Maybe you are wondering why I chose to call my blog 'pandas for tea'... Well, Taiwan is going a little bit 'Panda' crazy 狂熱 at the moment. The news channels are all talking about it. For the past few weeks, pictures of cute and not so cute Giant Pandas have been plastered 塗得厚厚的 over the front cover of every newspaper in the country. There are even some who have gone as far as to start wearing panda hats (only 8850 NTD (over£150) at some fancy 昂貴 designer store on the East side 東區 ). But what is all this panda madness about?
Well the story begins in 2005 when the Chinese government offered the pandas to Taiwan as peace offering 友好贈品, a pair of 'furry goodwill ambassadors 親善友好的代表'. Taiwan refused. Why? It is a little complicated. But basically: Taiwan believes itself to be a country, having been conceded to Japan during the Qing dynasty and given up to the Allies at the end of the war, it believes it is no longer politically related to China; China on the other hand believes it to be part of its empire along with Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Xinjiang (other regions which are part of China but desire autonomy). When China offers Taiwan pandas, it is a sign - calling for closer ties between the two sides.
In 2005, Chen Shuibian, who was the then President of Taiwan and leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (one of Taiwan's two main parties) refused the pandas, seeing them as a threat to Taiwan’s independence. The two pandas would be transported to Taiwan according to domestic 國內laws rather than international 國際laws. Therefore accepting the pandas is seen by many to be accepting that China and Taiwan belong to the same country. In 2008, after Ma Yingjiu 馬英九 became President, the offer was renewed and this time Taiwan’s authorities 當局 agreed. Tuan Tuan 團團 and Yuan Yuan 圓圓 (their two names put together means a family ‘reunion’團圓), the two giant pandas at the center of the debate arrived in Taiwan on the 23st December 2008. Just in time for Christmas.
'Pandas for tea' has two possible meanings. On the one hand it could mean that I am having the Pandas over to my place for afternoon tea - implying I welcome the gift. On the other hand it could mean that I want to eat the Pandas for tea, hinting that I am against the move. In reality, as an english guest in this beautiful island, I am reasonably unbiased 無偏見的. I hope that in 2009 I can introduce more of life in Asia to those at home and of those at home to my students and friends in Asia.
For more on the Panda story see: -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/23/china-taiwan-pandas
