At a recent round-table conference on cultural creativity, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said he placed importance on the promotion of culture and hoped that he’d be remembered as a “culture president” because culture is what makes a society great. But I would argue that for Taiwan, culture is not only about building a great society, but also ensuring our survival.
The short-term reasons for this lie in the opening of direct links with China. I once asked a Chinese friend what he thought of direct transport links. He was worried that Chinese who visit Taiwan after the opening of the three links would not only be unable to understand Taiwan but may even misunderstand it.
“Look at scenic spots. They are basically Alishan [阿里山] and Sun Moon Lake [日月潭]. As long as Chinese go to these places they’ll be disappointed, guaranteed,” he said.
He added that Chinese have a yearning for the mystery of Taiwan and that this would not be satisfied by some scenic spot or night market snacks.
“The value of Taiwan, and what touches people, is its culture, but that is something the Taiwanese have not realized,” he said. “If Chinese tourists find their trips to Taiwan to be mediocre at best, then failing to make money off them is the least of your problems. When they return home, they will think that that was all there is to Taiwan, and that would not only be your loss.”
I agree with his concern.
For a long time we have witnessed China’s snowballing economic growth and Taiwan’s anxiety over how to go about opening up the three direct links and preventing itself from being isolated. Now, the three direct links are open and Taiwan is even considering inking an economic agreement with China.
I don’t see any possibility of cross-strait economic integration coming to an end. At this point, we should be well aware that a new task awaits us: working out how Taiwan should maintain its national identity after it has been sucked up into Chinese development.
It has always been difficult for small countries to deal with large countries. Taiwan wants to take advantage of China’s size while maintaining its sovereignty, but seems to lack the conditions to do this indefinitely. Taiwan’s natural resources, wealth, human resources and technology are not enough; not even Taiwan’s prize asset — democracy — is necessarily enough.
The only thing Taiwan can utilize and have faith in is its culture. Only by viewing culture as a resource to create a new economic stage after passing through the agricultural, industrial and service stages can Taiwan add significance to its existing resources and industries.
“Culture” implies holding onto values and tastes. This insistence comes from a society’s heritage and its embrace of new developments. Taiwan has preserved the essence of Chinese culture and has had the tolerance to accommodate foreign influences. In addition, its democratic progress distinguishes its culture from other Chinese-speaking countries.
In terms of primary and secondary industries, Taiwan is not much more advanced than any other Chinese society. But if the government places importance on investing in industries based on cultural creativity, it could turn the ordinary into the exceptional and create added value.
Before, Taiwan did not consider it necessary to assess and utilize culture. But times have changed. From a world perspective or the viewpoint of cross-strait integration, culture has become an increasingly precious asset.
Only by utilizing cultural capital can Taiwan reform industry and in turn highlight its irreplaceable role in the course of cross-strait economic integration — as well as prevent itself from being marginalized.
Rex Hao is the founder of the Locus Publishing Company.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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