By late June, Taipei’s weather was already emulating that of midsummer. Under MOFA’s supervision, a group of young leaders from top universities in the US and Canada were visiting Yangmingshan National Park and the Yangming Shuwu, a mountain villa built as a summer retreat for the late President Chiang Kai-shek. They hiked along the 1.6-kilometer-long Xiaoyoukeng Trail to the peak of Mt. Qixing, enjoying the beauty of the landscape along the mountain track and having lots of fun besides—all in one short morning.
Three days later the group flew to Kinmen, visiting the historic Kaoliang Liquor complex complete with tastes of Taiwan’s unique sorghum brew. They also visited a kitchen knife factory which uses recycled artillery shells as its raw material, and finally went to the Mashan broadcasting and observation station at the northern end of Kinmen, overlooking the Chinese mainland. Having studied some of the history, they knew about the vicissitudes of cross-strait relations before they came to Kinmen.
During their three-week program, MOFA organized a diverse range of activities for this elite group. They participated in a series of seminars—historical, geographical, political and economic—and also looked at Taiwan–US relations, cultural development and identity, public health diplomacy, and regional security in East Asia. Government and non-governmental organizations and academic institutions were called on to help complete a picture of the Republic of China for the guests.
As the majority of the group were majoring in Asian politics or economics at university, the lectures and information provided were targeted at those interests in particular. In turn, the visitors had lots of questions, and a high level of interaction and participation was a feature of the lecture series.
Global friendship
The Mosaic Taiwan 2015 program chose 30 candidates from prestigious US and Canadian universities through MOFA’s rigorous selection process. They included a 25-year-old young business leader, an outstanding student who had been elected vice-chair of the Arizona Democratic Party at the age of 21, and a young person who was involved in US president Barack Obama’s campaign team, is currently active in the US Peace Corps, and is preparing for study at Harvard University. All the visitors had completed some research into issues related to Taiwan in particular, and Asian affairs in general.
“This program aims to enhance recognition and support for the ROC among the young global elite. Like a farmer planting his crops, we are sowing the seeds of international friendship. Hopefully these young people, in their various future careers, will one day become an influential source of support for Taiwan,” said Vanessa Shih, MOFA vice minister.
Shih has hopes that this carefully selected group will establish a deep friendship with Taiwan through the program, maintaining their interest in and connection with Taiwan into the future.
Democracy
Participants from last year’s program maintain a deep connection with Taiwan, with most expressing the feeling that the three-week program was far too short. A number, in fact, have applied to come to Taiwan to learn Mandarin. And as a direct result of their wonderful experience last year, many of this year’s contingent joined the program on their recommendation. One of this year’s participants is planning to work in foreign affairs, so he has used this opportunity to practice his diplomatic skills with the vice minister.
“I gained a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s sound democratic environment through the talks. And after contact with some of the local people, I discovered what a unique place Taiwan really is,” said Philippe Martin from the University of Ottawa. During this, his first visit to Taiwan, Martin came to understand the considerable effort that Taiwan has exerted on developing its public infrastructure. It’s quite common to see families playing together in public spaces, something not often seen in other countries. He also enjoyed witnessing the diversity and richness of Taiwan’s recreational facilities and activities.
The group visited a number of places of interest, including the Yingge Ceramics Museum to experience DIY ceramic manufacture, a tea plantation in Pinglin to learn how to pick tea, and Taipei Zoo, from where they also took a ride on the Maokong cable car. They also travelled to Eastern Taiwan, visiting the National Center for Traditional Arts and the King Car Kavalan whisky distillery in Yilan County, and Taroko National Park in Hualien. All together, the rich variety of their travels allowed the visitors to appreciate the unique and diverse cultures of Taiwan.
Jose “TJ” Villamil, former president of the student government at the University of Florida, discovered a particular liking for King Car whisky. In fact he bought a bottle of a Kavalan single malt whisky which won a gold medal—Best in Class—at the International Spirits Challenge 2015, as a gift for his father. “Taiwan isn’t a big country, but its distilling expertise is quite extraordinary. The flavor of this whisky is utterly unique,” said Villamil.
