Academia Sinica yesterday began a three-day conference in Taipei to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement, with Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) saying that academic research must be independent and free of the yoke of political ideology.
The movement was triggered by a massive student protest in Beijing on May 4, 1919, against the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government’s inaction in the face of intrusive foreign powers, which led to young people pursuing democracy and science.
In his opening remarks, Liao highlighted the founding of Academia Sinica as inheriting the movement’s spirit of developing science, liberty, democracy and creativity.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
The institution was established in China in 1928 when the then-KMT government was based there. It relocated to Taiwan in 1949 following its defeat in the Chinese Civil War.
Academics should adhere to professionalism and independence even when dealing with highly politicized scientific issues, Liao said.
The movement can be described as a moral revolution, given that it led to enlightenment in different aspects of life, such as changing views about marriage with reduced emphasis on parental wishes, Academia Sinica vice president Huang Chin-shing (黃進興) said.
Academic Chen Yung-fa (陳永發) delivered the keynote speech, titled: “How Mao Zedong (毛澤東) abducted the history of the May Fourth Movement.”
Mao misled followers into believing that liberalism was something to shake off in their ideological struggles, Chen said, adding that Mao’s discourses caused the movement to veer toward Marxism.
The conference, which closes tomorrow, has 16 sessions, with more than 60 research papers to be presented, while two roundtables on the final day are to wrap up reflections on and the legacy of the movement, the institution said.
Across the Taiwan Strait, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) highlighted nationalism and political loyalty in a speech in celebration of the movement in Beijing on Tuesday.
The movement led by progressive young people was a patriotic revolution to defend people’s dignity, spread new ideas and disseminate Marxist ideas, Xinhua news agency cited Xi as saying.
Young Chinese people in the new era should continue to love their country, follow the instructions of Chinese Community Party and work to realize the dream of reviving the great Chinese people, Xi said.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
The New Taipei City Social Welfare Department on Thursday celebrated Paralympic competitor Chen Tzu-wei (張孜維), who received last year’s national Golden Eagle award for exemplary achievement by Taiwanese with disabilities. Chen, who suffers from childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, did not attend the first award ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in November due to illness. Chen was formally presented with the award at the department, where he gave thanks to government workers for supporting his education and livelihood, the department said in a statement. Chen was raised by the Ai-hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in the city’s Bali District (八里)
RSS