DOCSLIB.ORG

The Visual Politics of Taiwanese Nationalism: Contested National Identities in the Imagery of the Sunflower Movement

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Visual Politics of Taiwanese Nationalism: Contested National Identities in the Imagery of the Sunflower Movement The Visual Politics of Taiwanese Nationalism: Contested National Identities in the Imagery of the Sunflower Movement Robin Verrall A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate program in Political Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario March 2021 © Robin Verrall, 2021 ii Abstract This dissertation explores how national identity is constructed and contested in visual media by analyzing the use of national symbols in the visual materials produced by the 2014 Sunflower Movement in Taiwan. Through comparison with imagery published by the government’s Mainland Affairs Council, I examine different conceptions of national identity circulating in contemporary Taiwanese society. I also consider how visual materials contribute to the construction and reproduction of national identities. My analysis of the imagery produced by the Sunflower Movement indicates a reformulation of Taiwanese national identity. While these images frame Taiwan primarily in opposition to a Chinese identity promoted by the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT), they also selectively appropriate symbols typically associated with Chinese identity. This re-signification indicates the need for fine-grained, contextual analyses of the construction and contestation of conventionally ‘national’ symbols. I develop a method of visual analysis based on social semiotics, demonstrating its usefulness in analyzing the visual reproduction of implicit attitudes and beliefs, including national identity. I apply this method to a range of visual materials produced by participants in the Sunflower Movement – photographs, drawings, paintings, and posters – and compare these with government imagery. Chapter 2 presents the rationale for a visual analysis of national identity. I then review the dominant conceptions of Chinese and Taiwanese identity over the past 150 years, highlighting how the Sunflower Movement imagery both adopts and adapts existing conceptions of national identity. The subsequent chapters analyse three themes in the Sunflower Movement’s imagery. First, I examine how these images appropriate the Republic of China flag, resignifying it from a symbol synonymous with KMT’s Chinese nationalism to one associated with a local Taiwanese identity. Next, I consider how symbols conventionally associated with ‘Chinese’ history are variously evoked to critique or legitimate different conceptions of the nation in Taiwan. Finally, I explore how maps and map-like logos combine spatial and affective imagery to frame Taiwan as political territory distinct from ‘China’. My conclusion considers opportunities and limitations of using visual analysis to study national identity, and situates the project in the literatures on Taiwanese identity and on national identity more broadly. iii Dedication For my Grandad, Peter Verrall, whose stories about China planted the seed for this dissertation decades ago. And for his great-granddaughter, Nadia Jane Rose-Verrall, who held off being born just long enough for her father to finish writing it. iv Acknowledgments A number of organizations made this this project possible. I would like to thank the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy for their generous financial support and for sharing their expertise, both of which contributed immensely to my fieldwork. I sincerely appreciate the support I received from the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) through the Vivienne Poy Asian Research Award. I am also deeply grateful to the Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology, which provided a welcoming and stimulating intellectual home during my time in Taiwan. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Susan Henders, for her invaluable advice, attention to detail, and for her patience as I endlessly mulled over what I was trying to say. I would also like to thank the members of my supervisory committee, Dr. Laam Hae and Dr. Lily Cho, whose feedback made this project richer and more well rounded with each draft. Although it has evolved over time, this dissertation has remained true to the themes and questions raised by colleagues during my time in Taiwan in 2017. I am especially indebted to Dr. Hsaiu A-chin, Dr. Ho Ming-sho, and Dr. Chang Mau-kuei for their insights and suggestions on my provisional findings. I would also like to thank Keith O’Regan, who gave me the much-needed encouragement to push through the final stages of writing, and Alicia Filipowich, whose great humour and administrative savvy made YCAR a haven on campus. On a personal level, I am deeply grateful to my mother, father, and my and sister, Janna. Without their encouragement and support I would never have started this process, much less finished it. Finally, I cannot express in words my gratitude to my partner, Erin Rose. No one else would have listened to me ramble about panda-graffiti for years on end. Her support has covered the entire gamut, from intellectual to emotional to editorial. I am immensely grateful that we’ve travelled this long, long road together. v Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ ii Dedication ................