In a delightful evening performance in Delhi, Taiwan’s Da-Guan Dance Theatre of the National Taiwan University of Arts enthralled the audience with its show ‘Splendour of Taiwan’. The performance showcased Taiwan’s rich cultural heritage, incorporating traditional Chinese folklore dance, glove puppetry and indigenous choreography of Taiwanese tribes. Divided into nine parts, the theme of each section reflected a strong Taiwanese ethos. From performances depicting man’s relationship with nature to a contemporary take on the yin and yang philosophy to a commentary on standing united in the face of an ever-changing world, ‘Splendour of Taiwan’ turned out to be a truly eclectic display.



Which brings me to the underlying purpose of hosting such Taiwanese performances in India. There are two clear aims here. First, of course, is to acquaint Indian audiences with Taiwanese culture. It’s an unfortunate fact that at the popular level many in India confuse Taiwanese with Chinese. True, there’s no denying that the Taiwanese identity does have Chinese influences. After all, a majority of Taiwanese people are of Han Chinese ethnicity. However, this doesn’t mean that one should conflate Taiwanese culture with Chinese culture. The former is equally influenced by Japanese culture – due to Taiwan’s historical occupation by Japan – and native aboriginal traditions. There are clear differences in food, society, dialects and political outlooks between Taiwan and China. And shows such as ‘Splendour of Taiwan’ help foreign audiences realise these distinctions.



This leads us to the second point behind such performances – Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. The latter is an attempt by Taiwan to diversify its economic engagements and boost cultural, scientific and people-to-people connections with countries of Southeast and South Asia. And India is a prime target country under the New Southbound Policy. However, given that official diplomatic ties between India and Taiwan don’t exist – New Delhi officially recognises only China – creative means have to be found to nurture the bilateral engagement and boost mutual understanding.

And it’s definitely worthwhile to invest in this direction. Given that Taiwan is a veritable economic dynamo with a strong manufacturing base, India can benefit tremendously from Taiwanese investments in its own manufacturing sector. Plus, Taiwan today is looking to transition to a high innovation and research-driven economy. India’s known expertise in the IT sector makes bilateral partnership towards this direction even more meaningful.



Lastly, given the history between China and Taiwan and New Delhi’s current issues with Beijing, it will hold the Indian government in good stead to cultivate ties with Taiwan as a strategic leverage. Of course, this shouldn’t be the sole purpose of the relationship as Taiwan has much to offer on its own. It is a combination of the above factors that makes the India-Taiwan partnership really attractive. Hence, it pays to know Taiwan and build a fruitful connection with this dynamic island state. In that sense, the ‘Splendour of Taiwan’ performance gives us a small glimpse of the possibilities.