The 28th Jingwen Cup Golf Tournament was held at 10 a.m. on April 23rd (Tuesday) at the Pacific Palms Resort in the city of Industry, with nearly a hundred golf enthusiasts from Southern California participating. The 11th Representative of the Republic of China to the United States, Yuan Jiansheng, along with seven colleagues from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, joined in the competition to enjoy the day with overseas compatriots.
Yuan Jiansheng, who had been traveling in Asia just days before, made a special trip back to Southern California to attend the Jingwen Cup event. Despite potential jet lag affecting his game, he was delighted to reunite with fellow overseas Chinese. From the end of 1997 to 2004, Yuan served as the director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles and co-founded the Jingwen Cup with the overseas Chinese community during his tenure, turning it into an annual event that unites overseas Chinese and showcases the friendship between Taiwan and the United States.
Yuan Jiansheng believes that building interpersonal relationships is a crucial part of a diplomat’s work. Whether in Washington D.C. or Los Angeles, he actively seeks to befriend locals and observes their interests. For instance, as many Americans enjoy golf, basketball, and American football, he engages in these activities to integrate into the local culture and accommodate their lifestyle habits. Yuan Jiansheng said, “Diplomacy requires flexibility and cannot be too rigid. Diplomats must interact with people from all walks of life, so we cannot strictly follow a fixed playbook.”
Ji Qinyao, the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, expressed gratitude to the Southern California Republic of China Golf Association for organizing the golf tournament under the auspices of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. He highlighted that the annual Jingwen Cup not only allows overseas Chinese to hone their golf skills and enhance physical fitness but also demonstrates the overseas Chinese community’s support for the Representative Office and the Republic of China. For over twenty years, the Southern California overseas Chinese community has tirelessly promoted grassroots diplomacy through the Jingwen Cup, injecting positive energy into Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Yeh Chun-lin, the President of the Southern California Republic of China Golf Association, extended special thanks to the enthusiastic support of overseas Chinese in participating in the Jingwen Cup, ensuring its successful annual continuation. He emphasized that golf is a prevalent sport in Southern California, and through the Jingwen Cup, participants not only engage in friendly competition but also strengthen connections with the mainstream society, making it an excellent form of soft cultural diplomacy.
The founding President, Qiu Chui-huang, recalled the establishment of the Southern California Republic of China Golf Association under the initiative of former Director General Ouyang Ruixiong of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, with the intention of creating the “Director’s Cup”. When Yuan Jiansheng, the then Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, suggested renaming it the “Jingwen Cup,” the event was rebranded to be more inclusive of all Southern California overseas Chinese, rather than being solely associated with the title of “Director,” a tradition that has lasted to this day.
The tournament featured categories such as the Senior Group (55 and older), Men’s Group, Women’s Group, and awards including low gross, near pin, long drive, and hole-in-one prizes. The hole-in-one prize, sponsored by BMW, included a BMW electric SUV and a Honda SUV. Additionally, there was a raffle for a round-trip luxury business class ticket from Taipei to Los Angeles during the evening banquet.