The 16th Strait Forum and the 7th Cross-Strait Grassroots Governance Forum were held in Xiamen on the afternoon of June 15. During the meeting, Yuan Juzheng, a professor at the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University, discussed with Observer.com the impact of mainl

The 16th Strait Forum and the 7th Cross-Strait Grassroots Governance Forum were held in Xiamen on the afternoon of June 15. During the

conference, Yuan Juzheng, a professor at the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University, discussed with Observer.com the impact of mainland culture on Taiwan’s younger generation, and shared stories about teachers and students around them becoming “more and more unified” due to his influence. Professor Yuan Juzheng pointed out, “Many changes are slowly taking place, and we can place our hope in the future.”

The following is a record of the conversation between Professor Yuan Juzheng and Observer.com.

Professor Yuan Juzheng had a conversation with Observer.com on the sidelines of the meeting.

Observer.com: You often deal with students. Judging from your contact, the younger generation in Taiwan have different perceptions and emotions towards the mainland than those of the Mesozoic and older generations. What difference does one generation make?

Yuan Juzheng: Young people in Taiwan, especially those under the age of 20, often browse mainland social media such as Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Kuaishou, and have been psychologically conquered by mainland culture. My students like to watch mainland TV series and use mainland mobile phone brands. I often hear them say on campus that "the peanuts are delicious", something is "really crunchy", etc. They think these words are A fad. This makes me feel optimistic that a lot of transformation is happening slowly and we can have hope for the future.

Observer Network: Currently, there are about 11 million people in Taiwan holding Taiwan compatriot certificates, but Taiwan’s total population is more than 23 million, which means that more than half of Taiwanese have never been to the mainland. In addition to social media such as Xiaohongshu, what other ways do you think can attract this group of people to learn about and even visit the mainland so that they can have a more comprehensive understanding of the mainland?

Yuan Juzheng : Among those in Taiwan who have not yet visited the mainland, some do not want to, some have insufficient budget, and some feel that it is not necessary. Among them, budget is the biggest obstacle.

In fact, because Taiwan does not pay attention to social equality, the gap between the rich and the poor is very serious. We live in Taipei, and the living conditions of most people are pretty good, but not necessarily in other places. This is the main reason why many people cannot come to the mainland. If their budget problem is solved, it basically solves all their problems.

I made an attempt a while ago. Someone hoped that I could take dozens of students to visit the mainland in a short period of time. They told me several times, "If you find it difficult, don't do it." I replied several times. "It's not hard" because I understand the situation. It was finally done, and 40 students were recruited from 16 schools within 6 days.

As long as the budget problem is solved, other problems will basically be solved. There are basically no people who are unwilling to come to the mainland because of their "Taiwan independence" thoughts. Most people want to come to the mainland to see it in person.

The Taiwanese government's "General Accounting Office" announced the 2021 household wealth distribution statistics. The wealth of Taiwan's households is divided into five equal parts from low to high. The wealth gap between the top and bottom 20% of households is 66.9 times, compared with 30 years ago. The difference is 16.8 times. (Photo/Taiwan "China Times")

Observer Network: Speaking of budget, a guest shared in his speech yesterday that the air ticket price from Taiwan to the mainland is several times more expensive than to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other places.

Yuan Juzheng : It’s expensive, but it’s not several times worse. Air ticket prices have their own set of calculation formulas, which will be adjusted according to changes in market supply and demand. Therefore, compared with this, I think it is more worthy of our efforts to allow Taiwanese people who have never been to the mainland to have the willingness, budget, and feel the need to come to the mainland.

Observer Network: Now that the reunification faction in Taiwan is declining, you teach at a university. Several professors have told me before that the Democratic Progressive Party uses its ruling advantage to suppress academic research related to cross-strait and mainland China. Now that Lai Qingde's "Taiwan independence" stance has become more publicized, what methods can the reunification faction on the island have to break through this dilemma?

Yuan Juzheng: I can only answer on my own behalf. My father’s hometown is in Shandong, and he longs to return to his hometown. My parents went through so many hardships and raised me and my brother slowly. Being born and raised in Taiwan, I feel grateful for them, so I have a good impression of the mainland.

In other words, I am a Tongpai, which is purely a personal feeling and has nothing to do with other people. I'm not afraid of what others say about me. I often say on stage, "Don't worry about what I said. Just ask me whether what I said is correct and true. I have no position."

Our Department of Philosophy, National Taiwan University It is well-known on the National Taiwan University campus. Because of my connections, I often take teachers, students and friends to the mainland. After they see the mainland, after my in-depth introduction and understanding of my feelings, they naturally become Tongpai.

For example, there is a teacher in our department who studied in the United States and is very good at research. He was originally a light green person. After traveling with me in Fujian and seeing the progress and development in various aspects, he told me personally: "Lao Yuan, Under your influence, I am becoming more and more unified now." I said, "If I were not with you, you would become a dictator yourself in a few days." My hometown in Shandong was originally very poor, but now it is slowly becoming more and more unified. Okay; when you arrive in Fujian and see the construction and development of Fujian, how could you not become a reunification faction?

Having said that, our philosophy system at National Taiwan University is divided into four levels: gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Of course I am gold. Others also make their own choices. We must also allow them to have their own ideological space, right? ? But I must emphasize that time is not ours and we must make choices quickly. Mainland China's good intentions towards Taiwan are due to its own self-confidence and strength, not because it needs Taiwan's products. Don't develop an inexplicable sense of superiority because the mainland is giving you profits.

Observer Network: If someone, such as one of your students, asks you about developing in mainland China, what advice would you generally give?

Yuan Juzheng: First of all, I emphasize that young people in Taiwan have almost no future if they don’t come to the mainland, because Taiwan’s development pattern is relatively small. I suggest that they come to the mainland and try the three innovations, namely scientific and technological innovation, agricultural innovation, and cultural innovation, especially cultural innovation, because Taiwan has exquisite manufacturing technology in this area.

Secondly, e-commerce is a very important new industry and a good choice. It is based on mainland platforms such as Taobao, Xiaohongshu, Pinduoduo, Douyin, etc., and has unlimited room for imagination. The development of this field is beyond your imagination.

Furthermore, higher education in the mainland is also an attraction. Many idle talents in Taiwan can choose to come to the mainland for development. For example, many of our Ph.D. graduates from the Philosophy Department of National Taiwan University will come to the mainland to find jobs.

What needs to be explained is that seeking development opportunities in the mainland, no matter which direction you choose, requires long-term preparation and understanding in advance. The mainland requires effort to understand.

I am the professor at National Taiwan University who has the deepest and most accurate knowledge of the mainland. Because I have put in a lot of effort, many of my students will take the initiative to talk to me about coming to the mainland to conquer the world. I often tell them that they did not come to the mainland to be an old man as they imagined. It is not the same thing. They should not worry about the economic downturn, but they must severely blame themselves for failing to live up to expectations.

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