Born in 1995, Hu Chun-yuan, now 26, was a studious child who before entering university “didn’t pay attention to anything outside the classroom window.” “When I was in high school, the ‘Arab Spring’ broke out in the Middle East and North Africa.” But for high-school students, major international events were just text that scrolled by on the TV news.
Now in its 28th year, the Taiwan-based Women Make Waves International Film Festival—Asia’s first all-female international film festival—has been introducing films by Taiwanese and foreign women since its inception in 1993. By exploring topics such as gender diversity, the festival gives audiences a chance to view the world through women’s eyes.
Under the bright lights at center stage, the actor’s every movement is seductive as he gracefully performs a dan role (a female role in Peking Opera). Later, he sits offstage at a long table, back straight, neatly dressed, calligraphy brush in hand, writing with complete focus. This is the many-talented Dano Pan, appearing some years ago at an overseas venue in his capacity as an International Youth Ambassador for Taiwan.
For island nations like Taiwan or those of the South Pacific, food security is a critical issue. Taiwan’s economy was founded on agriculture and the island brings forth an abundance of farm produce. Accordingly, it has long pursued research into factors that affect agriculture, yielding impressive results.
In recent years, more and more young people are serving humanity by volunteering overseas, demonstrating that they too can lend a helping hand. Yet few also diligently consider the true meaning of volunteering. Having once had doubts about the need for volunteering, Dr. Chiang Cho-hung now aims to support sustainability and create solutions with his research as he moves beyond “cooperation” to “collaboration,” marching with others toward a collective future of global sustainability.
Professor Thierry Burnouf, a French-born therapeutic blood product expert and vice dean of the College of Biomedical Engineering at Taipei Medical University, is promoting international cooperation among academic researchers, helping research teams raise their global profile via research breakthroughs and the sharing of discoveries. Burnouf, who has lived in Taiwan for more than a decade and is now a naturalized citizen, says, “I’m so happy to have chosen to stay in Taiwan long term!”
“If not me, who? If not now, when?” These words were spoken by British actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson at a United Nations HeForShe gender equality event.
According to a report released by the National Central Library in April 2021, the number of new books published in Taiwan has fallen for the third year running and is now at its lowest in 20 years. The printed word no longer seems to be in demand. Where have all the readers gone?
Taiwanese millet is small-grained, with a distinctive flavor; but there is more to millet than meets the eye.
From ancient times, wherever there were indigenous communities there was millet. According to the Council of Agriculture, in the 1960s millet was grown on some 6000 hectares of land in Taiwan. It was the staple crop of indigenous peoples, and an important offering at tribal rituals. Major annual celebrations revolved around millet planting and harvesting.
In the cultural and creative industries, revolutionary changes in media and information brought about by the advent of the Internet and digital connectivity have overturned traditional ways of reading. Reading is no longer restricted to paper texts; the high walls that once stood between words and readers have been demolished as people abandon paper books, newspapers, and magazines for other modes of “reading.”
