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Taiwanese laud China at festival

A team partly financially supported by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission failed to spotlight the real image of Taiwan during the biggest multicultural street carnival in Germany, which was held on Sunday in Berlin, officials said.

Germany-based Taiwanese officials told the Taipei Times that the situation would be closely reviewed in order to create a more genuine representation of Taiwan in Germany.

On Sunday, the Carnival of Cultures, the biggest multicultural street carnival in Germany, was held in Berlin. There were four hours of street performances, which set out from Hermannplatz, with more than 100 teams reflecting Berlin's cultural diversity.

The activity was financed by the office of the commissioner of the Berlin Senate for Integration and Migration.

It was estimated that more than 700,000 people enjoyed the street carnival on Sunday. Themed as "Go East -- Sino Culture" (走向東方-中華文化), the Taiwanese team performed the Chinese fan dance and a dancing dragon and staged a show of traditional Chinese clothing from different dynasties.

On the group's truck for the parade, big red lanterns were hung high to catch the spectators' eyes.

When asked by the Taipei Times, most spectators said the team was definitely from China. "You see those dragons and traditional clothes. Aren't they from China?" said Anna Meyer, 21, who grew up in Berlin.

Meyer said that she had seen no significant evidence that the team was from Taiwan. Meyer said she had never been informed that there were Aboriginal cultures in Taiwan.

According to Taiwanese officials in Germany, the performance had been designed by three local associations two months before the event.

Taiwan's government gave the team US$1,500 and asked for a performance to highlight Taiwan. Officials stressed that both sides of the truck had banners promoting tourism with maps of Taiwan.

`unsatisfying'

In addition, 500 pamphlets promoting tourism in Taiwan were also distributed during the street carnival. In response to the whereabouts of the signs describing "Taiwan," officials said that they had tried to persuade the team into spotlighting Taiwan, but that the results remained unsatisfying.

The officials said they would suggest adding materials about diverse Aboriginal cultures in Taiwan or a picture of Taipei 101, the world's tallest building, to reflect Taiwan's cultural diversity and economic prosperity.

At the carnival, none of the teams present were organized by the Chinese community in Berlin.

The promotion of Chinese culture was carried out by the Taiwanese team, and partly supported by Taiwanese taxpayers' money.

correct image

Taiwan's representative to Germany, Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), told the Taipei Times that when he assumed office this month in Berlin, he found that the materials for the parade written in Chinese stressed Taiwan, but in German materials "Sino Culture" was stressed.

"The image of Taiwan has to be presented positively and correctly. We should not provide foreigners with false information, which might lead to misunderstandings," Shieh said.

Shieh said he is considering hiring a local public relations company to create and spotlight a more correct image of Taiwan.
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