林榮峰 | Emily Lee
題材：油畫 | Medium: Oil painting
尺寸： 40‘’ X 30” | Size: 40” x 30”
畫家： 陳火木老師 | Artist: Chen Huo-mu
收藏家：李清澤、林榮峰 | Collector: Dr. & Mrs. Ching Tse Lee
天佑台灣 —— 彭明敏畫像的故事
1996年，台灣首次舉行民選總統，由李登輝先生與彭明敏先生代表兩大陣營參選。當時紐約僑社請陳火木老師繪製了一幅 40”×30” 的彭明敏畫像，用作競選文宣。後來這幅畫在台灣會館的競選籌款會上拍賣，我們有幸競標得手，將它帶回家珍藏。
多年前，彭教授流亡海外，輾轉定居美國。有段時間他住在華盛頓 DC 好友魏瑞明先生經營的旅館。當時的政治局勢仍然詭譎，我擔心他的安全，便拜託剛來美國不久的小弟恭山去那裡幫忙，最重要的任務就是每晚替彭教授換房間，以策安全。沒想到，恭山正好與彭教授在台灣的兒子同歲，兩人相處下來，竟建立起如父子般的情感，也彌補了彭教授思子之情。
後來，彭教授偶爾來紐約，通常是廖國忠先生設宴款待，我們也時常陪同。有一次晚餐，他忽然告訴我：「台灣想請我回去。」我立刻說：「真的嗎？你不能這樣單獨回去，我們大家要一起光榮地陪你回去！」很長一段時間後，這個夢想終於實現。來自各地的愛台人士組成團隊，陪他飛到香港，等待台灣簽證。當時大家心情忐忑，還在機場排演：若有狀況，大家會一起撲上去保護他。幸好一路平安，雖然有人在擁擠中被偷走皮包，總算順利踏上歸途，開啟了他為台灣民主再奮鬥的新篇章，直到1996年被公推為總統候選人。
當時我在曼哈頓從事商業不動產經紀，有個好朋友計劃來美國休假，請我幫忙找公寓，我義不容辭。完成後拿到一筆佣金，就把它全數拿到那場籌款會場，祝福他競選成功，也把那幅畫帶回史坦頓島家。
2000年，女兒從醫學院畢業，到加州 UCLA 精神科實習。趁著搬家，我也把這幅畫運去加州，打算送給小弟恭山收藏。不料，女兒結婚又搬回東部，她的一位美國精神科同事問她：「這幅畫怎麼處理？我要搬走了。」原來小弟一直沒來拿，只好請他用 UPS 把畫寄回紐約，它又回到了我手上。
2025年7月1日，筆會年中演講會在紐約舉行，第一場由楊斯棓醫師分享他「捐款奉獻導致人生百變」的故事，介紹他自己是彭明敏基金會董事。看到他如此年輕卻又如此愛台灣，正向的推廣台灣文化、疼惜民主先驅、慷慨奉獻，我很感動。腦中立刻浮現這幅彭教授的畫：這不就是最好的禮物嗎？
當晚我立刻回家找出畫來，加了一層油，使它煥然一新，捲好放進筒裡，方便帶回台灣。楊醫師答應會好好保存它。終於，這幅畫找到了最好的歸宿。
（對我來說，無論是我的畫作或私藏，都如同我的兒女一般。）
天佑台灣！
God Bless Taiwan — The Story of Professor Peng Ming-min’s Portrait
In 1996,Taiwan held its first presidential election, with Mr. Lee Teng-hui and Professor Peng Ming-min representing the two main camps. At the time, the Taiwanese community in New York commissioned artist Chen Huo-mu to paint a 40” × 30” portrait of Professor Peng as campaign material. Later, the painting was auctioned at a fundraising event at the Taiwan Center, and we were fortunate enough to win the bid and bring it home as a cherished keepsake.
Many years ago, after Professor Peng went into exile overseas, he eventually settled in the United States. For a time, he lived in a hotel in Washington, D.C., operated by his good friend Mr. Wei Suiming. Given the treacherous political climate back then, I worried about his safety and asked my younger brother, Gong-Shan—who had just arrived in the U.S.—to go help out. His most important task was to change Professor Peng’s room every night to protect him from potential danger. Unexpectedly, my brother happened to be the same age as Professor Peng’s son in Taiwan, and over time they developed a father-son-like bond, filling the void left by the separation from his own son.
Later on, Professor Peng occasionally visited New York, usually hosted by Mr. Liao Guochong, with us often joining them. I remembered at a dinner when he suddenly said to me: “Taiwan wants me to go back.” I immediately replied: “Really? You can’t just go back alone. We must all go back with you, gloriously and together!”
After quite a long wait, this dream finally came true. Supporters of Taiwan from all over the world formed a group and accompanied him to Hong Kong to wait for his Taiwan visa. At the time, everyone was nervous and uncertain, even rehearsing at the airport: if anything happened, we would all throw ourselves on him to shield him. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, though some people did have their bags stolen in the crowded airport. And so, he began yet another chapter in his relentless fight for Taiwan’s democracy, eventually being nominated as a presidential candidate in 1996.
At the time, I was working as a commercial real estate broker in Manhattan. A good friend was planning a vacation in the U.S. and asked me to help find an apartment. I gladly obliged, and when I earned the commission, I took the entire amount to that fundraising auction, wishing him success in the campaign — and also brought the portrait home to Staten Island.
In 2000, my daughter graduated from medical school and moved to California to begin her psychiatry residency at UCLA. While moving her, I took the portrait with me, planning to give it to my younger brother Gong-Shan as a keepsake. However, my daughter later married and moved back east, and one of her former colleagues, an American psychiatrist, asked her: “What should I do with this painting? I’m moving.” It turned out that my brother never came to pick it up, so I had it shipped back to New York by UPS — and the portrait returned to my hands once again.
On July 1, 2025, the Mid-Year Seminars of the Overseas Taiwanese Pen Club was held in New York. The first session featured Dr. Yang SzuPang sharing his story “A Life Transformed by Giving and Service,” where he was introduced as a board member of the Peng Ming-min Foundation. Seeing such a young man so deeply devoted to Taiwan, positively promoting its culture, honoring those who fought for democracy, and generously encouraging others with his own money and energy moved me deeply. Right then, Professor Peng’s portrait came to mind — what better gift could there be?
That evening, I hurried home to retrieve the painting, added a fresh layer of oil to revive its luster, rolled it up and placed it in a tube for easy carrying back to Taiwan. Dr. Yang promised me he would take good care of it. At last, the painting found its proper home.
(To me, my artworks and my private collections are like my own children.)
God bless Taiwan!