The island of Taiwan defies simple descriptions. It’s a mountainous sub-tropical island barely the size of Canterbury but for centuries it has been both a melting pot and a springboard for global cultures.
The success of the modern, hi-tech Taiwan has been built on the success of Taiwan as the world’s largest producer of semiconductors. And this seems fitting, because in many ways Taiwan has always acted as a kind of 'semi-conductor' or maybe a 'super-conductor' of cultures and traditions, fusing old ways with the latest wave of culture that has washed over its shores. This began with the ancient arrivals of those who became the Austronesian peoples before successive waves of Dutch, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese influences arrived.
It was these many cultural layers that I became more aware of when I visited Taiwan in May of this year when I had the privilege of being part of 5th Southeast Asia Advisory Committee (SEAAC) hosted by Taiwan Ministry of Culture.
The SEAAC initiative has grown form Taiwan's New Southbound Policy (an effort to expand Taiwan’s presence across the Indo-Pacific) and it has been a catalyst for nurturing ties between Southeast Asian cultures and Taiwan. To my delight, this programme was expanded in 2022 to embrace new members, including New Zealand, Australia, and India.
Director Arts Craig Cooper speaking at Taiwan Ministry of Culture South East Asia Advisory Culture Forum
During the programme's cultural forums, Deputy Minister of Culture Sue Wang spoke of the need for a return to greater collaboration with other countries following the removal of pandemic restrictions. This sentiment was echoed by senior arts sector leaders from across the region.
Taiwan is setting out a clear vision for its place in the wider world, and I was interested to see that the New Southbound Policy is a movement that extends beyond simply trade and commerce.
Taiwan is welcoming new migrant workers from across Southeast Asia, with around 800,000 already settled there and these new voices are finding resonance through art.
I was struck by Taiwan's focus on embracing a new multi-culturalism, a desire to tell immigrant stories and to celebrate their cultures.
Taiwan is also on a quest to embrace a bilingual future. One more policy I found intriguing is 'Bilingual 2030', an audacious goal of achieving bilingualism by 2030. I don’t know if they can fully achieve this in so short a time, but nevertheless, the island's commitment to a global identity is obvious.
Viewing a work at Taitung Indigenous Cultural & Creative Industries Park
With some days available outside the official SEAAC programme, I took the opportunity to travel south to the island’s least developed but spectacularly beautiful east coast.
Taiwan recognises 16 separate indigenous tribes (with ten official language groups) and the majority of these people live in this area.
I wanted to explore what I had heard was a real desire in this region to connect with the wider Asia Pacific community through indigenous links, especially now that recent archaeological and linguistic evidence has proved something that was once only theory – that the Polynesian diaspora originated from Taiwan’s east coast. Some academics now believe this outward movement came from one tribe in particular, the Amis.
I spent several days visiting the cultural institutions of the region’s largest city, Taitung, the main centre for indigenous cultures.
From the sprawling Taitung Indigenous Cultural & Creative Industries Park (TTICC) to the numerous boutique coastal artist studios, I was impressed with the depth and quality of the contemporary indigenous arts scene and the growing place it now occupies in the Island’s cultural identity.
Artist Akac Orat outside a house he has built using only traditional techniques in Chenggong Town
I was most excited by conversations with Taitung Art Museum and their interest in engaging with New Zealand; Māori artists specifically. I look forward to announcing more soon!
Taipei and Kaohsiung provide a glimpse of what the future holds for Taiwan’s art sector.
Despite the cities being 350 Kms away, the new high-speed rail network makes the connection possible in about 90 minutes, creating an incredible, connected audience of 20 million+ people for exhibitions and performances across the Island's main cultural institutions.
Many of these institutions are impressive. The scale of the National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts Weiwuying alone is staggering, covering 3.3 hectares.
The centre features various performance spaces and outdoor venues, making it one of the largest performing arts centres in the world.
Meanwhile in downtown Taipei, where space is at a premium, the new Taipei Performing Arts Centre's cube-like centre literally 'soars to new heights' at over 50 metres tall, with the performance spaces literally hang off the outside of the main structure of the building.
These modern centres say much about the island's investment in the arts over the last decade.
Rahic Talif, pioneering artist in contemporary Taiwan indigenous arts, in his studio in Dulan Village
Taiwan's cultural policy is serious, reaching beyond borders, developing international connections, and securing the island’s own identity as a modern, outward-looking technologically driven democracy rooted securely in cultural traditions that date back thousands of years.
Taiwan's cultural policy is serious, reaching beyond borders, developing international connections, and securing the island’s own identity as a modern, outward-looking technologically driven democracy rooted securely in cultural traditions that date back thousands of years.
Taiwan is an island alive with artistic and cultural expression, embracing indigenous cultures, continuing to respect its Chinese cultural heritage, and now looking to embrace the new role of immigrant stories. Art isn't just a form of expression; it's a means of connection across Taiwan’s rich multi-cultural history.
But this hasn't happened by accident; it's the result of conscious investment and aspirational strategies. Not only is there much for the New Zealand sector to learn from this, but there are also immediate opportunities for New Zealand-Taiwan arts collaborations.
The indigenous arts space is an obvious one – the links between Polynesia and Taiwan are ancient. Perhaps we should talk less about 'connecting' with new friends in Taiwan and instead think more about making a 'reconnection' with our island whanau.
Regardless, Taiwan, the island of the semiconductor, is switched on and ready to receive our signal.
The Foundation's arts programme aims to bring Asia into the mainstream of New Zealand arts by inspiring New Zealand arts professionals to grow their connections and knowledge of Asia. It also supports the presentation of Asian arts in partnership with New Zealand arts organisations and events.