It is not ‘Taoyuan, China’
The Taoyuan Lantern Festival, which began on Feb. 21, was originally intended to be an event for Taoyuan residents to welcome tourists from across the country. Surprisingly, a promotional video introduced it as the Taoyuan Lantern Festival in “Taiwan, China.”
One of the event organizers was the same company that hosted the “Xitang Hanfu (漢服) Culture Week” in China’s Xitang Ancient Town last year. As a result, the festival was filled with ancient costumes from the Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, adding Chinese “flavor” to the event.
When the Taoyuan City Government approached the event organizer, did it tell them that this was a Taiwan, Republic of China festival, not a People’s Republic of China festival?
Did it object to any belittling of Taiwan?
If the government had made this clear and stuck to its stance, how would any of the contractors have dared to use “Taiwan, China” in a promotional video?
Given that the Taoyuan Lantern Festival cost taxpayers NT$49 million (US$1.6 million), should the Taoyuan City Government authorities have examined the promotional videos more closely to make sure that they were in line with the intent of the festival?
Did they know that such a video would anger the Taiwanese, who might question whether Taoyuan Mayor Simon Chang’s (張善政) administration has been infiltrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)?
Are city authorities not worried that the Taiwanese would feel that their city has been downgraded to another link in the chain of CCP’s “united front”?
My concerns are not groundless.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year this year, the Taoyuan City Government launched the “Taoyuan Yexiao Street” (桃園夜宵街).
However, how many Taiwanese know what “yexiao” is? It is a Chinese Mandarin term for late-night snacks, called “xiaoye” in Taiwan.
At that time, some questioned why Chang used the Chinese term “yexiao” and now that the Taoyuan Lantern Festival boldly displayed the word “Taiwan, China,” one has to ask whether he considers himself a mayor of Taiwan or China.
I would like to ask Chang: “What is the connection between the Taoyuan Lantern Festival and the Han costumes and the ancient rituals of the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties?”
Taoyuan is rich in local culture, such as Hakka and new immigrant cultures, as well as infrastructure and development, possessing an international airport and a fishing harbor.
The event would be closer to Taoyuan residents’ life experiences and expectations if the lantern festival had been organized around these local characteristics.
We should return the lantern festival to Taoyuan, Taiwan, and to the people of Taoyuan — we refuse to be belittled by the CCP.
Hsin Na
Taipei
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