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Taiwanese Minister of Culture Shih Che says Taiwan must press ahead on social issues after legalizing gay marriage. (Taiwan's Ministry of Culture)
THOMPSON CHAU, Contributing writerSeptember 11, 2023 16:54 JST
TAIPEI -- Taiwan's rapid cultural rise on the world stage is under threat from China's authoritarian influence as it sparks a "chilling effect" across creative sectors, says the minister driving its soft power policies.
While Taiwan has long been seen abroad as a semiconductor hub or geopolitical flashpoint, its entertainment sector and progressive values are now defining an "unprecedented" visibility around the world, said Shih Che, the island democracy's culture minister.
"[But] even though there's freedom in Taiwan, our entertainment and creative industries are affected by China's economic coercion and market tactics," Shih told Nikkei Asia in an exclusive interview.
Shih pointed to the case of Li Yanhe, a respected Taiwan-based publisher who goes by the pen name Fucha. Li was detained during a visit to Shanghai in March over what Chinese officials described as suspected national security crimes. The arrest sparked a backlash in Taiwan's publishing and journalism community.
"Through the case of Fucha's detention, China has created a chilling effect" on Taiwan's culture industry, the minister warned. "That's clearly the aim. Taiwan's cultural resilience is tested by China's economic coercion and crackdown on Fucha."
Communist China has never ruled Taiwan but claims it as its territory, and has refused to rule out the use of force to take over its neighbor.
Apart from routinely flying fighter jets and drones and sailing warships near Taiwan, China has moved to halt some Taiwanese imports and block its participation in international organizations. Beijing has banned some Taiwanese books, visual art and trips by artists that it does not like.
But the moves have done little to stop Taiwan's rising profile as a democracy championing progressive values, including legalizing same-sex marriage in 2019 -- a first in Asia. Three years earlier, it elected its first female leader, President Tsai Ing-wen.
More recently, the Netflix TV series "Wavemakers" -- about the life of political staffers and sexual harassment at work -- not only became an overnight sensation globally, but it set off Taiwan's belated moment of #MeToo reckoning.
The Taiwanese-produced "Marry My Dead Body," a hit comedy about a homophobic cop tying the knot with a deceased gay man in a traditional ghost marriage, has been nominated as Taiwan's entry for next year's Oscars.
Shih Che sits inside a 1970s train at the start of Creative Expo Taiwan. (Taiwan's Ministry of Culture)
Cultural diversity in Taiwan, like its democracy, has been hard-won.
Under strongman Chiang Kai-shek's decades of iron-fisted rule, Taiwan had a harsh censorship system where books, music, movies and newspapers were tightly controlled. Indigenous communities were forced to learn Mandarin Chinese while Taiwanese-language media were banned.
Taiwan's marked shift to democracy has turned it into a safe haven for artists, writers and intellectuals fleeing China, and its crackdown on once freewheeling Hong Kong, as well as some Southeast Asian nations.
"Our culture is related to our Mandarin-speaking culture, and our democracy and freedom," Shih said. "Taiwan's freedom and democracy in the Mandarin-speaking world is very unique."
Now that it is an Asian frontrunner on same-sex marriage, Shih said Taiwan needs to focus on other social issues, including the treatment of mostly Southeast Asian migrant workers who make up about 3% of its 24 million people.
He pointed to "Port of Lies," a recent Netflix series about Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan, which was inspired by the true story of Tang Ying-shen, an indigenous Tsou tribe person who was executed in 1987 after killing his abusive employer and family.
Shih, a rising name in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party who was appointed to his job seven months ago, said he is aiming to grow Taiwan as a regional arts hub. He was credited with establishing southern Kaohsiung as a center for the arts, film and television including during his tenure as the city's deputy mayor.
Now he is hoping to put Taiwan's liberal values on display in front of the world's media as they gear up to report on the January 2024 presidential and legislative elections. The 54-year-old and his team are busy preparing for Creative Expo Taiwan 2023, the ministry's flagship festival to showcase Taiwan's creative talents.
