Taiwan Studies Project launched in the Czech Republic

The main purpose of this cooperative project is to support and advance research on the particular languages, and the multiculturalism and vitality of Taiwan. A shared goal of the two cooperating parties is to have people discover the cultural freshness and vitality of Taiwan through study of its languages, various aspects of its society, and the variety and depth of its culture. This Taiwan Studies project is designed to attract students and scholars working in a variety of fields. Regular lectures, mutual visits of senior scholars, scholarships for young scholars, and conferences on Taiwan’s languages, cultures, and special vitality will be organized, and a library of Taiwan related materials, including cultural artefacts, will be built up.

Masaryk University is located in Brno in the Czech Republic, a historic, beautiful old city. Masaryk University is one of the reputed universities of Central Europe and it is known for having an open and liberal tradition. The China Studies Seminar at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University was established in 2011, and it focuses on teaching and undertaking research on the literature, religions, arts, history, and society of Taiwan. The university already has close cooperative links with several major Taiwan universities, for example National Taiwan University, National Taiwan Normal University, and National Chi Nan University. Masaryk University strongly emphasizes Chinese language teaching and these universities have been supporting this by providing the university with teaching personnel.

This new cooperative project between Taiwan and the Czech Republic will give Taiwan greater visibility in Central Europe. A next step will be to organize visits of senior scholars from Taiwan to work together with local scholars arranging more cooperation and networking in Taiwan-related research and science fields. One of the project goals is to send young scholars from Taiwan to Brno to teach at the university and help to build up a strong international team which specializes in Taiwan Studies.

Photo:Dr. Dušan Vávra, Head of the China Studies Seminar in the Faculty of Arts at Masaryk University in Brno in the Czech Republic (left) and Ms. Weng Chin-Ying, Director of the Education Division at the Taipei Representative Office in Germany (right) after the signing ceremony.