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................vii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. viii Note on Copyright of Figures ...................................................................................................................... xiii Note on Romanization and Use of Chinese Characters ................................................................................ xiv List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... xv CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 The 2014 Sunflower Movement .................................................................................................................... 1 Social, political, and economic context of the SM ...................................................................................... 5 Impacts of the SM..................................................................................................................................... 8 National Identity in Taiwan ......................................................................................................................... 11 National identity in the SM ..................................................................................................................... 13 Approaches to studying national identity in Taiwan................................................................................ 14 Limitations of current approaches .......................................................................................................... 15 Project Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 17 Research questions ................................................................................................................................. 17 Methodology: visual analysis .................................................................................................................. 19 Research design and data collection ....................................................................................................... 22 Contributions .......................................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 2 – NATIONALISM THEORY AND VISUAL ANALYSIS ................................................................................................ 27 Critical Theories of Nationalism .................................................................................................................. 28 Contemporary Approaches to National Identity in Taiwan .......................................................................... 31 Visual Analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Data Sources and Selection ......................................................................................................................... 52 SM data sources ..................................................................................................................................... 52 MAC image sources ...............................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sexual Identity and Lesbian Family Life
    Gender, Sexualities and Culture in Asia Series Editors Stevi Jackson Centre for Women’s Studies University of York York, United Kingdom Olivia Khoo School of Media, Film and Journalism Monash University Melbourne, Australia Denise Tse-Shang Tang Department of Sociology The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong The Gender, Sexualities and Culture in Asia book series provides a wel- come new forum for monographs and anthologies focussing on the inter- sections between gender, sexuality and culture across Asia. Titles in the series include multi- and interdisciplinary research by scholars within Asia as well as in North American, European and Australian academic contexts. The series provides a distinctive space for the exploration of topics of growing academic concern, from non-normative cultures of sexuality in Asia, to studies of gendered identities cross the region. The series will expand the field of Asian genders and sexualities by applying a cultural lens to current debates, including rural lives, migration patterns, religion, transgender identities, sex industry and family. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15191 Iris Erh-Ya Pai Sexual Identity and Lesbian Family Life Lesbianism, Patriarchalism and the Asian Family in Taiwan Iris Erh-Ya Pai York, United Kingdom Gender, Sexualities and Culture in Asia ISBN 978-981-10-4004-7 ISBN 978-981-10-4005-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4005-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017939142 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
