Shih Ch’ien: Taiwan’s “Father of Beggars” – S5-E43

Shih Ch’ien (施乾) is a young, well-educated Taiwanese man with a coveted government job in the Japanese colonial administration. But he turns his back on this comfortable life to live among society’s outcasts. In 1923, aged just 24, he founded a shelter for beggars, Aiai Ryō (愛愛寮, the “House of Love”) in Taipei’s Wanhua district. There, he would spend the rest of his short life caring for the destitute and demonstrating his hands-on approach to helping the poor. Shih loved beggars but hated begging; he rejected feel-good charity, instead seeking to eradicate poverty through education, medical care, self-respect, and work-training. And he attempted this without institutional support. It was a constant struggle. Behind his success lay two extraordinary women, first his Taiwanese wife and later his Japanese wife.

Happy New Year from Formosa Files. We hope you enjoy this uplifting historical tale told with our usual seasoning of banter and that you forgive us our occasional inappropriate joke.