of the ordinances for the dead also came with disadvantages.
The Taiwanese people greatly resented the prohibition on ancestor worship
by the early Christian churches when they first arrived. Through the decades,
the incumbent Christian factions began accepting that their members would
insist on worshipping their ancestors even while praying to God.
The Mormons however, strictly abided by the doctrine that no other
gods should be worshipped. This firm stance dissuaded many from joining
the Church if they had to sacrifice what they believed was the existence of
their forefathers spiritual life. In a more practical light, most people were too
afraid to be different than the rest of the Taiwanese society. Many of the
Taiwanese people believed in the Restored Gospel and agreed with its
24 "Section 128." The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 1981. N. pag. Print.

teachings, however continued ancestor worshipping practices due to social

and familial pressure and did not join the Church.
[A] crucial difference between Western ideas and traditional Chinese
culture concerns ancestors. Many Chinese/Taiwanese regard becoming
a Christian as betraying ones tradition and ancestors. After I joined
the Church, my mother often sighed and repeated a local saying:
Christianity: nobody weeps when people die. What she is concerned
about is that I will not care for her when she (or anyone in the family)
dies. Many Chinese believe in an afterlife in which the dead will live
well in the spirit world through regular offerings (of food, incense,
religious paper money, etc.) from their family and descendants. Thus,
they will not become dislocated, hungry spirits floating aimlessly in the
spirit world. My mother also worries that I will not have anyone to
provide me with necessities when I leave this earth. The saying thus
expresses a common resentment over Christianitys hostility toward
ancestor worship.25
While many members also removed the incense and prayers from
their daily lives while keeping the shrine as a symbol of respect, some
members still continued the gestures to honor their ancestors without the
religious purpose. In an article of the Churchs April 1998 issue of the Ensign,
President Karl R. Koerner of the Taichung, Taiwan Mission wrote the following:
25 Chen, Chiung Hwang. "In Taiwan But Not of Taiwan: Challenges of the LDS Church in the
Wake of the Indigenous Movement." N.p., June 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.Print

Showing respect for and honoring our deceased loved ones is in

complete harmony with gospel principles, but what to one person is a
religious and spiritual ritual to another is simply a way of showing
respect to deceased ancestors, no more a religious ritual than the
custom of placing flowers on a grave. For example, two people could
be performing what appears to be the same rite of ancestor worship,
each bowing reverently several times before a wooden tablet listing
the names of deceased relatives. The one could easily be in harmony
with the precepts of the gospel, while the other is in opposition to what
the Lord has commanded.26
Moving Onward
By 1989, the Church and the University of Chinese Culture finished a
cooperative initiative begun 10 years earlier to microfilm Chinese family
records throughout Taiwan. Later that year in June, 6,000 people attended a
week-long genealogy exhibition held by the Church in the National Center
Library in Taipei. The publicity from these events helped harmonize Church
teachings and traditional Chinese values in the minds of the Taiwanese
people.27

26 Bigelow, Christopher K. "Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith." Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

27 Hillam, Bradford. "Country Information: Taiwan." LDS Church News. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

The spiritual leanings of the Taiwanese people are so heavily

integrated into their everyday lives, one cannot compare the religious
aspects without comparing the social and cultural as well.

The Family
The Chinese/Taiwanese community has often seen dysfunctional
families despite its emphasis on family values. The families are still together
and appear connected, but actually suffer a lack of emotional
correspondence. The Chinese culture admonishes respect towards superiors
and elders often in the form of total obedience.28 The lifestyle of the Chinese
environment also demands long hours at work or school away from home.
These two factors together destabilize the Taiwanese family structure. The
end effect is a paradoxical structure where most the families are bound
together by traditional family-centric duty and societal expectations rather
than emotional understanding and connection.
The Asian culture is also the epitome of tough love in the family.
Children are expected to remain close to home, often until the parents
become elderly and need their care. Especially in the time frame the Mormon
Church was entering Taiwan, an individual grew up and grew old in the same
village. If a person did leave their community, it showed that they did not
28 Carol S. Huntsinger, Paul E. Jose, Fong-R. "Cultural Differences in Early
Mathematics Learning: A Comparison of Euro-American, Chinese-American, and
Taiwan-Chinese Families." International Journal of Behavioral Development 21.2
(1997): 371-88. Web.

