Listening to speech brought back the memory of times when I pondered on the question: What represents Taiwan. Before grad school, I lived in the US for 11 years. To many people in Taiwan, I may appear to be just another Taiwanese, but in reality I may share the views of foreigners in some way. Living in the states, I observed that many Taiwanese American often talk about the positive sides of Taiwan, the parts of Taiwan that we miss. But those things were often related to food or nightlife in Taipei. And if we compare the nightlife in New York to Taiwan, then we can also cross out the nightlife which leaves only food. It's sad to say this but I really feel that Taiwan has not fully developed the culture side. When foreigners talk about Taiwan, most of them recognize Taiwan as a country that makes very nice motherboards. We know Taiwan is more than that(or do we?), but the world does not.
What is even more depressing is that, some fellow Taiwanese people refuse to look at the cold reality and only listens to the junk that the media feeds to them. Obviously, any foreigner that is attracted to Taiwan appreciates some distinct qualities of Taiwan. But it really does not mean anything. It's like some people go to Africa and ends up loving the heat. It means nothing but personal preference, and we should not feel comfortable just by listening to the positive side of comments. The reality is that over the past 8 years, Taiwan has become the slowest Asian country in terms of economic developement. And I am not denying those great companies such as Asus and Benq, but they do not account for the entire Taiwan. Korean, a country that has been behind Taiwan for decades, is now way ahead of Taiwan for many reasons, and we should feel pressured in this global competition to find exactly what those reasons are.
If anyone could tell me what Taiwanese culture is, please do. From what I see, Taiwan's image is vague and weak to everyone including ourselves, and a vague brand certainly does not sell anything.
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