With China’s rapid economic development, the Chinese government is beginning to learn the significance of “soft power.” A Chinese leader once said that one important task in building the nation’s soft power is cross-cultural communications and exchanges aimed at strengthening the attraction and influence of Chinese culture.
A prime example of the importance the Chinese government puts in this is the establishment of Confucius Institutes. The Confucius Institute is a non-profit educational and cultural organization aimed at promoting the Chinese language and culture. It falls under the Office of Chinese Language Council International, also called Hanban, and is headquartered in Beijing.
In late 2004, the first Confucius Institute was established in Seoul. Hanban has now set up 328 Confucius Institutes in collaboration with universities around the world. The US has 53 institutes and four Confucius Schools, making it an important pillar in the popularization of the Chinese language and culture. Hanban aims to establish 500 Confucius Institutes worldwide by next year.
In 2002, while the Chinese government was planning to establish the institutes, the Taipei Theater and Taipei Art Gallery in the Rockefeller Building in New York City quietly closed down because their budget was slashed.
The theater and gallery were established in 1991. During those years, the New York Times commended them as windows on Eastern and Western culture and arts. As an important overseas cultural pillar, the theater and gallery organized a wide array of Taiwanese artistic and cultural activities and were praised by audiences and critics alike. Anyone visiting these two venues would gain a better understanding of Taiwanese culture.
In addition, the Times often ran commentaries about the two institutes. The efficacy of promoting Taiwan through the Times can’t be bought for money.
Moreover, the theater and gallery served as a platform through which Taiwanese artists could communicate with artists from other countries.
After they closed down, Taiwanese artists could only exhibit their works at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts or private theaters and galleries. But such places are expensive to rent and they set strict requirements for the groups that perform there.
Nowadays, it is extremely difficult for Taiwanese artists to perform in New York. The Times rarely covers Taiwanese artistic and cultural activities.
How much strength does Taiwan have? We often see in newspapers that China tries to block Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts and that Taiwan’s president is inconvenienced. Even Taiwanese athletes receive unfair treatment at international sports events. These issues are already well known.
A dozen years ago, I had an opportunity to talk to some children in the US. When I told them I came from Taiwan, some asked me if Taiwan was Thailand. Taiwan’s economy is stronger than Thailand’s, but ironically, American children have heard of Thailand, not Taiwan.
When people do not know about or understand your country, it is a waste of time to talk to them about soft or hard power.
The closure of Taipei Theater and Taipei Art Gallery was a great mistake. The government should hire experts to re-evaluate this decision. If the theater and gallery are found to have been indispensable in promoting Taiwan, the government should take advantage of the lackluster real estate market in New York to revive them.
Yeh Chingwen is chief executive of the Zeng Xian Cultural Foundation.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
US President Donald Trump’s second administration has gotten off to a fast start with a blizzard of initiatives focused on domestic commitments made during his campaign. His tariff-based approach to re-ordering global trade in a manner more favorable to the United States appears to be in its infancy, but the significant scale and scope are undeniable. That said, while China looms largest on the list of national security challenges, to date we have heard little from the administration, bar the 10 percent tariffs directed at China, on specific priorities vis-a-vis China. The Congressional hearings for President Trump’s cabinet have, so far,
US political scientist Francis Fukuyama, during an interview with the UK’s Times Radio, reacted to US President Donald Trump’s overturning of decades of US foreign policy by saying that “the chance for serious instability is very great.” That is something of an understatement. Fukuyama said that Trump’s apparent moves to expand US territory and that he “seems to be actively siding with” authoritarian states is concerning, not just for Europe, but also for Taiwan. He said that “if I were China I would see this as a golden opportunity” to annex Taiwan, and that every European country needs to think
For years, the use of insecure smart home appliances and other Internet-connected devices has resulted in personal data leaks. Many smart devices require users’ location, contact details or access to cameras and microphones to set up, which expose people’s personal information, but are unnecessary to use the product. As a result, data breaches and security incidents continue to emerge worldwide through smartphone apps, smart speakers, TVs, air fryers and robot vacuums. Last week, another major data breach was added to the list: Mars Hydro, a Chinese company that makes Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as LED grow lights and the
US President Donald Trump is an extremely stable genius. Within his first month of presidency, he proposed to annex Canada and take military action to control the Panama Canal, renamed the Gulf of Mexico, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a dictator and blamed him for the Russian invasion. He has managed to offend many leaders on the planet Earth at warp speed. Demanding that Europe step up its own defense, the Trump administration has threatened to pull US troops from the continent. Accusing Taiwan of stealing the US’ semiconductor business, it intends to impose heavy tariffs on integrated circuit chips
RSS