    [Show full text]
  • Taiwanese Eyes on the Modern: Cold War Dance Diplomacy And
    Taiwanese Eyes on the Modern: Cold War Dance Diplomacy and American Modern Dances in Taiwan, 1950–1980 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Tsung-Hsin Lee, M.A. Graduate Program in Dance Studies The Ohio State University 2020 Dissertation Committee Hannah Kosstrin, Advisor Harmony Bench Danielle Fosler-Lussier Morgan Liu Copyrighted by Tsung-Hsin Lee 2020 2 Abstract This dissertation “Taiwanese Eyes on the Modern: Cold War Dance Diplomacy and American Modern Dances in Taiwan, 1950–1980” examines the transnational history of American modern dance between the United States and Taiwan during the Cold War era. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the Carmen De Lavallade-Alvin Ailey, José Limón, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, and Alwin Nikolais dance companies toured to Taiwan under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. At the same time, Chinese American choreographers Al Chungliang Huang and Yen Lu Wong also visited Taiwan, teaching and presenting American modern dance. These visits served as diplomatic gestures between the members of the so-called Free World led by the U.S. Taiwanese audiences perceived American dance modernity through mixed interpretations under the Cold War rhetoric of freedom that the U.S. sold and disseminated through dance diplomacy. I explore the heterogeneous shaping forces from multiple engaging individuals and institutions that assemble this diplomatic history of dance, resulting in outcomes influencing dance histories of the U.S. and Taiwan for different ends. I argue that Taiwanese audiences interpreted American dance modernity as a means of embodiment to advocate for freedom and social change.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise and Fall of the Taiwan Independence Policy: Power Shift, Domestic Constraints, and Sovereignty Assertiveness (1988-2010)
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2012 The Rise and Fall of the Taiwan independence Policy: Power Shift, Domestic Constraints, and Sovereignty Assertiveness (1988-2010) Dalei Jie University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Asian Studies Commons, and the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Jie, Dalei, "The Rise and Fall of the Taiwan independence Policy: Power Shift, Domestic Constraints, and Sovereignty Assertiveness (1988-2010)" (2012). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 524. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/524 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/524 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Rise and Fall of the Taiwan independence Policy: Power Shift, Domestic Constraints, and Sovereignty Assertiveness (1988-2010) Abstract How to explain the rise and fall of the Taiwan independence policy? As the Taiwan Strait is still the only conceivable scenario where a major power war can break out and Taiwan's words and deeds can significantly affect the prospect of a cross-strait military conflict, ot answer this question is not just a scholarly inquiry. I define the aiwanT independence policy as internal political moves by the Taiwanese government to establish Taiwan as a separate and sovereign political entity on the world stage. Although two existing prevailing explanations--electoral politics and shifting identity--have some merits, they are inadequate to explain policy change over the past twenty years. Instead, I argue that there is strategic rationale for Taiwan to assert a separate sovereignty. Sovereignty assertions are attempts to substitute normative power--the international consensus on the sanctity of sovereignty--for a shortfall in military- economic-diplomatic assets.
    [Show full text]
  • Quick Guide to the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