wish to take care of the elderly. Their family viewed their physical departure
or religious deviation as a lack of love and respect. Larry Chens father left
his village when Larry was still young. As a result, the entire village looked
down on his father and his family.
Because of his behavior (leaving the village) that way, he kind of
rebelled. Our village had become a little bit against him, and he was
scared of coming home.
In any setting, the younger generation is not allowed to speak
opinions that contradict their elders. Even up to the current decade, children
are not allowed to argue with their parents; such behavior is often met with
physical discipline.
These parental practices paired with the Asian tradition of suppressing
empathy and visible emotion have a long lasting negative result: the children
are silent about their thoughts and emotions while the parents hardly ever
say I love you. The lack of communication causes a lack of understanding,
which in turn usually led to sudden intense outbursts of anger from children
towards parents and vice versa.
The Chinese family traditions contrasted starkly with the American
LDS Church. Restored and founded in the western culture, the typical
Mormon expectations towards family teach that the phrase I love you
should be spoken often in the family, with parallel actions. The doctrine of
Mormonism teaches that parents should listen to the children just as the

children should listen to the parents. The husband and the wife are equal
partners in the family organization and in the spiritual eternities. These
doctrinal truths were hard for the Taiwanese people to follow, as it would
mean a completely new way of thinking.
Furthermore, as some of these early converts began looking towards
going on full-time missions, their families were hurt and shocked. In the days
of the early Church in Taiwan, the native people were very conservative;
thought of leaving the family for two years for a church was unheard of
besides professional ministers. Many of the families were impoverished, still
struggling to build up from the escape from Communist China; funding a
mission seemed unfathomable. Hai-I Hsia West, whose father was part of the
Nationalist Party navy, escaped with her family to Taiwan while she was still a
toddler. From her childhood to adulthood, she lived in a tightknit community.
Everyone was poor so everyone shared food, material goods, and traditions.
When Hai-I decided to go on a mission after she was baptized, her
family was angry at her. They didnt support her conversion and understood
less about her desire to serve a mission. (Interesting Note: many of the
Taiwanese at that time believed that the Mormon missionaries were secretly
American FBI Spies!). Hai-I chose to leave for her mission anyways, straining
her family relationships. Hai-I showed greater love towards her family when
she returned. Her great example changed her familys perceptions of the
Church. Now, her mother wholly supports her involvement in such a
wholesome and family-centric religion.

As the Mormon Church grew in Taiwan, it tried to present its doctrinal

teachings in harmony with the local culture. Those who joined the church
experienced enriched family experiences. Jasmin Huang described it as
finding completion in their family relationships:
[The Church is] family oriented. I think thats a good development.
They are looking for something that they dont have in their families
they are trying to learn about the religion.
In the Ensign article Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith, Chang Wu Lan jokes
half-seriously, Before my husband joined the Church, he did not know what
love was, now he knows how to love me and the family. The Changs were
sealed in the Taipei Taiwan Temple in 1996.

29

One of the greatest moments in Taiwan Mormon history was the

building and dedication of the Taipei Temple in 1984. President Gordon B.
Hinckley spoke on the symbolism of the temple being built on old prison.
This house, he said, built on what was once prison property, will open the
doors of the veil of death. The Church began to gain more prominence after
the completion of the temple and its open house, which drew over 20,000
attendees including many high-ranking government officials, some of whom
would encounter the LDS Church later in their career.30
29 Bigelow, Christopher K. "Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith." Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

30 Cannon, Donald Q., Richard O. Cowan, R. Lanier. Britsch, David F. Boone, and Fred E.
Woods. A Light Unto Every Nation: Gospel Light Reaches Every Land. Salt Lake City, UT:
Deseret Book, 2003. Print.

