Taiwanese culture painful for China: culture minister

AUTHENTICITY: ‘A truly strong culture does not need to boast about itself, nor does it fear how others perceive or treat it,’ the minister of culture said

Taiwan’s existence and culture are painful for China, Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) said in a radio interview in France, describing Taiwan as “a mirror that reveals the true nature of things.”

Speaking to Radio France Internationale (RFI) on Friday, Li said China has been unable to achieve what Taiwan has demonstrated and therefore strongly wished Taiwan did not exist.

Responding to China’s frequent emphasis on the grandeur and long history of Chinese culture, Li said he found such rhetoric difficult to understand, as genuine culture is reflected in people’s everyday lives and does not need to be deliberately defined or promoted.

Minister of Culture Li Yuan gestures in an intergview with Radio France Internationale on Friday.

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture via CNA

“A truly strong culture does not need to boast about itself, nor does it need to fear how others perceive or treat it,” Li said in Chinese.

Li began a European tour on Sunday last week, with the first stop in Britain, where he visited cultural institutions and witnessed the forging of a partnership between the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and the UK’s National Centre for Writing.

He left Britain on Thursday for France, where he attended events related to the Taiwan-France Cultural Award, including the judging of the award and the presentation ceremony.

He is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Wednesday.

During the European visit, Li also met with cultural and literary figures and discussed further cooperation in areas including literature, comics and digital arts.

In France, he visited a planned cultural facility in Saint-Denis and discussed potential cooperation with Taiwan in digital art, including joint exhibitions, co-productions and artist development.