    The 100% Unofficial Quick Guide to the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 O Guia Rápido 100% Não-Oficial do Eurovision Song Contest 2018 for Commentators Broadcasters Media & Fans Compiled by Lisa-Jayne Lewis & Samantha Ross Compilado por Lisa-Jayne Lewis e Samantha Ross with Eleanor Chalkley & Rachel Humphrey 2018 Host City: Lisbon Since the Neolithic period, people have been making their homes where the Tagus meets the Atlantic. The sheltered harbour conditions have made Lisbon a major port for two millennia, and as a result of the maritime exploits of the Age of Discoveries Lisbon became the centre of an imperial Portugal. Modern Lisbon is a diverse, exciting, creative city where the ancient and modern mix, and adventure hides around every corner. 2018 Venue: The Altice Arena Sitting like a beautiful UFO on the banks of the River Tagus, the Altice Arena has hosted events as diverse as technology forum Web Summit, the 2002 World Fencing Championships and Kylie Minogue’s Portuguese debut concert. With a maximum capacity of 20000 people and an innovative wooden internal structure intended to invoke the form of Portuguese carrack, the arena was constructed specially for Expo ‘98 and very well served by the Lisbon public transport system. 2018 Hosts: Sílvia Alberto, Filomena Cautela, Catarina Furtado, Daniela Ruah Sílvia Alberto is a graduate of both Lisbon Film and Theatre School and RTP’s Clube Disney. She has hosted Portugal’s edition of Dancing With The Stars and since 2008 has been the face of Festival da Cançao. Filomena Cautela is the funniest person on Portuguese TV.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
    3/2006 Data Supplement PR China Hong Kong SAR Macau SAR Taiwan CHINA aktuell Journal of Current Chinese Affairs Data Supplement People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Taiwan ISSN 0943-7533 All information given here is derived from generally accessible sources. Publisher/Distributor: Institute of Asian Affairs Rothenbaumchaussee 32 20148 Hamburg Germany Phone: (0 40) 42 88 74-0 Fax:(040)4107945 Contributors: Uwe Kotzel Dr. Liu Jen-Kai Christine Reinking Dr. Günter Schucher Dr. Margot Schüller Contents The Main National Leadership of the PRC LIU JEN-KAI 3 The Main Provincial Leadership of the PRC LIU JEN-KAI 22 Data on Changes in PRC Main Leadership LIU JEN-KAI 27 PRC Agreements with Foreign Countries LIU JEN-KAI 30 PRC Laws and Regulations LIU JEN-KAI 34 Hong Kong SAR Political Data LIU JEN-KAI 36 Macau SAR Political Data LIU JEN-KAI 39 Taiwan Political Data LIU JEN-KAI 41 Bibliography of Articles on the PRC, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and on Taiwan UWE KOTZEL / LIU JEN-KAI / CHRISTINE REINKING / GÜNTER SCHUCHER 43 CHINA aktuell Data Supplement - 3 - 3/2006 Dep.Dir.: CHINESE COMMUNIST Li Jianhua 03/07 PARTY Li Zhiyong 05/07 The Main National Ouyang Song 05/08 Shen Yueyue (f) CCa 03/01 Leadership of the Sun Xiaoqun 00/08 Wang Dongming 02/10 CCP CC General Secretary Zhang Bolin (exec.) 98/03 PRC Hu Jintao 02/11 Zhao Hongzhu (exec.) 00/10 Zhao Zongnai 00/10 Liu Jen-Kai POLITBURO Sec.-Gen.: Li Zhiyong 01/03 Standing Committee Members Propaganda (Publicity) Department Hu Jintao 92/10 Dir.: Liu Yunshan PBm CCSm 02/10 Huang Ju 02/11
    [Show full text]
  • Official Colours of Chinese Regimes: a Panchronic Philological Study with Historical Accounts of China
    TRAMES, 2012, 16(66/61), 3, 237–285 OFFICIAL COLOURS OF CHINESE REGIMES: A PANCHRONIC PHILOLOGICAL STUDY WITH HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS OF CHINA Jingyi Gao Institute of the Estonian Language, University of Tartu, and Tallinn University Abstract. The paper reports a panchronic philological study on the official colours of Chinese regimes. The historical accounts of the Chinese regimes are introduced. The official colours are summarised with philological references of archaic texts. Remarkably, it has been suggested that the official colours of the most ancient regimes should be the three primitive colours: (1) white-yellow, (2) black-grue yellow, and (3) red-yellow, instead of the simple colours. There were inconsistent historical records on the official colours of the most ancient regimes because the composite colour categories had been split. It has solved the historical problem with the linguistic theory of composite colour categories. Besides, it is concluded how the official colours were determined: At first, the official colour might be naturally determined according to the substance of the ruling population. There might be three groups of people in the Far East. (1) The developed hunter gatherers with livestock preferred the white-yellow colour of milk. (2) The farmers preferred the red-yellow colour of sun and fire. (3) The herders preferred the black-grue-yellow colour of water bodies. Later, after the Han-Chinese consolidation, the official colour could be politically determined according to the main property of the five elements in Sino-metaphysics. The red colour has been predominate in China for many reasons. Keywords: colour symbolism, official colours, national colours, five elements, philology, Chinese history, Chinese language, etymology, basic colour terms DOI: 10.3176/tr.2012.3.03 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Selective Study on Chinese Art Songs After 1950
    Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2021 A Selective Study on Chinese Art Songs after 1950 Gehui Zhu [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Zhu, Gehui, "A Selective Study on Chinese Art Songs after 1950" (2021). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 8287. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8287 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Selective Study on Chinese Art Songs after 1950 Gehui Zhu A Doctoral Research Project Submitted to College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance Hope Koehler, D.M.A, Committee Chair and Research Adviser William Koehler, D.M.A Matthew Heap, Ph.D. Victor Chow, Ph.D. School of Music Morgantown, West Virginia 2021 Keywords: Chinese Art Songs after 1950, Contemporary Chinese Art Songs, Chinese Poems, Chinese Art Songs for Classical Singers.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Notes Introduction 1. Hobsbawm 1990, 66. 2. Diamond 1998, 322–33. 3. Fairbank 1992, 44–45. 4. Fei Xiaotong 1989, 1–2. 5. Diamond 1998, 323, original emphasis. 6. Crossley 1999; Di Cosmo 1998; Purdue 2005a; Lavely and Wong 1998, 717. 7. Richards 2003, 112–47; Lattimore 1937; Pan Chia-lin and Taeuber 1952. 8. My usage of the term “geo-body” follows Thongchai 1994. 9. B. Anderson 1991, 86. 10. Purdue 2001, 304. 11. Dreyer 2006, 279–80; Fei Xiaotong 1981, 23–25. 12. Jiang Ping 1994, 16. 13. Morris-Suzuki 1998, 4; Duara 2003; Handler 1988, 6–9. 14. Duara 1995; Duara 2003. 15. Turner 1962, 3. 16. Adelman and Aron 1999, 816. 17. M. Anderson 1996, 4, Anderson’s italics. 18. Fitzgerald 1996a: 136. 19. Ibid., 107. 20. Tsu Jing 2005. 21. R. Wong 2006, 95. 22. Chatterjee (1986) was the first to theorize colonial nationalism as a “derivative discourse” of Western Orientalism. 23. Gladney 1994, 92–95; Harrell 1995a; Schein 2000. 24. Fei Xiaotong 1989, 1. 25. Cohen 1991, 114–25; Schwarcz 1986; Tu Wei-ming 1994. 26. Harrison 2000, 240–43, 83–85; Harrison 2001. 27. Harrison 2000, 83–85; Cohen 1991, 126. 186 • Notes 28. Duara 2003, 9–40. 29. See, for example, Lattimore 1940 and 1962; Forbes 1986; Goldstein 1989; Benson 1990; Lipman 1998; Millward 1998; Purdue 2005a; Mitter 2000; Atwood 2002; Tighe 2005; Reardon-Anderson 2005; Giersch 2006; Crossley, Siu, and Sutton 2006; Gladney 1991, 1994, and 1996; Harrell 1995a and 2001; Brown 1996 and 2004; Cheung Siu-woo 1995 and 2003; Schein 2000; Kulp 2000; Bulag 2002 and 2006; Rossabi 2004.
    [Show full text]
  • Fortnightly Review Are DPP and KMT Views of China Converging?
    Global Taiwan Brief Vol. 5, Issue 20 Global Taiwan Brief Vol 5. Issue1 20 Fortnightly Review Russell Hsiao Are DPP and KMT Views of China Converging? David G. Brown Taiwan and France Expand Relations in the Covid-19 Era I-wei Jennifer Chang How China Could Decide Not to Invade Taiwan Michael Mazza Repelling a Chinese Invasion: The Critical Role of Taiwan’s Ground Forces Charlemagne McHaffie Fortnightly Review The Global Taiwan Brief is a By: Russell Hsiao bi-weekly publication released every other Wednesday and pro- Russell Hsiao is the executive director of the Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) and editor-in-chief of the vides insight into the latest news Global Taiwan Brief. on Taiwan. President Tsai Calls for Dialogue with Beijing in 109th National Day Speech Editor-in-Chief Russell Hsiao Even as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) provocativelyramps up activities in and around Staff Editor the Taiwan Strait and concerns over a possible limited conflict mount, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英 Katherine Schultz 文), president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), used the firstNational Day speech of her Copy Editor second term to call on Beijing to engage in dialogue with Taipei on the basis of “mutual Marshall Reid respect, goodwill, and understanding.” Like previous National Day speeches, which past The views and opinions expressed presidents of the ROC would use to contextualize and present their cross-Strait policy, this in these articles are those of the year’s speech delivered an overview of the administration’s approach to China. However, authors and do not necessarily re- it undeniably stood out—not because it signaled a major policy change—but because it flect the official policy or position was seemingly calibrated to carefully signal President Tsai’s even-keeled policy, especially of the Global Taiwan Institute.
