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Johnny Neihu's Mailbag

A Confucian Trojan Horse?

Dear Johnny,

I found your article on the Confucius Institute along with its potentially subversive agenda very interesting (“Colonfucius vs quasi-Confucianists,” Sept. 6, page 8) as I am doing a diploma in Chinese culture at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

As part of my diploma I am doing a first year Chinese-language paper and the class text for it is produced by the Hanban organization [The Office of Chinese Language Council International] that is linked to the Confucius Institute.

I know a student who is doing the same paper for his master’s in political science, which is particularly relevant as his thesis is something along the lines of whether the Hanban/Confucius Institute is genuinely centered on the teaching of Chinese language or is a political Trojan Horse for the ideas of the Chinese Communist Party.

I was thinking, if you were interested, maybe the two of you could exchange sources?

Anyway, I found it dryly amusing that this language textbook included a map of China that included not only Taiwan but also the entire South China Sea as Chinese territory.

I mean, who actually recognizes the People’s Republic of China claim over the entire South China Sea?

ANDREW



Johnny replies: Thanks for the tip, Andrew. Your friend’s Trojan Horse quip reminds me of that Chinese expression ma dao chenggong (馬到成�?which is surely what the Chicoms are expecting now that they have some of the best universities in the world feeding from their “education” budget.

The more you look into this issue, the dirtier it gets. Another correspondent tells me that the Confucius Institute has made obvious attempts to influence the academic curriculum in her former workplace. Still another informant has suggested that Falun Gong sympathizers/practitioners are being targeted in one European institution. Details later if I can confirm them.

Scams on sale

Dear Johnny,

Can you ever really trust a store in Taiwan that uses the words “on sale”?

The reason I mention this is that there were two instances where I observed somewhat nefarious sales practices by prominent stores in the Taipei area.

The first was a large cosmetics/pharmacy chain that was madly advertising toilet tissue on sale for NT$109 per package. There were employees outside with megaphones screaming out the prices, balloons and general mayhem, and throngs of people crowding around to get a hold of a “good” bargain. The original price was slashed on the advertisement from NT$129 per package.

Having bought that brand many times over the past number of years from that particular chain, I was fully aware that the original non-sale price was NT$109 per package.

Also, a huge Japanese electronics chain, which I browse through and drool in frequently, almost caused me to blow a lunch box out of my nose.

A brand of home theater — which entered the Taiwanese market a few years ago and which I have always had a liking for — is currently priced at about NT$28,000 in retail stores and on Yahoo Taiwan. Two weeks ago, this particular store had this unit on sale for NT$29,000, down from NT$39,000. Problem is, they always had this product with a regular price of NT$32,000.

Further to this, with nothing better to do at lunch yesterday, I went into the above store again and noticed the same system relocated to the other side of the store, now on sale for NT$35,000, marked down from NT$49,000.

Is this type of scam the norm? If a large reputable chain is engaging in this type of practice, I cringe to think what smaller, seedier stores are up to!

TREVOR JOHNSTON



Johnny replies: Trevor, the only solution to this problem is to stand outside said stores with a megaphone and yell out exactly what you just wrote.

But bring a very strong bodyguard.
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