A group of faculty and students from universities in mainland China concluded their visit to Taiwan and returned to Beijing on Thursday (5th). That evening, Chinese table tennis Olympic champion Ma Long, who was part of the delegation, posted a summary of his trip to Taiwan on social media. Interestingly, in his entire post, he did not mention the term “Taiwan”. Ma Long’s visit to Zhongshan Girls High School in Taiwan was dubbed as an event akin to “Tang Monk entering the spider cave” by mainland Chinese media, sparking criticism from various circles in Taiwan.
Ma Long shared a grid of six photos on his personal social media platform on the evening of the 5th, showcasing snapshots of his life in Taiwan. The pictures not only featured Taiwanese cuisine and scenic views but also showed Ma Long trying his hand at baseball.
However, Ma Long’s post did not mention the sensitive word “Taiwan” as perceived by the Chinese authorities. In his caption, Ma Long expressed his happiness about the journey and thanked friends for their support and warm encouragement. He mentioned unlocking new places, making new friends, savoring authentic local snacks, and receiving many gifts during the trip.
Recently, the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation invited 40 faculty and students from seven universities in mainland China, including Ma Long, to visit Taiwan. During the 9-day trip, mainland Chinese official media claimed that “Ma Long has numerous fans in Taiwan” and that the “Ma Long craze is causing a sensation in Taiwan”. However, Taiwan’s media pointed out that the Chinese authorities’ purpose in sending mainland faculty and students to Taiwan was for united-front strategies.
According to reports from Taiwan’s Central News Agency and Liberty Times, the first stop of the mainland faculty and student group was at Zhongshan Girls Senior High School in Taipei, where they visited the school buildings and historical sites without directly interacting with the students. Articles from Chinese media outlets and social platforms like Netease and Sohu began surfacing, describing Ma Long’s visit to Zhongshan Girls High School as if he had “fallen into the spider cave like Tang Monk”, and “his face turned pale with fear”.
Reports from Taiwan’s media revealed that besides using photos of female students welcoming Ma Long for internal propaganda, mainland Chinese media also depicted Ma Long as akin to “Tang Monk entering the spider cave”, sparking criticism from various sectors in Taiwan.
On the evening of December 4th, the Zhongshan Girls High School Parent-Teacher Association issued a statement protesting to the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation. The association expressed dismay over the recent controversy sparked by the visit of mainland students and stated that the media reports and online attacks had caused harm to the students. They emphasized that the visit was arranged by the school based on academic, sports, and cultural exchange principles and that there was no media entry or active interaction between students and mainland students. They also insisted that the events following the visit, including distorted reports by some Chinese media outlets, severely damaged the school’s image and the students.
The statement outlined the following points: Firstly, protesting to the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, emphasizing that campuses and students should not be exploited for political purposes. Secondly, taking legal action against media or social platforms that inappropriately use students’ images for derogatory representations, to defend students’ rights. Thirdly, demanding the school to elucidate the circumstances of the incident, provide necessary care and psychological counseling for the students, and fourthly, ensuring more prudent evaluations and rigorous control processes for future exchange activities to prevent similar incidents.
Zhongshan Girls High School also released a statement on the same day, stating that the false comments and misinformation from Chinese media and social platforms regarding the reception of the mainland student group had caused significant harm to the school, teachers, students, and alumni. They specifically condemned the reports that contained derogatory language and objectified women, expressing strong dissent and official communications with the organizers.
On the afternoon of the 5th, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an attended a council meeting and was interviewed before the session. When asked about Ma Long’s visit to Zhongshan Girls High School being likened to “entering the spider cave”, Chiang Wan-an responded by expressing support for the students of Zhongshan Girls High School.