A recent incident in which a Chinese exchange student made an rude gesture at a speaker who addressed the Chinese students at National Chenchi University’s (NCCU) student orientation as “overseas students from China (中國的留學生)” has prompted heated discussion online and among university staff and students.
Along with several other Chinese exchange students, the student in question reportedly complained to the university after the moderator at last month’s student orientation greeted them by saying: “We welcome the overseas students from China to Taiwan.”
The Chinese students said it was “inappropriate” to address them that way at a public event, demanding to know why they were not addressed as either “students from the mainland (陸生)” or “friends from the interior (內地來的朋友).”
They also demanded an apology from the Taiwanese students who attended the orientation.
NCCU professor Hsu Shih-jung (徐世榮) said on Facebook yesterday that if the university’s student affairs office does not act on the incident soon, he would submit a request to the school’s administrative committee, of which he is a member, to urge that a thorough review be conducted to determine whether the Chinese student who made the insulting gesture had violated school policies.
Calling the act “unacceptable,” he condemned the heckler for not having uttered a word of apology since the incident, while also calling on the university and the Ministry of Education to declare whether they think it inappropriate for Chinese exchange students to be addressed in this way.
Hsu condemned the group of students for what he called their egocentric attitudes, saying that they have come to Taiwan to acquire knowledge and, as guests, should not be so arrogant.
The student’s offensive gesture is both insulting and provocative to the local students who see Taiwan as a country, he added.
Hsu responded to the group’s displeasure at the way they were addressed by saying: “‘Overseas students from China’ is the only term used in all my classes when referring to Chinese exchange students. Those who deplore this term are advised not to sign up for any of my courses.”
National Taipei University professor Liao Pen-chuan (廖本全) said he feels that the group of Chinese students came to Taiwan with a sense of superiority, which manifested in their rude reactions to a phrase he said helps people cultivate a broader world view.
Liao called on the Chinese students to leave their emotional baggage behind and pay homage to a democratic and civil society.
Netizens have chimed in on the incident on the Professional Technology Temple (PTT) — the nation’s largest academic online bulletin board — with comments such as: “‘Mainland’” is not a country I have ever heard of” and “Don’t create confrontations on campus.”
According to NCCU Department of Land Economics student Chu Wei-jung (朱威融), Chinese exchange students who returned to their hometowns after the Occupy Central demonstrations in Hong Kong told him that on arrival, they had been questioned by Chinese authorities to determine if their loyalty for the “homeland” had been compromised.
He said that a number of Chinese students even asked him not to stay in contact due to concerns about their personal safety.
“With the kind of dogma they have been indoctrinated with all their lives, I can understand why they get angry when they hear politically sensitive phrases,” Chu said.
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
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
RSS