The 2024 Mosaic Taiwan Fellowship brought 32 young professionals from the US and Canada to learn first-hand about Taiwan and build connections in the program’s 10th anniversary.
Commemorating ten years of cultural exchange and public diplomacy, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in partnership with Ming Chuan University (MCU) held its annual Mosaic Taiwan Fellowship from June 17-28th. This year, 32 fellows from North America were invited to Taiwan to gain insight into its culture, society, technology, economics, and politics. Over twelve days, the cohort of young professionals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds engaged in site visits, lectures, and forums that painted a fuller picture of Taiwan and its contributions to the world.
The program commenced with an opening ceremony, orientation, and a Mandarin crash course. Amber Chen, an instructor at MCU’s Mandarin Studies and Culture Center, guided fellows through basic introductions in Mandarin and learning the lyrics of “Hao Xiang Ni” by Joyce Chu, a song with a simple but catchy chorus that quickly became a favorite in the cohort. This was followed by a visit to i-Ride Taipei, an immersive and scenic flight simulation over Taiwan, and dinner at Din Tai Fung, the world-renowned Taiwanese restaurant known best for its xiaolongbao.
From Taipei to Kinmen
Over the next two weeks, the cohort participated in several historical and cultural visits. The first was to the Da Dao Cheng Old Town Area in Taipei, home to a mix of traditional and Japanese colonial-era Western-style buildings, where fellows stopped by a tea house and tasted Taiwanese oolong tea. This was followed by trips to the National Palace Museum, home to a collection of nearly 700,000 Chinese artifacts in display on rotation, and Heping Island Park in Keelung, a coastal area known for its scenic views and eroded rock formations. A visit to the National Human Rights Museum gave fellows a look into a former detention center during the White Terror period (1949-1992) in a tour led by Fred Chin Him-San, a former political prisoner. The cohort also toured the Taipei Guest House which served as the residence of the governor-general of Taiwan during Japanese rule.
In addition to the main island of Taiwan, the cohort flew to the island of Kinmen which is located just ten kilometers from the coast of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In Kinmen, fellows started with a visit to the Zhaishan Tunnel, originally constructed to hide Taiwanese military vessels. Shuitou Village provided a glimpse into a preserved traditional and Western-style mixed settlement on the island with tours of Jinshui Elementary School and Deyue Tower. Afterward, fellows stopped by Juguang Tower and saw the skyline of nearby Xiamen, China before closing the Kinmen trip with a visit to Houpu, the historic political and economic center of the island.
US-Taiwan Relations, Pandemic Response, and More
Fellows participated in a number of briefings and lectures across a range of issues including diplomacy, healthcare, security, civil defense, democracy, and sustainability.
MoFA's Department of North American Affairs highlighted the growing ties between Taiwan and the United States and Canada, including at the subnational level. As of July 2024, 21 US states and Guam have set up offices in Taipei. At the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the cohort gained an understanding of Taiwan’s healthcare system and COVID-19 response. On defense, fellows learned about Taiwan’s security posture through a Q&A session with a panel of experts at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR).
In meetings with non-governmental and civil society groups, Kuma Academy and Forward Alliance spoke about their organizations’ provision of civil defense training to civilians, including first aid and evacuation planning. Moreover, the Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy provided insight into the pivotal role of youth in Taiwan’s democratic process, while the Circular Taiwan Network highlighted the organization’s efforts to promote sustainability and a circular economy in Taiwan.
Tech, Trade and the Media
Visits to the Hsinchu Science Park Bureau, Industrial Technology Research Institute, and National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), as well as briefings with SEMI Taiwan and National Taiwan University’s Graduate School of Advanced Technology, highlighted the success of Taiwan’s semiconductor and tech industries. A networking session with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) also gave fellows a glimpse into Taiwan’s premier trade-promoting organization.
Fellows joined several forums featuring sets of industry-diverse panelists. The Taiwan New Media Forum featured representatives from the podcast Morning Taiwan Glocal News and multimedia outlet TaiwanPlus, who spoke about their organizations’ efforts to fill the gaps in Taiwan’s media coverage to domestic and international audiences. A forum on Taiwan’s role in the global supply chain expanded on earlier trade and tech visits with panelists from the American State Offices Association (ASOA), AmCham Taiwan, and GE Vernova. A final forum on Foreign Information Manipulations and Interference (FIMI) focused on Taiwan’s efforts to combat mis- and disinformation featured representatives from the Science Media Center (SMC) Taiwan, Doublethink Lab, and Asia Fact Check Lab.
George D. Williams II, a fellow from Washington, DC, noted on the Taiwan New Media Forum, “Being able to tell your own story is so important. It was gratifying to see young Taiwanese journalists having success at creatively producing English-language content through various media, giving a glimpse of Taiwan to a global audience, from a Taiwanese perspective.”
Cultural Exchange as a Two-Way Street
Alongside MoFA, which oversaw the logistics of the Mosaic Fellowship, staff and student volunteers from Ming Chuan University accompanied fellows throughout the two weeks and served as on-site support. MCU’s experience as an international institution and ties to the United States runs deep. It is the only Taiwanese university to date to receive accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). In addition, MCU has a US campus at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan and exchange programs including the “Learning Away from Home” program where MCU students spend the summer in Michigan to gain international exposure in the field of tourism.
Dr. Nathan Liu, Executive Director of the International Education & Exchange Division at MCU, shared, “We've been organizing the Mosaic Taiwan program for many years and feel very honored to have the opportunity to interact with youth leaders from the United States and Canada. Our students have learned a lot while participating in the program, and both sides have advanced in cultural understanding and mutual comprehension.”
As the fellowship enters its second decade, this year’s cohort returned home with a more nuanced picture and deeper appreciation of Taiwan amid a backdrop of growing ties between the island and the United States. Since Mosaic’s inception, over 200 fellows have been selected. To be eligible to participate, fellows must be US or Canadian citizens between 20 and 35 years old and have a demonstrated interest in public and international affairs.
Williams believed the trip “put into perspective not only the strategic importance of the Taiwan Strait—like flying into Kinmen and seeing the sheer scale of the container ships from the plane and going to Hsinchu to learn about semiconductor manufacturing—but also the more than 23 million people who call Taiwan home and inhabit its wonderful cities.”
Oscar Escobar is a Summer 2024 Young Professional at the East-West Center in Washington. He is a rising second-year student at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service pursuing an M.S. in Foreign Service with a concentration in Global Politics and Security and a certificate in Diplomatic Studies.