On October 8th, Taiwan’s public policy, think tanks, and various other units jointly held a seminar on “Contemporary Chinese Issues from a Publishing Perspective,” inviting scholars and experts to discuss. Experts pointed out that in Taiwan’s free environment, the publishing industry can understand the real China from multiple perspectives, and they urged people to cherish Taiwan’s freedom of thought and space for diverse discussions.
Host and President of Youli Cultural Society, as well as editor-in-chief, Tu Feng-en, emphasized the significance of Chinese issues. This seminar aimed to look at China from a publishing perspective and observe changes in people’s understanding of China through responses in Taiwan’s book market.
Guo Mei-cen, Director of the Taiwan Think Tank Survey and Public Opinion Center, mentioned that they held a special exhibition titled “Red Lens” at the 228 Memorial in October, hoping to help people understand the gap and contradictions between the “Chinese narrative” and the real world through interactive means.
Guo Mei-cen also explained that the “Red Lens” exhibition showcased over a hundred selected books on Taiwan-China issues, allowing viewers to explore more diverse perspectives on cross-strait relations and establish a comprehensive knowledge framework for understanding China and further speculation based on different viewpoints.
She emphasized that these publications also represent the efforts of Taiwan’s publishing industry in the field of Chinese studies. In a diverse and free publishing environment, one can see perspectives different from the traditional “Han-centric” and “Greater Unified” historical perspectives.
She highlighted Taiwan’s valuable attribute of freedom in publishing, reading, and discussions, contrasting it with China where such publications often get banned for not aligning with official narratives. Taiwan’s freedom enables a multi-dimensional understanding of the real world, inviting everyone to browse through these books on-site to see a more diverse China and appreciate the preciousness of freedom of thought.
Wang Jia-xuan, former deputy editor-in-chief of “Eight Banners Culture” and bookstore manager of “Turn Left for Books,” analyzed that in the mid-2010s, with Xi Jinping tightening censorship and the consecutive outbreaks of the Umbrella Movement and the Time Revolution in Hong Kong, cross-strait relations stiffened, leading to a waning interest among Taiwanese in China. The rise of the Sunflower Movement and the consciousness of resisting communism and safeguarding Taiwan made readers shift focus towards local historical and political issues, resulting in a decline in the publishing heat of Chinese issues in Taiwan.
Wang Jia-xuan expressed puzzlement over the fact that although many Taiwanese work and study in China, there are hardly any writings by Taiwanese about their experiences in China, causing a one-sided understanding of China among Taiwanese.
Huang Xiu-ru, editor-in-chief of “Left Bank Culture,” stressed that Taiwanese must deeply understand Chinese civil society to address the complex factors of Chinese tourism, Chinese spouses, united front tactics, etc. “Left Bank” always stands on Taiwan’s side in observing China, and the books they publish act as a tangible shortcut for Taiwanese to understand China.
Huang Xiu-ru mentioned that as China is vast and diverse in experiences across different regions, it is easy for Taiwanese authors writing about China to attract criticism and face significant risks, thus preferring to express opinions on issues online rather than formally compile them into books.
Earlier, the organizers of the “Red Lens” exhibition stated that this event presented the image construction, power operations, and external influence of the CCP through six exhibition zones, providing insights into the CCP’s power structure and contradictory reality behind the “Chinese story.”
The organizers pointed out that wearing the “Red Lens,” do we see the same world before and after? Understanding China through the official CCP perspective is akin to wearing the red lens provided by the CCP, which obscures the truths they do not wish to reveal. Only by taking off this lens can we truly understand the real face of “China.”
Through images, documents, and interactive installations, the six exhibition zones revealed the CCP’s tactics in nationalism, surveillance society, international expansion, and misinformation operations, displaying the discussion outcomes of the “2025 Global Youth Resilience Democracy Camp,” presenting diverse voices of democratic speculation, and featuring a book exhibition with a selection of over a hundred books related to China studies for viewers to explore further.
After the seminar concluded, the host and the youth posed questions on “The Perspective Competition between Taiwan and China,” “The chilling effect of Chinese censorship,” and “Overseas Chinese views on Taiwan books,” providing in-depth analysis and responses to each query.