On 3 May 1990, Taiwan's Minister of Interior, Hsu Shui-The, met with

Church leaders to address the concern of declining family values in the
country. He recalled former Church President David O. McKay saying that "No
other success can compensate for failure in the home." Minister Hsu was
impressed by the truly happy families within the Church. The Church
launched a campaign after the meeting to improve public relations and
distributed bumper stickers displaying President McKays quote in Chinese
characters . Even today, in the Churchs
Chinese community, ties, bookmarks, stickers, and posters can be purchased
with the popular slogan.31
The development of the Church in Taiwan from the mid-90s up until
now has seen steady growth. About one thousand new members are added
each year, and the Church in Taiwan have reached various milestones of
development:

August 1995: Shih-An Liang was called to serve as the first Area

Authority from Taiwan.

2002-2003: Over 2,000 new converts were joined, bringing total

membership in Taiwan to 38,731.

August 2005: President Hinckley (who over saw the development of
Taiwan while serving as an assistant to the Twelve) dedicated the new

Church Administration Building was built in Taipei.

2005: Membership totaled 42,881.32

31 Bigelow, Christopher K. "Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith." Taiwan: Four Decades of Faith.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

Taiwan TODAY:
Total Membership:

57,889

Missions:

Temples:

Family History Centers:

1232

Through the decades of inspired labor and dedicated leadership The

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has overcome the many obstacles
in the path of its growth in Taiwan. From language barriers to cultural
contrasts, the hand of God is evident in its success. Members share stories of
how their perceptions have changed to affirm their dedication and gratitude
for the effects of the Gospel in their life. Many characteristics of the Church
have resonated well with Taiwans culture, while other aspects were points
needing resolution. Four missionaries, a couple of military servicemen, and a
handful of investigators meeting as a small branch in Taipei surging to over
55,000 members in just 60 years is a testament to the truthfulness of the
Restored Gospel. The trump has sounded, and the work of the Lord shall go
forth.
If you are a person really care about life, you can find the truth
in your own culture. I think I had that with my heart, when I
encountered the Church, I was able to figure out those two
32 "Taiwan: Facts and Statistics." Lds.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

connections better, I feel even though I grew up in the Chinese culture

and it wasnt the Mormon culture I was able to understand the gospel
in another way. [After I joined the Church] I felt very calm. A feeling
came to me saying, somebodys taking care of everything. It was
coming from an outside power.
- Hai-I Hsia West33

Addendum
Church History in Taiwan
1921Elder David O. McKay dedicates Chinese realm
1956Missionaries arrive in Taiwan from Hong Kong
1959Elder Mark E. Petersen rededicates Taiwan
1965Book of Mormon published in Chinese
33 West, Hai-I Hsia, and Arien Hamblin. "Interview." 1995. MS 1, LDS Asian American Oral
History Project. Brigham Young University, Provo. Print

1966First meetinghouse dedicated in Taipei

1971Taiwan mission created
1973Church Educational System begins programs
1975Membership reaches 7,000
1975Doctrine and Covenants published in Chinese
1976Kaohsiung mission created
1976First stake organized in Taipei
1976Pearl of Great Price published in Chinese
1979Taichung mission created
1981Kaohsiung stake organized
1982Taichung mission dissolved
1982Taipei stake divided
1983Taipei Service Center opens (Church offices and apartments)
1983Kaohsiung mission moved to Taichung mission
1984Membership reaches 13,000
1984Taipei temple dedicated
1990Membership reaches 18,000
1994Taichung stake organized
1997Tainan stake organized
2002 Membership reaches 36,598
2005 New Church Administration Building dedicated

Source: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/09/taiwan-four-decades-of-faith?lang=eng
Larry Y.C. Chen

Credit: http://www.mission.net/taiwan/taipei/presidents.php?prID=2119
Taiwan Temple:

Credit: https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/taipei-taiwan-temple-lds-1031625?
lang=eng

President Gordon B. Hinckley discussing the plans of what appears to be the Taipei,
Taiwan Temple:

Credit: https://www.lds.org/manual/presidents-of-the-church-student-manual/gordonb-hinckley-fifteenth-president-of-the-church?lang=eng
Taiwan Taoist Temple:

Credit: http://www.mappingwords.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/lotuslake8.jpg

Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Taichung_Tzushan_Temple_4.jpg