Representative figures of Taiwan's cultural sector are invited to attend and speak at a Taiwan-themed lecture series in Malaysia. Organized by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia and a Malaysian independent bookstore Monsoon Books, the lecture tour aims to develop exchanges between Taiwan and Malaysia.
The origin of Monsoon Books in Malaysia can be traced back to a bookstore of the same name in Taiwan. Although the founder of the bookstore Lim Wooi Tee (林韋地) was born in Malaysia, he lived and studied in Taiwan from a young age. Lim always had a special feeling for Taiwan and was motivated to boost appreciation of Southeast Asian cultures in Taiwan, therefore he founded Monsoon Books and introduced publications from Malaysia and Singapore. After several years, the Monsoon Books in Taipei's Dadaocheng began to play a significant role in introducing Southeast Asia to Taiwanese readers. Later in 2021, he opened the same bookstore in his hometown, introducing a wide range of books from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, becoming an important platform for connecting Malaysia with the Chinese-speaking world.
The first round of lectures will be held until Aug. 17, attended by Zhan Zheng-de (詹正德), the manager of a Taiwanese leading independent bookstore You He Book (有河書店). He will share his perspectives on the future of independent bookstores and the publishing industry in Taiwan.
The second round of lectures will run from Sept. 5 to 7, featuring author Chiang Ya-ni (蔣亞妮) who will share stories about Taiwanese women and literature. The final round of lectures will feature Professor Chi Li-feng (祁立峰) of National Taiwan Normal University, who will speak about understanding life through classical Chinese literature.