During former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, former chairwoman of the Council on Cultural Affairs — now the Ministry of Culture — Tchen Yu-hsiu (陳郁秀) promoted Taiwan’s application for UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a way of leveraging culture to gain international recognition. Following a lengthy screening of 18 possible cultural sites, Alishan remains the only viable option.
For 10 years, Alishan Young Ambassadors — a student organization established by Chiayi County’s Jhuci Senior High School, which is at the foot of Alishan — has assisted the government in promoting the mountain to become a World Heritage Site. On Friday and Saturday last week, they convened the 2025 International Youth Conference of Alishan World Heritage Potential Site to discuss the value of Alishan as a World Heritage Site.
Taiwan, as its globalized self, has long existed on the international stage. Since the Age of Discovery, it has interacted with foreign cultures, converging with cultural traditions to form a unique cultural space. It possesses a global historical perspective and a deep, historical context rooted in the Age of Exploration.
Taiwan has been influenced by Han Chinese culture and Japanese culture, in addition to having inherited facets of the US’ new world order after World War II. All of these factors have shaped the nation’s unique identity.
Among Taiwan’s many cultural influences, the Japanese colonial period was one of the most vital to the country’s modernization. Through the development of the railway system, Taiwan became connected to the world, and the world, in turn, has grown closer to Taiwan. The railway is an emblem of civilization and a window to enlightenment.
In 2001, Japanese railway engineers Takai Mitsuru and Shirai Akira proposed to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency the idea of promoting the Alishan Forest Railway as a World Heritage Site. In 2006, with Shirai’s assistance, Taiwanese representatives attended the Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Centre for UNESCO as observers.
In January that same year, the international railway heritage conference and symposium was held in Nara, Japan. During the conference, a statement was issued urging the international community to recognize the cultural heritage status of the Alishan Railway — the first of many steps toward allowing the international community to hear Taiwan’s voice and support Alishan’s bid to become a World Heritage Site.
In the past few years, the relationship between Taiwan and Japan has gradually improved. The effort to help Alishan Railway achieve World Heritage status has provided Taiwan with the opportunity to present its cultural identity on the UNESCO stage, boosting the nation’s visibility and showcasing its cultural competitiveness.
As this movement was originally proposed by two Japanese, Taiwan should strive to bolster its cooperation with the Japanese government and its citizens.
Japan’s influence in the UN — and throughout the international community — is growing steadily. Now is the perfect time for Taiwan and Japan to join hands in advocating for and securing the Alishan Railway’s status as a World Heritage Site. That should prove to be one of the most effective cultural strategies for increasing Taiwan’s visibility and advancing its place on the international stage.
Chen Chun-sheng is a writer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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