Taiwan is to participate in the Cultural Olympiad in Paris, with performances showcasing the values of democracy, freedom, equality and peace, Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) said yesterday.
The host city of the Olympic Games, which are scheduled from July 26 to Aug. 11, launched the Cultural Olympiad to “spur conversations between sport and culture” with a wide range of activities including concerts, performances, exhibitions, films and workshops, the Games Web site said.
Taiwan was invited to set up a pavilion at the Parc de la Villette in Paris by Frederic Mazelly, the park’s artistic director, who visited Taiwan early last year at the invitation of the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris, the Ministry of Culture said in a press release.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture via CNA
Shih visited the venue in September last year, it said, adding that Deputy Minister of Culture Sue Wang (王時思) led a team to Paris in January to inspect the site as planning began for Taiwan’s involvement, the ministry said.
The Taiwan Pavilion is to feature nearly 60 shows — including music, traditional opera adaptations, dance and DJ performances — by 22 groups from July 27 to Aug. 10, it said.
In addition, works by about 300 artists would be displayed digitally at the pavilion, it said.
Yen Design founder and director Yen Po-chun (顏伯駿), who is in charge of the pavilion’s design, has arranged the Olympic rings to form the letter “w” in the word “Taiwan,” it said.
The “w” — “double u” in English and “double v” in French — symbolizes Taiwan’s willingness to cooperate with the world and the vision of creating a culture that is win-win for the world, Yen was quoted as saying.
The National Symphony Orchestra performed in Paris last month and several Taiwanese groups are to perform in Paris next month, the ministry said.
Taiwan is presenting its cultural business cards to the world through the events so that the world can see the energy of Taiwan’s young creators and their interpretation of their own culture, Shih said.
The events are also to show that Taiwan shares the international values of freedom, democracy, equality and peace, he said, adding that “Taiwan has always stood side by side with the world.”
It has become a trend for host countries to incorporate cultural elements into the Games and Taiwan is to participate in the Cultural Olympiad with its own pavilion, he said.
This is not only a great opportunity for the nation to showcase its unique charm and diversity on a global stage, but also a statement that expresses Taiwan’s confidence in its culture, he said.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,