"Because of the sacrifices of the older generation, Taiwan achieved a large degree of democratic liberalization," Shih said. "This has also won Taiwan recognition from everyone in the world."
asia.nikkei.com
Taiwan cultural rise on world stage threatened by China: minister
Beijing's arrest of publisher Fucha sparks backlash, tests 'cultural resilience'
Taiwanese Minister of Culture Shih Che says Taiwan must press ahead on social issues after legalizing gay marriage. (Taiwan's Ministry of Culture)
THOMPSON CHAU, Contributing writerSeptember 11, 2023 16:54 JST
TAIPEI -- Taiwan's rapid cultural rise on the world stage is under threat from China's authoritarian influence as it sparks a "chilling effect" across creative sectors, says the minister driving its soft power policies.
While Taiwan has long been seen abroad as a semiconductor hub or geopolitical flashpoint, its entertainment sector and progressive values are now defining an "unprecedented" visibility around the world, said Shih Che, the island democracy's culture minister.
"[But] even though there's freedom in Taiwan, our entertainment and creative industries are affected by China's economic coercion and market tactics," Shih told Nikkei Asia in an exclusive interview.
Shih pointed to the case of Li Yanhe, a respected Taiwan-based publisher who goes by the pen name Fucha. Li was detained during a visit to Shanghai in March over what Chinese officials described as suspected national security crimes. The arrest sparked a backlash in Taiwan's publishing and journalism community.
"Through the case of Fucha's detention, China has created a chilling effect" on Taiwan's culture industry, the minister warned. "That's clearly the aim. Taiwan's cultural resilience is tested by China's economic coercion and crackdown on Fucha."
Communist China has never ruled Taiwan but claims it as its territory, and has refused to rule out the use of force to take over its neighbor.
Apart from routinely flying fighter jets and drones and sailing warships near Taiwan, China has moved to halt some Taiwanese imports and block its participation in international organizations. Beijing has banned some Taiwanese books, visual art and trips by artists that it does not like.
But the moves have done little to stop Taiwan's rising profile as a democracy championing progressive values, including legalizing same-sex marriage in 2019 -- a first in Asia. Three years earlier, it elected its first female leader, President Tsai Ing-wen.
More recently, the Netflix TV series "Wavemakers" -- about the life of political staffers and sexual harassment at work -- not only became an overnight sensation globally, but it set off Taiwan's belated moment of #MeToo reckoning.
The Taiwanese-produced "Marry My Dead Body," a hit comedy about a homophobic cop tying the knot with a deceased gay man in a traditional ghost marriage, has been nominated as Taiwan's entry for next year's Oscars.
Cultural diversity in Taiwan, like its democracy, has been hard-won.
Under strongman Chiang Kai-shek's decades of iron-fisted rule, Taiwan had a harsh censorship system where books, music, movies and newspapers were tightly controlled. Indigenous communities were forced to learn Mandarin Chinese while Taiwanese-language media were banned.
Taiwan's marked shift to democracy has turned it into a safe haven for artists, writers and intellectuals fleeing China, and its crackdown on once freewheeling Hong Kong, as well as some Southeast Asian nations.
"Our culture is related to our Mandarin-speaking culture, and our democracy and freedom," Shih said. "Taiwan's freedom and democracy in the Mandarin-speaking world is very unique."
Now that it is an Asian frontrunner on same-sex marriage, Shih said Taiwan needs to focus on other social issues, including the treatment of mostly Southeast Asian migrant workers who make up about 3% of its 24 million people.
He pointed to "Port of Lies," a recent Netflix series about Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan, which was inspired by the true story of Tang Ying-shen, an indigenous Tsou tribe person who was executed in 1987 after killing his abusive employer and family.
Shih, a rising name in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party who was appointed to his job seven months ago, said he is aiming to grow Taiwan as a regional arts hub. He was credited with establishing southern Kaohsiung as a center for the arts, film and television including during his tenure as the city's deputy mayor.
Now he is hoping to put Taiwan's liberal values on display in front of the world's media as they gear up to report on the January 2024 presidential and legislative elections. The 54-year-old and his team are busy preparing for Creative Expo Taiwan 2023, the ministry's flagship festival to showcase Taiwan's creative talents.
"Because of the sacrifices of the older generation, Taiwan achieved a large degree of democratic liberalization," Shih said. "This has also won Taiwan recognition from everyone in the world."
Taiwan cultural rise on world stage threatened by China: minister
Beijing's arrest of publisher Fucha sparks backlash, tests 'cultural resilience'
asia.nikkei.com
