Community Empowerment Symposium to be held at UCLA

– Courtesy Photo by Terry Miller/ Beacon Media News

The event marks the 30th Anniversary of the End of Martial Law in Taiwan

To celebrate and reflect at the 30th anniversary of the end of martial law in Taiwan, UCLA Center for Chinese Studies will be hosting a symposium on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Charles E. Young Research Library, also featuring a screening of Taiwanese cinematic masterpiece Super Citizen Ko, a story immersed in the intricacies of the martial law period.

Among many Asian societies, Taiwan stands out as a shining example of successful transition from a traditional and authoritarian society to a modern and democratic one, marked by the historic turning point referred to as the End of Martial Law in 1987. The three-part series symposium will cover the ensued paths to cultural prosperity, community empowerment through focus on social morality, as well as specific achievements of Taiwan’s socio-political advancements since then. Culturally, Taiwan manages to preserve the essence of tradition while embracing diversity, individuality and creativity, leading to cultural prosperities in film, arts, music, museum, and creative industries. Socially, Taiwan made admirable progresses in strengthening social morality and developing a model civil society, consequently witnessed a rapid growth rate of positive societal forces.

A group of leading Taiwanese and American scholars in these fields will engage the public through keynote speeches, panel presentations and roundtable dialogues, as well as a Q&A session after the concluding film screening of this daylong event, Super Citizen Ko.

Symposium Program:

Time: Nov. 17, Friday, 2017

Venue: The Conference Room and Function Room, Charles Yung Research Library, UCLA.

8:40-9:00, registration

9:00-9:15, opening remarks

9:15-10:45, roundtable on cultural prosperity

Speakers:       Professor Fang-Ming Chen, National Cheng-Chi Univ., Taiwan

Professor Michael Berry, UCLA

Chair:              Professor Yunxiang Yan, UCLA

10:45-11:00, coffee break

11:00-12:15, Panel on community empowerment

Speakers:       Dr. Rwei-Ren Wu, Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

Professor Shelly Rigger, Davidson College

Chair:              Yunxiang Yan, UCLA

12:30-2:00PM, Keynote speech over light lunch

Speaker:         Professor Shelly Rigger, Davidson College

2:05-4:05 PM, film screening: Super Citizen Ko, directed by Wan Jen

4:05-4:30 PM, post-screening Q & A with Professor Robert Chi, UCLA

Sponsors: Center for Chinese Studies, Taiwan Academy

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