Chen Mu-yi (陳慕義), who won the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor last year, wrote on the messaging app Line: “There is no need for further comment. I am clear on what I have done, and most importantly, I know my situation and where I stand. After the Golden Horse Awards, I have not received any more job opportunities. This is an unforeseen and unique circumstance, so I will just smile and let it be.”
Chen’s early involvement as a founding member of the Taiwan Independence Party, coupled with his strong Taiwanese consciousness, has unfortunately impeded his career within the pro-blue camp and pro-China film industry.
National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) invited Brigitte Lin (林青霞) to be the keynote speaker for this year’s graduation ceremony. If the university wished to invite an actor to share insights on life and art, Chen was the obvious choice. As a symbol of Taiwanese identity within the film industry, he deserves the utmost respect.
Lin missed the mark entirely with her speech. It lacked substance and meaning, and was filled with about 60 egoistic “I’s.” It was as if she was trying to show off to mummy that she was on the big stage today.
By comparison, actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) delivered an enlightening and moving speech at Harvard University last year. It was on an entirely different level to Lin’s. This is how it should be done.
NTHU has only responded to external criticisms by issuing a statement calling for “tolerance of cultural pluralism.”
If the graduates cannot tell that the speech is just “empty corrupt talk,” and if lecturers lack the courage to speak up, does NTHU truly foster a culture of critical thinking and a diverse cultural environment as it claims to do?
Lin is pro-China and has repeatedly avoided the question of Taiwanese identity. In her acceptance speech for the Golden Horse Lifetime Achievement Award, Lin referenced “the place where she grew up” or “here” to talk about Taiwan, but not once did she say “Taiwan.”
She also stayed silent on the Xinjiang cotton controversy in 2021, a clear indicator of her political leanings.
She was born and raised in Taiwan, and rose to fame here, and even if she married a Hong Konger and moved there, is she not still Taiwanese? Sadly, Taiwanese identity and human rights issues seem to mean nothing to her.
China is hostile to Taiwan, and NTHU’s decision to invite an actress with a dubious sense of identity is perplexing. It makes one wonder about their true principles and allegiances.
Films and literary works of political content, addressing transitional justice and amplifying marginalized voices, have long been covertly suppressed and underfunded. A pro-blue and pro-China elite circle has consistently called the shots, monopolizing control over resources.
Lin’s recipience of the Lifetime Achievement Award despite her mediocre performances is a wake-up call. It is crucial to recognize and celebrate artists like Chen who defend Taiwanese identity.
Those who select keynote speakers need to do a better job of inviting those with a perspective to protect Taiwan.
Although it might seem like a small step, the collective determination to defend the nation and strengthen Taiwanese national consciousness begins in the academic and cultural fields. Higher education, in particular, should shoulder this responsibility.
To this end, the ministries of culture and education must continue to push for greater investment in a reshaped vision that places Taiwanese consciousness at the center.
Chu Meng-hsiang is former deputy secretary-general of the Lee Teng-hui Foundation.
Translated by Gabrielle Killick
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