When Taiwanese and Hong Kong tour agencies began offering a four-day package tour focusing on Taiwan’s election culture, spaces sold out quickly. As there were only 30 seats available, and given that elections and democracy in Taiwan are especially relevant to people in Hong Kong at this moment due to pro-democracy protests in the territory, the popularity of the tour is not surprising.
What is interesting is that according to yesterday’s report by the Taipei Times, the tour is not just about the elections — but also presenting a brief overview of how Taiwan got to this point from an authoritarian military state. In addition to attending political rallies and watching election results live on TV, the tourists are also to learn about the nation’s history of social and political movements, and visit the Jingmei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park.
While it is unlikely that someone without any special interest in the topic would come all the way from, say, Europe, just to spend their entire time learning about Taiwanese election politics — which could be quite entertaining if presented in a humorous way — the tour is still a wonderful idea that could be incorporated into an itinerary in Taiwan over the next month.
Those who are used to the nation’s election frenzy might forget how unique Taiwan’s situation is in Asia. People should be proud of what Taiwan has accomplished in terms of freedom and human rights in such a short time. The election culture, precisely due to how crazy it can get, is a testament to this. For example, there have been LGBT+ tours to show visitors the landmarks and events that finally made Taiwan the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, so election tours would make sense.
Tourists could be taken to the National 228 Memorial Museum or other sites to understand the White Terror era and Taiwan’s not-so-glorious past and transition to democracy, but spending perhaps just a day personally experiencing its intense election culture is a concrete and tangible way to understand the nation’s values and the freedom its people enjoy. There are less than three weeks to go before the elections, but people will still be visiting Taiwan and they should be encouraged to see what is going on.
At least it is much better than continuing to rely on gimmicky installations for the sole purpose of selfie-taking. These sites continue to pop up nationwide and add little value to understanding anything about Taiwan, likely drawing only local tourists and deeply disappointing foreigners. Tourism is changing fast and there have been many efforts by tour companies to offer more meaningful experiences, with the election tour’s “Walk in Taiwan” being a prime example.
However, its Web site shows that, while including intriguing destinations such as Taipei’s former and current red-light districts, as well as early-morning wholesale markets, most of the tour is cultural. Taiwan’s politics and road to democracy are what have made this nation, and while there are excellent museums and exhibits about its recent history, this part seems somewhat understated when advertising to tourists.
Taiwan is a beautiful nation with vibrant cultures, and that would still be the main draw. However, experiences like election tours are key to understanding Taiwan’s current affairs, which is what it desperately needs in the face of Chinese oppression.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS