TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Administrators at an elementary school in Taipei City drew the ire of many across Taiwan after a video produced by Chinese state media showed the school choir singing an anthem described as “Chinese propaganda.”
The video of students at Taipei Dunhua Elementary was recorded on Jan. 12 for a Lunar New Year program produced by China’s Fujian TV. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council considers the song, “We Sing the Same Song,” as a work of propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department, reported RFA.
Lyrics of the song include: “Spanning the Taiwan Strait, we have always been one family, our names on the same family tree.” The video includes shots of classes from two elementary schools in China’s Fujian province also singing the pro-unification lyrics.
The video gained attention online late last week, prompting an official response from the head of Taipei’s Department of Education, Tang Chih-min (湯志民). Tang said that there were “administrative errors” made by the principal and other faculty at the school.
Tang addressed the widespread concern that the CCP’s United Front Work Department is active within Taiwan’s public education system. Tang explained the principal of Dunhua Elementary was contacted by producers from Fujian TV and agreed to the project.
However, administrators failed to consult with the Department of Education, which must approve all public school projects that involve foreign media groups.
The principal of the school, Liu Chian-nan (劉建男), will be subject to a performance review and may face punishment depending on the finding. Liu himself concedes that the song was inappropriate, and says he will respect any decisions of the performance review board, reported LTN.
