In searching for a national identity and cultural consciousness, Taiwan should transform the influence of Chinese history and culture to shape its own unique culture and identity, said Kim Young-oak (金容沃), founder of the Korea Institute for Classical Studies in Seoul, during a cultural identity forum yesterday.
"Desinicization is a negative concept and a goal that is almost impossible to achieve. Rather, I think Taiwan should develop its own cultural identity through transforming the impact of Chinese culture into something new, and popularizing Taiwan's culture and identity among both its own citizens and to the world," he said.
Kim made the remarks yesterday during "Taiwan's Search for National and Cultural Identity" forum co-organized by the Council of Cultural Affairs, the Taiwan Professors' Association and the Taiwan Pen Club.
The forum invited the South Korean academic and local experts to explore issues regarding Taiwan's national and cultural identity.
National Policy Advisor Lee Yung-chih (李永熾) said that the Taiwanese people have to differentiate between the concept of "a nation" from the monopoly of "a ruling party."
"To develop Taiwan's national and cultural identity, people need to have a sense of territory that is based in Taiwan. No political party represents a nation and they should not shape our national identity," Lee said.
Chen I-Shen (陳儀深), the Northern Taiwan Society's deputy chairman and a research fellow at Academia Sinica, said that without an unequivocal sense of national identity, Taiwan is a state but not a nation.
Echoing Kim's remarks, Chen said that the key to constructing Taiwan's national identity is to localize the Chinese cultural and historical influences and transform them into Taiwan's own, unique culture.
"Unlike the relationship of `one nation, two states' between North and South Korea, where the two states enjoy equal resources and political power, Taiwan is a tiny island whose territory and resources are no comparison to China's," Chen said.
"The concept of `one nation, two states' is dangerous for Taiwan. Instead, we should think about how to establish our own cultural and political identity through the transformation from `Sinification' to `Taiwanization,'" he added.
While approving the localization of Taiwan's culture, Chiu Kuen-liang (邱坤良), president of the Taipei National University of Arts, said that "the lack of a clear and definite social consciousness and the politicization of cultural events" has made a negative impact on the development of the country's cultural consciousness.
"The government's recent efforts to promote traditional art and culture, such as Chinese opera or puppet shows, are often based on political or economic concerns," Chiu said.
"The transformation from suppressing traditional cultures to highly valuing those so-called second-class cultural activities or art forms is often too fast to include deeper discussion. Developing our cultural identity based on politics is not the way to go," he said.
Sharing his observations on the development of cultural and national identity in Taiwan, Kim said that Korea has faced a similar dilemma in an attempt to save the nation's traditional culture.
"Speaking from personal experience, I came to Taiwan to learn about Chinese philosophy in order to understand more about traditional Korean culture, which is partly rooted in Chinese culture," Kim said.
"So I think that to develop Taiwan's own cultural subjectivity it is crucial to overcome political confrontation with China and embrace its cultural influence," he said.
Kim obtained a master's degree in comparative philosophy from National Taiwan University before going on to a doctoral degree at Harvard University.
Known as "The King-Maker" for his election campaign strategies that helped South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun get elected two years ago, Kim is currently serving as one of Roh's key advisers.
He was invited by the Council of Cultural Affairs to an eight-day visit to meet President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), travel to southern Taiwan to visit local Aboriginal tribes and talk to artists and cultural figures.
Meanwhile, Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday spent 30 minutes discussing "the search for self-identity" with Kim, and both agreed that "Taiwanese people should not look down upon themselves ... Long or short, difficult or easy are only human comparisons according to human standards. It is only a human evaluation," Hsieh said.
"So, whether Taiwan is important cannot be evaluated by human's standards. We have to believe in ourselves," he said.
Hsieh started the conversation by talking about globalization and localization.
"Globalization" is the main value in today's society, and we cannot live without "localization" because we have to recognize ourselves, our own soil and our motherland, Hsieh said.
"If we do not recognize ourselves, our own culture will not be recognized, either," Kim said, adding that keeping "self-identity" is very difficult because it requires people's recognition.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS