Youth program advances New Southbound Policy cultural exchanges

2020/07/10

The Ministry of Culture’s Youth Cultural Gardeners project is helping deepen and expand cultural exchanges between Taiwan and New Southbound Policy target countries.
 
 Launched in 2016 in line with the government’s New Southbound Policy, YCG requires participants to stay in an NSP target country for at least two weeks. Applicants must draft proposals promoting long-term bilateral cultural relations.
 
 The NSP is a national development strategy seeking to strengthen Taiwan’s ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian Nations, Australia and New Zealand.
 
 According to the MOC, competition is fierce for YCG spots. Only 11 out of 34 applicants were selected last year, bringing the to-date total to 215 separated into 26 groups.
 
 One of the standouts is Shao Sheng Vietnam Traditional Music Ensemble. Led by Yang Ching-yi, the seven-member group visited to Ho Chi Minh City in September 2019.
 
 Yang, a traditional music major at Taipei National University of the Arts, is adept at playing the “dan bau,” a one-stringed zither. She described journeying to the home of “nhac tai tu” as a transformative experience.
 
 The ensemble added new strings to their musical bows by integrating vocals into compositions, Yang said, adding that they also introduced some of Taiwan’s folk music traditions to residents during the stay.

Shao Sheng’s experience is exactly the kind envisioned by the MOC when it initiated YCG in the same year the NSP was launched. Another group benefiting handsomely from the project hails from National Taitung University in southeastern Taiwan.
 
 Guan Chia-hsiou, an administrative assistant at NTTU’s Center of Austronesian Culture and head of the nine-member CAC representation, traveled to the Malaysian state of Sarawak in the summer of 2019. The group learned about local community empowerment programs and cultural tourism development among members of the Bidayuh people, best known for constructing distinctive traditional longhouses.

According to Guan, some of the main objectives of the visit included fostering exchanges with indigenous peoples in the Indo-Pacific, as well as exploring the region’s distinct identity. The visit to Nyegol, a village with only 18 households, was particularly impressive, she said.

The sense of community was incredible, and the young residents talked earnestly about the need to create a sustainable future, Guan added.
  
 Chung She-fong, an associate professor in the Department of Radio and Television at National Chengchi University in Taipei City, advises the MOC on Southeast Asian affairs. She considers examples like those of Shao Sheng and CAC irrefutable evidence of YCG’s capacity for creating meaningful dialogue between Taiwan and NSP target countries.
 
 Young people are always online, but in-person experiences reveal so much more than the curated world of the internet, Chung said. These moments are a chance to broaden participants’ horizons while promoting Taiwan values.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)