The National Palace Museum is to remove replicas of artwork donated by Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan (成龍) amid controversy over Chinese attempts at “cultural unification,” museum Director Lin Jeng-yi (林正儀) said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
At a question-and-answer session of the Education and Culture Committee, Lin said the National Palace Museum Southern Branch would remove a set of 12 bronze zodiac sculptures donated by Chan that are replicas of works looted from China’s Old Summer Palace by British and French forces in 1860.
The sculptures are displayed outside the museum’s Chiayi County branch and have been a target of criticism because they have been linked to China’s “united front” strategy, given that Chan is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“Architects, collectors, those in art circles and the media believe it is necessary to remove [the sculptures],” Lin said.
The sculptures will be removed by the end of this month because they are not considered public art or collectibles in art circles, he said, adding that while academics have suggested that local artifacts should be put on display so the museum stays relevant.
Politicians said that the political nature of the sculptures has to be understood, Lin said.
A destination for the sculptures has not been decided on, he said, adding that they would be managed as general property instead of as an art collection.
The museum did not ask Chan’s opinion about the removal, but will inform him of its decision, Lin said.
The Jackie Chan Group said the donation was itself an artistic act to present the spirit of cultural preservation, while Chan made the donation because it is an institution that respects and preserves civilization.
Chan made the same donation to Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum with the same underlying philosophy, the group said.
The group respects the National Palace Museum’s different understanding of the donation, it added.
In related news, Lin said he does not think former National Palace Museum director Feng Ming-chu’s (馮明珠) acceptance of an advisory position with the Beijing Palace Museum is appropriate.
Feng’s employment has raised controversy because according to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), former high-level officials have to apply for approval to visit China within three years of leaving government service, but in May, Feng reduced the period to three months before she stepped down and accepted the employment earlier this month.
There are no national secrets involved in the management of the National Palace Museum, but it involves executive secrecy, Lin said in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en’s (柯志恩) question over whether Feng could expose government secrets.
“It is worried that [Feng’s employment with the Beijing museum] could cause leaks of information, because a National Palace Museum director has a broad range of authority and can access confidential artifact inventories,” Lin said.
Feng returned to Taiwan on Tuesday last week and the National Palace Museum has asked her to explain her employment, Lin said, adding that a response is expected by Sunday.
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
INDUSTRIAL CLUSTER: In Germany, the sector would be developed around Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s plant, and extend to Poland and the Czech Republic The Executive Yuan’s economic diplomacy task force has approved programs aimed at bolstering the nation’s chip diplomacy with Japan and European nations. The task force in its first meeting had its operational mechanism and organizational structure confirmed, with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) the convener, and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) the deputy conveners. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would be the convener of the task force’s strategy group in charge of policy planning for economic diplomacy. The meeting was attended by the heads of the National Development Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the
RSS