Reviving Ethnic Diversity:
Preserving Taiwan’s Austronesian[1] Aboriginal Languages
“Language is much more than collections of words with meaning that can be translated – they embody whole perspectives on meaning which are not readily capable of translation, and they are a key resource for understanding culture.”
“Taiwan has been colonized by the Spanish (1626-1642), the Dutch (1624-1662), Ming Dynasty [...]
Archives for Taiwan news
Preserving Taiwan’s Austronesian Aboriginal Languages
Penghu: Casinos not the answer
A letter I wrote to the Taipei Times was published today:
Penghu(彭湖): Casinos not the answer
Sunday, Sep 14, 2008, Page 8
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) comment that only economically disadvantaged outlying islands would be considered as casino venues needs a rethink (“Ma offers outlying islands hope of developing casinos,” Sept. 9, page 3).
A referendum held [...]
Typhoons in Taiwan
Today is a Typhoon day. That means that all schools, government offices etc are closed and it’s recommended that you stay indoors for your own safety. Typhoons frequently hit Taiwan between July and September, often causing casualties in mountainous regions prone to landslides and flash floods.
Today’s typhoon is called Sinlaku, which refers to the legendary [...]
Xinyi to go car-free on Monday Sept 22
The Taipei Times reports that Xinyi district in central Taipei will be car-free for the first time ever! I’m quite surprised that they chose a Monday to do this. The Taipei City government will also be having a group biking activity which will cover a distance of 16km on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Taipei city has hundreds [...]
Taiwan donates scholarships to Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic is one of the 23 nations, including the Vatican City, that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Taiwanese Ambassador to the DR, Isaac Tsai, will donate US$1 million to the Ministry of Higher Education (SEESCYT) on behalf of his country. The funds will be used to help Dominican university students. The Taiwanese Embassy announced that [...]
Rotary International Youth Program limits interaction with Taiwanese
The Rotary International Youth Program allows thousands of teenagers world wide to attend a year long exchange program in the country of their choice.
Mads Meoller, the Danish student, made some interesting comments regarding the,
written agreement between the exchange students and the organizers of the program that discouraged them from learning about Taiwanese politics, and matters concerning the weaker or stronger sex, which limited their interaction with their Taiwanese counterparts. “It was a fight to learn about culture,” he observed…..having restrictions like these does seem to be a contradiction in terms.
Kinmen (金門) & Matsu (馬祖) gateway to China
On the 20th of June 2008 the Taipei Times reported that Kinmen and Matsu can be used by foreign nationals to enter China:
Effective immediately, Taiwanese and foreign nationals holding valid travel papers will be allowed to enter China via the outlying islands of Kinmen or Matsu, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday.
Previously, only certain Taiwanese residents [...]
Dutch man revives Taiwanese puppets
Asia’s rich intangible cultural heritage is under constant pressure from the homogenising forces of globalisation. As values change ancient art forms die. Traditional Taiwanese puppetry has received a helping hand from an unlikely source.
Robin Ruizendaal, a Dutchman, is the unlikely Director of the Lin Liu-hsin Puppet Theatre Museum*.
The Mandarin speaking, [...]
Taiwan's first Aboriginal ambassador
Taiwan is utilizing its shared Austronesian heritage to gain more influence in Fiji.
There is currently a huge uproar over Taiwan’s dollar diplomacy strategy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was duped out US$30 million while attempting to restore diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea.
I think capitalizing on shared heritage could be much cheaper and more sustainable. [...]
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