Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators said the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is trying to “gradually unify the two sides of the Strait by connecting cross-strait culture,” as evidenced by an activity it held on its Facebook page.
The trivia contest, which began on Nov. 9 and closed on Friday, was titled “The Global Village — Feng Shen Bang (封神榜)” and emphasized the differences in Internet lingo around the world.
The homepage started with the question: “Did you know Chinese netizens use the term qiang sha fa (搶沙發) to mean qiang tou xiang (搶頭香)?”
This was followed by a test on the differences in vocabulary usage between Chinese and Taiwanese netizens.
Qiang sha fa and qiang tou xiang mean to be the first to post a response on a blog or a forum.
The contest could only be accessed by netizens who “like” the council’s Facebook page. Comprising 10 questions, it asked for the Chinese Internet lingo equivalent of items such as instant coffee, hair dryers, roller coasters and soft-drink cans.
To draw more participants to the event, the council offered movie tickets and other gifts. The first 200 participants also received a “Door God” figurine.
Critics have said that although it was titled “The Global Village,” it only asked for the equivalent used in China.
The contest was not widely participated in, with only 13 posts in total, with one netizen surnamed Lee (李) writing that when asking friends in China about some of the vocabulary listed in the questions, they also did not know.
DPP caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) criticized the council on Saturday, saying that the agency was wasting public funds and not doing its job.
Tsai said the council was trying to link Chinese culture with Taiwan and promoting gradual unification by making people understand the different names and appellations used by the separate cultures.
“This is an obvious attempt to unify China and Taiwan under the table,” Tsai said.
In response, the council said the era of the global village was a time when one should understand different cultures, customs and languages, and broaden one’s views, adding that Taiwanese should not close themselves off.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS