One of the essences of art is the attachment of importance to the authenticity of expression. As such, the question arises as to exactly what level of intimidation and pressure might have been applied to force a dedicated artist such as Taiwanese director-actor Leon Dai (戴立忍) to forgo his beliefs — having participated in and supported various social movements in Taiwan — and issue a 3,000-word statement on Friday last week distancing him from his past actions.
Accused by Chinese netizens of supporting “Taiwanese independence” because of his participation in the Sunflower movement and other social campaigns, Dai, booted from the production of a Chinese film directed by Chinese actress Zhao Wei (趙薇) for his “vague” political positions, was also compelled to stress in the statement that he has “never supported Taiwanese independence” and that he is of the “Zhonghua minzu [Chinese ethnic group, 中華民族] and Yanhuang zisun [descendants of emperors Yan and Huang, 炎黃子孫].”
The Dai incident is certainly not an isolated case, but merely the latest addition to the ever-growing list of Taiwanese artists succumbing to Chinese netizens’ populism.
The use of this sort of populism is becoming a frequent occurrence, in which Taiwanese artists with careers in China instantly become the target of criticism from Chinese netizens, who heckle them to “go back to Taiwan and do not set foot in China again,” or are arbitrarily labeled as supporters of Taiwanese independence if they fail to call China “the interior” (內地) — a loaded term implying that China’s borders encompass Taiwan — or partake in online campaigns echoing Chinese nationalist sentiment.
Granted, this kind of vitriol and cyberbullying from Chinese netizens is nothing new. However, it stands in sharp contrast to the Taiwanese public, which, by comparison, has been vary accepting of Chinese actors, neither rejecting them nor demanding that they take a certain political stance. As a matter of fact, Zhao rose to stardom because of her role in a Taiwanese drama.
The difference, which demonstrates the Taiwanese public’s democratic maturity and disposition, further showcases just how irrational and extremely narrow-minded Chinese authorities are as a whole in terms of their definition of so-called “supporters of Taiwanese independence,” as well as their peremptory selves, which do not understand that freedom of artistic expression and creativity should not be censored for political reasons.
While this incident has no doubt infuriated many Taiwanese, there is perhaps a silver lining amid the frustration: Rather than brushing off and dismissing the issue, the government, the entertainment industry and the Taiwanese public have been prompted to do some soul-searching about the circumstances that contributed to the predicament the nation’s artists face.
There is no denying that China offers a greater earnings potential, as well as a boost in popularity for Taiwanese performers, and stopping such cross-strait cultural exchanges would be impractical and unlikely.
However, while Taiwanese celebrities with careers in China have no control over Chinese netizens, there are measures the Taiwanese government can take.
What are the difficulties Taiwanese production companies face in their home market? What opportunities are lacking for performers in Taiwan? Should the government increase funding for locally produced TV programs and films?
These are questions the government must answer to map out policies which would provide concrete improvements for the nation’s entertainment industry, allowing actors to develop their careers more fully without feeling the need to be politically correct in regards to China or being compelled to compromise their beliefs.
In the first year of his second term, US President Donald Trump continued to shake the foundations of the liberal international order to realize his “America first” policy. However, amid an atmosphere of uncertainty and unpredictability, the Trump administration brought some clarity to its policy toward Taiwan. As expected, bilateral trade emerged as a major priority for the new Trump administration. To secure a favorable trade deal with Taiwan, it adopted a two-pronged strategy: First, Trump accused Taiwan of “stealing” chip business from the US, indicating that if Taipei did not address Washington’s concerns in this strategic sector, it could revisit its Taiwan
The stocks of rare earth companies soared on Monday following news that the Trump administration had taken a 10 percent stake in Oklahoma mining and magnet company USA Rare Earth Inc. Such is the visible benefit enjoyed by the growing number of firms that count Uncle Sam as a shareholder. Yet recent events surrounding perhaps what is the most well-known state-picked champion, Intel Corp, exposed a major unseen cost of the federal government’s unprecedented intervention in private business: the distortion of capital markets that have underpinned US growth and innovation since its founding. Prior to Intel’s Jan. 22 call with analysts
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) challenges and ignores the international rules-based order by violating Taiwanese airspace using a high-flying drone: This incident is a multi-layered challenge, including a lawfare challenge against the First Island Chain, the US, and the world. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) defines lawfare as “controlling the enemy through the law or using the law to constrain the enemy.” Chen Yu-cheng (陳育正), an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of China Military Affairs Studies, at Taiwan’s Fu Hsing Kang College (National Defense University), argues the PLA uses lawfare to create a precedent and a new de facto legal
Chile has elected a new government that has the opportunity to take a fresh look at some key aspects of foreign economic policy, mainly a greater focus on Asia, including Taiwan. Still, in the great scheme of things, Chile is a small nation in Latin America, compared with giants such as Brazil and Mexico, or other major markets such as Colombia and Argentina. So why should Taiwan pay much attention to the new administration? Because the victory of Chilean president-elect Jose Antonio Kast, a right-of-center politician, can be seen as confirming that the continent is undergoing one of its periodic political shifts,
RSS