    [Show full text]
  • The Long Shadow of Chinese Censorship: How the Communist Party’S Media Restrictions Affect News Outlets Around the World
    The Long Shadow of Chinese Censorship: How the Communist Party’s Media Restrictions Affect News Outlets Around the World A Report to the Center for International Media Assistance By Sarah Cook October 22, 2013 The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), at the National Endowment for Democracy, works to strengthen the support, raise the visibility, and improve the effectiveness of independent media development throughout the world. The Center provides information, builds networks, conducts research, and highlights the indispensable role independent media play in the creation and development of sustainable democracies. An important aspect of CIMA’s work is to research ways to attract additional U.S. private sector interest in and support for international media development. CIMA convenes working groups, discussions, and panels on a variety of topics in the field of media development and assistance. The center also issues reports and recommendations based on working group discussions and other investigations. These reports aim to provide policymakers, as well as donors and practitioners, with ideas for bolstering the effectiveness of media assistance. Don Podesta Interim Senior Director Center for International Media Assistance National Endowment for Democracy 1025 F Street, N.W., 8th Floor Washington, DC 20004 Phone: (202) 378-9700 Fax: (202) 378-9407 Email: [email protected] URL: http://cima.ned.org Design and Layout by Valerie Popper About the Author Sarah Cook Sarah Cook is a senior research analyst for East Asia at Freedom House. She manages the editorial team producing the China Media Bulletin, a biweekly news digest of media freedom developments related to the People’s Republic of China.
    [Show full text]
  • As the Political and Cultural Heart of Taiwan, Taipei Is a Modern
    As the political and cultural heart of Taiwan, Taipei is a modern, bustling city eager to show the world its mettle. Here high-tech and history go hand in hand as Taipei treads a fi ne line between its obligations to Beijing and its fervent hopes for independent inclusion in international organizations. For worldwide travelers, it's a haven of peace and natural beauty. 72TAIWAN WWW.DIPLOMATICCONNECTIONS.COM TOURISM MEETS POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE IN TAIPEI BY MONICA FRIM We drove into the city as night thinned into a gossamer dawn. Slowly the sky turned TAIWAN orange, then bronze, as the sun kindled the clouds and etched a purple outline of the mountains surrounding the Taipei Basin. The highway curved and dipped among hills that grew progressively greener with the onset of dayspring. As the mountains receded, the jagged rooftops of concrete highrises emerged, scattered like stones on a greensward. In the distance Taipei Tower pierced the sky then Tapei 101 looms over the colorful roofs of the city. suddenly loomed close as lines on a ledger as we entered the city. We scooted along the leafy boulevard e arrived in Taipei in the dark of early that harbored our hotel just as the sun burst fully through morning, which seemed the perfect time the clouds. It ignited the city with subtropical brightness W to ease into a country that is still feeling its and initiated a daily pattern that, during the week of way into the limelight. Although the island of Taiwan is our visit, consisted of sundrenched mornings followed ancient, with evidence of human life going back at least by leaden afternoons.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin 183 - 04/01 – Direct Trade Between Taiwan/Mainland China
    Ship Type: All Trade Area: Taiwan/China Bulletin 183 - 04/01 – Direct Trade between Taiwan/Mainland China While there have been recent press reports of improving trade relations between mainland China and Taiwan, and of some local ships sailing directly between the two countries, please note that Chinese and Taiwanese regulations still prohibit ships from trading / navigating directly between ports in the two countries. In a recent incident a ship sailed from a Taiwanese port to a mainland Chinese port without stopping at any other country. The ship called and sailed from the mainland Chinese port without any repercussions. However, when the ship called at a Taiwanese port at a later date, the local authorities discovered that the ship had sailed direct from Taiwan to mainland China, the Ministry of Transportation and Communication in Taiwan imposed a fine of approximately US$90,000 on the ship. Taiwanese 'Regulation For Relationship Between Mainland and Taiwanese People' as defined by Mainland Affairs Council Bureau of Taiwan' issued on 18 Sept 1992, states ''Rule 30: Foreign ships, civil aviation or other transportation means, are not allowed to trade/navigate directly into ports, airports between Taiwanese and mainland region. All liner trade/transport between Taiwanese port and mainland ports via a third countries are also prohibited. The Ministry of Transportation and Communication Department will restrict and prohibit the entry of the ships, civil aviation or other transportation means if these are hired by mainland people, legal entities, organisation, association, investor or operator. Rule 85: A penalty of NT$3 million upto NT$15million would be imposed against the personnel when the ship, civil aviation or other transportation breached rule 30 herein.
    [Show full text]