Two more cultural exchange events under the "Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects between (the Regions of) South East Asia and Taiwan (新南向海外交流專題計畫)" – "Cultural Circulation Survey in Asia (亞洲文化環流調查計畫)" and "Listen to Them: The Development and Dilemma in Performing Arts of Taiwan's New Residents and Migrant Workers from Southeast Asia (傾聽他們的聲音：臺灣新移民的表演藝術發展與困境)" – took place in Taipei and Tainan in mid December, after the successful implementation of the "Matateko International Forum (Matateko匯流國際論壇)" and "Arts & Healing: Bangsokol Virtual Festival (藝術與療癒：Bangsokol線上藝術節)" earlier in December.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Culture, for the first time, invited members of the Southeast Asia Advisory Committee to propose cultural exchange projects under the "Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects between (the Regions of) South East Asia and Taiwan (新南向海外交流專題計畫)," and the ministry has received warm responses. Starting early December, various event projects have been launched online. Thanks to the effective pandemic preventive measures, in-person events have been organized towards the end of the year, according to the ministry.
"Cultural Circulation Survey in Asia: The Southeast Asian Cultural Events in Taiwan, 2010-2020" exhibition, a collation of the cultural context of Southeast Asian communities in Taiwan, was on view at the Taipei-based Guling Street Avant-garde Theatre on Dec. 19 and 20. An initiative to develop a database of Taiwan's public knowledge about Southeast Asian cultures, the project helps promote understanding and long-term relationships between art and cultural organizations in Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
On Dec. 19, the artists' talk on the cultural value and performance tradition of Taiwan's new residents was moderated by curator Lin Chen-wei (林正尉), and Chow Ling-chih (周伶芝) and Lin Chun (林群) were invited to join the discussion. On Dec. 20, the program "Feels like Home" featured lecture and demonstration of Indonesian folk dance, which provided a glimpse of Southeast Asian cultural activities in Taiwan between 2010 and 2020.
"Listen to Them" symposium, held on Dec. 20 at the Tainan National University of the Arts in Tainan, was attended by promoters of new resident performing arts as well as scholars and experts from all over Taiwan. Three main topics were discussed, including "the perspectives of public sectors and non-governmental organizations on current status of Southeast Asian new residents' performing arts," "the growth and development of Southeast Asian new resident performing arts in Taiwan," and "dilemma and dynamic character of performing arts of Taiwan's migrant workers from Southeast Asia." The discussion outlined current developments, difficulties, and possible solutions.
The event at the Tainan National University of the Arts also featured various forms of performance, including Thai and Vietnamese dances presented by the VIT Dance Group, Filipino rock music by UltiMix Band, Balinese dance performance by artist Ni Nyoman Somawati (胡明月), JuNie Lee (李庭莉), and Huang Yu-dong (黃昱東), and music of Angklung, a musical instrument from West Java, Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame, performed by Angklung Taiwan. The different types of performances reflected the diversity of cultures of the new residents, leading the audience to the exploration of the many Southeast Asian cultures.