An international symposium on Taiwan’s cultural, social and political development following the government’s decision to lift martial law 30 years ago is taking place Nov. 17 at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Co-organized by Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles under the Ministry of Culture and UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, the one-day event comprises two seminars, a keynote speech and film screening. Headline participants include local scholars Chen Fang-ming, chair professor of Taipei City-based National Chengchi University, and Wu Rwei-ren, associate research fellow of Academia Sinica—the nation’s top research institution.
The first seminar features Chen; Michael Berry, a professor of modern Chinese literature and film at UCLA; and Yan Yunxiang, director of CCS and a professor of anthropology. It is expected the trio will engage in an enlightened and spirited review of the conditions giving rise to Taiwan’s rich and vibrant culture.
Promising to be equally informative, the second involves Wu and Shelly Rigger, assistant dean for educational policy at the Political Science Department of U.S.-based Davidson College. Topics set for discussion range from community empowerment and transitional justice to the role of the people of Taiwan in the development of democracy.
After the seminar, Rigger will deliver the keynote speech on the past, present and future of Taiwan’s political landscape.
Another highlight of the symposium is the screening of “Super Citizen Ko” by Taiwan new wave cinema director Wan Jen. Released in 1995, the 120-minute fiction is a tale of atonement centered on a political prisoner searching out the tomb of a friend he inadvertently betrayed during interrogation. Robert Chi, an assistant professor in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA, will host the post-film Q&A.
On July 15, 1987, then Republic of China (Taiwan) President Chiang Ching-kuo formally announced the end of martial law. This historic decision brought to a close 38 years of authoritarian rule and ushered in a new era of freedom and democracy. (CPY-E)
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