The United States established the American Institute in Taiwan as a channel for US‡Taiwan communications in anticipation of the US’ passage of the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979. In the years since, the law has provided Taiwan and the US with a basis for broad-ranging intellectual, cultural, and technological exchanges, and for a relationship that has only grown stronger and closer over time.
Holi is one of India’s three major festivals. Here in Taiwan, about three quarters of the more than 1,000 people that take part in local celebrations are non-Indians. Join us as we take a look at this traditional Indian holiday.
Taiwan’s cuisine reflects our immigrant history, each dish possessing an almost unimaginably large genealogy that integrates Aboriginal, immigrant and colonial influences. In this issue, we sift through the old and the new in Taiwanese cuisine. We also interview Filipino street artist Mario Subeldia to hear about his life in Taiwan and his use of sand art to depict life and love.
Taiwan Panorama is an inveterate traveler. This month, we take our readers along the West Coast Line to visit three of the five Japanese-style wooden train stations known as the “five treasures of the coastal line.” We also report on the National Central Library’s work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish 31 Taiwan Resource Centers for Chinese Studies abroad. These centers, which connect the NCL with foreign scholars and promote Taiwanese-style sinology abroad, encourage diverse and open scholarly exchanges, and support a broad range of views.
Taiwanese scholars are also making noteworthy contributions in the area of Hakka studies. For example, in November 2018 National Chiao Tung University hosted an International Conference on Interdisciplinary and Transnational Hakka and Ethnic Studies, featuring exchanges among scholars from Korea, Japan, Thailand, the US, India, Malaysia, and New Zealand. The richness and cross-disciplinary nature of Hakka studies in Taiwan has made our island a research hub in the field.
The boundaries between ethnic groups emphasize historical and cultural identities. The fact that the criteria by which Taiwan’s Hakka are defined transcend simple lineage to recognize subjective cultural identity offers a case in point. Similarly, we hope that our content will inspire all who love and identify with Taiwan to work towards an even brighter future for our land.
