Celebrating Taiwanese American Heritage Week in San Francisco
The 20th Taiwanese American Cultural Festival will be held on May 12 2012, Saturday, at Union Square in San Francisco. At the festival, attendees will have the opportunity to experience a characteristic element of Taiwan – the “night market”, learn more about Taiwan’s history and Taiwanese Americans in the Bay Area, as well as enjoy Taiwanese delicacies. On the stage, there will be performances presented by the Dance Department of the National Taiwan University of Arts and local Taiwanese American musicians, including the alternative rock band, Johnny Hi-Fi and more.
Last year, more than 5,000 visitors attended the festival. We were honored to have distinguished guests, including Jackie Speier, US Congresswoman; David Chiu, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; and Gavin Newsom, former Mayor of San Francisco and current California State Lieutenant Governor.
The exhibitions at the festival will include disply of Taiwanese glove puppets (people figurines) as well as video clips and live performance of Taiwanese Glove Puppet Show (present the Lunar/ Eastern Zodiac Story), Taiwanese arts and crafts, games with prizes, visual displays to illustrate Taiwanese technology, as well as a marketplace with orchids from Taiwan. In addition, people should not leave the festival without tasting traditional Taiwanese food and learning about the beautiful tourist attractions in Taiwan.
What's New in 2012?
Performers are coming directly from Taiwan! They will be showcasing unique stunts and acrobatics, including the use of the Taiwanese yo-yo. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting addition to the program this year.
Proclamations
The Taiwanese American Cultural Festival in San Francisco is visited each year by key community leaders and officials in the Bay Area. Many proclamations have been issued for the success and the achievement of the event. Below are some of the proclamations received and VIPs that have attended past year's festivals.
Geography
Taiwan is an island nation situated in the western Pacific Ocean with Japan to the north, Philippines to the south, and separated from southern China by the Taiwan Strait.
History
Research suggests that Taiwan was inhabited around 30,000 B.C. About 4,000 years ago, Malay-Polynesian tribes, genetically maybe distinct from the first inhabitants, were the earliest aborigines in Taiwan. In 1544, Portuguese sailors passing Taiwan called the island Ilha Formosa, the beautiful island. Between the 16th and the 17th centuries, Hakka and Hoklo speaking people from the coastal Chinese provinces of Kwantung and Fukien began to arrive. During this period of time, Hakka and Hoklo settlers intermarried with the native aborigines due to the ban of woman emigrants by Ching Empire. Today, the Hoklo speakers account for about 62% of the population on the island. Descendants of the Hakka settlers account for another 20%. About 3% are indigenous people from one of the twelve tribes. The remaining 15% of the population immigrated to Taiwan in 1949 after the Kuomintang's (KMT, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party) defeat in China. All together, it has an estimated population of over 23 million people.
Beginning in the early 1600's until 1945, Taiwan was ruled by the Dutch, Spain, Koxinga, Manchu Ching, and Japan. Under each colonial rule, Taiwanese suffered various degrees of repression and massacres. However, the most notable tragic 228 Massacre occurred on February 28, 1947 and subsequent months during which as many as 20,000 Taiwanese intellects and leaders were killed by the KMT troops ordered by Chiang Kai-Shek. In 1949, the KMT government under Chiang's rule lost the civil war to the Chinese Communist and fled to Taiwan. Martial Law was imposed with white terror on the island for 38 years until it was lifted in 1987.
San Francisco is an important landmark in Taiwan history when Japan, after World War II, renounced its claim to Taiwan in 1951 with the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty at the Opera House. The treaty read, "Japan renounces all right, title and claim to Formosa." But a beneficiary of the island was never named. The treaty is the legal basis for Taiwan's self-determination. In 1971, Chinese Nationalist Republic of China was expelled out of the United Nations. In 1979, the Carter Administration established formal diplomatic relations with China; the United States Congress promptly passed the "Taiwan Relations Act." The Taiwan Relations Act is a domestic law and it has been the cornerstone of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and is instrumental in maintaining stability and security in the Taiwan Strait.
In 1986, Taiwan political dissidents defied Martial Law and formed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The first direct presidential election was held in 1996 when Lee Teng-hui was elected. In 2000, Chen Shui-bian from the DPP was elected the first president from the opposition party in Taiwan's history, and he was re-elected in 2004. During his 8-year presidency, Taiwan became a full-fledged democracy. Since Ma Ying-jeou was elected president and KMT regained control of Taiwan in 2008, democracy and human rights in Taiwan have eroded significantly and Taiwan's sovereignty is in jeopardy.
Taiwan is an independent country with significant contributions to the international communities. However, it is struggling, due to constant threat and isolation by the People's Republic of China, to be recognized by the international communities and yet to become a member of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and other international organizations.
Language & Religion
Mandarin became the official language after the Chinese Nationalists occupied Taiwan in 1949. Taiwanese Hoklo, Taiwanese Hakka and Taiwanese aborigines also speak their own mother tongues.
Over 90% of Taiwanese are adherents of a combination of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism; 5% are Christians, and the rest believe in Islam.
Culture
Taiwan's many encounters with other countries and cultures, especially in its experiences of colonialism, have led to a diverse and unique art scene. Taiwan's aborigines are renowned for their folk dances and indigenous music, while painting, pottery, and modern dance took root under the Japanese. Taiwan also continues the traditional arts of glove puppetry and opera. Every genre of art, be it music, painting, dance, or literature, has drawn on multicultural influences and added a local sensibility, resulting in art that is unique to Taiwan's cultural, political and geographical position.
On the global stage, Taiwan's cinema scene has garnered the most praise, with its highly lauded New Wave movement founded by directors such as Edward Yang, Wang Tong, and Hou Hsiao-hsien. In 2005, Ang Lee, a native of Pingtung, was the first Asian director to win an Academy Award.
Economy
Taiwan began its transformation from an agrarian society into a technological powerhouse just sixty years ago. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was one of the world's leading sugar exporters. In the 1970s, it was known as the largest supplier of hats, shoes and umbrellas in the world. Nowadays, it has further evolved from a labor intensive economy into a knowledge economy, producing hi-tech goods with excellent quality and innovation. Some examples of its thriving economy include:
- Taipei 101, a 101-floor building in Taipei, is currently one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world.
- Taiwan's Phalaenopsis orchids (or Moth orchids) thrive in the country's subtropical climate. Taiwan is considered one of the global leaders in orchid production.
- Taiwan currently ranks first worldwide in several categories of information technology products, such as IC foundries, notebooks, LCD monitors, etc.
- The Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) connects Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan's two largest cities, with the train traveling up to 186 mph.
Highlights of Taiwan
KTLA 5: Five-Part Series on Taiwan
Click here to watch part 4 and 5
Taiwan News
Taipei Times: Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
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PetroChina, to join partners in Canada LNG export project
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Taiwanese Americans in the Community
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TaiwaneseAmerican.org
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TaiwaneseAmerican.org
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Time: 9:00pm
Location: TBD
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/257014064397605/
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TaiwaneseAmerican.org
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Address: 409 West 13th Street, New York, NY
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/408929199138219/
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