Diversity of culture
Members of the visiting group spent some time in homestays, so they had the opportunity to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with local families. Without exception they said that they had gained a deep impression of friendliness and hospitality—and had learned a lot about the history of the festival.
Caroline Muraida, a student from the University of New Mexico, very much appreciates the openness of people in Taiwan. She spent some of her spare time visiting the Shihlin Night Market on her own. “Most of the group didn’t dare try the stinky tofu, but I fell in love with it at the first bite. We also went to sing at a karaoke spot, and were all amazed at the variety and quality of the food available everywhere,” said Muraida. The program has really been a great lesson in cultural diplomacy.
David Gitter is doing postgraduate study in Asian Security Affairs at George Washington University, and has a deep knowledge of Asian history, but this was his first visit to Taiwan. The rich collections of the National Palace Museum amazed him. “I am very interested in paintings from the Qing Dynasty and in Song Dynasty antiquities. I really wish that we’d had more time to explore everything. I also went to visit the National Taiwan Museum, and 228 Memorial Park. I respect Taiwan’s open mind and positive attitude toward the recording of its history.”
Gitter also recalls the delicious soup dumplings at the Din Tai Fung restaurant, and appreciates how one of the staff taught him how to say the word xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) in correct Mandarin.
Justin Kwan is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Asia–Pacific policy and East-Asia relations at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He is very interested in the issue of youth culture in Taiwan and enjoyed paying a visit to the Eslite Bookstore complex, which is open 24/7.
Kwan recalls the difficulties of preparing all the documents to win a position after the university recommended him for this opportunity. But despite the complexities and strict selection process, he finally gained a place—and his parents were as happy as he was. “It’s been a great honor to meet with President Ma Ying-jeou on this trip. We were all quite nervous about meeting the president, but we found him to be very warm and friendly. We talked a lot about the current political status of Taiwan. All in all it was a memorable experience.”
In his graduation report, Kwan recalls his observations on Taiwan’s business sector: “I noticed the critical role played by interpersonal relationships at Taiwan’s night markets compared with markets in other parts of Asia, which shows the importance of such relationships in Taiwan’s business community.” He’s already looking forward to a further opportunity to visit Taiwan in the future as he has plans to travel to the south of the country to experience again the wonderful hospitality and friendliness of the people of Taiwan.
Meeting the president
During his meeting with the young leaders, President Ma recalled his participation in the China–US Youth Summer Academic Seminar organized by the China Youth Corps when he was a university student. He was also invited by the US Department of State to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program. The president chatted about how these experiences had benefitted him, and as a direct result, after he took office the government launched a number of programs to provide opportunities and assistance for young people who wanted to study or travel abroad. In all, these initiatives helped more than 60,000 young people to travel abroad between 2009 and 2014.
On their final day in Taiwan, all the visitors shared their experiences at the program’s closing ceremony held by MOFA at the Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs. One of the young travelers, who had caught a cold during the visit, complimented her hosts on their nation’s universal healthcare system, which makes it easy and inexpensive for people to see a doctor. She expressed some envy of the quality of healthcare she received, and hoped that the US and Canada could learn something from Taiwan. Another member of the group pointed out the nation’s efforts on promoting gender equality. In particular, Taiwan’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is worthy of recognition.
With the program winding up for 2015, each member was able to share experiences and knowledge gained, each making their own individual contribution to the enhancement of global friendship and Taiwan’s international diplomacy.
Thirty elite students from top universities in the US and Canada participated in Mosaic Taiwan 2015, run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These young people will become an influential source of support for Taiwan in the future.
The visitors hiked along Xiaoyoukeng Trail in Yangmingshan National Park. They found Taiwan’s diverse topography very interesting.
Participants shared their Taiwan experiences at the closing ceremony on July 3.
During their three-week program, MOFA organized a diverse range of activities for the elite group. They learned how to pick tea in Pinglin, with many expressing a liking for Wenshan pouchong oolong tea.
The guests experienced Taiwan culture through organized lectures and visits to a number of institutions and popular attractions. The photo shows their visit to the National Palace Museum.