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Updated Tuesday, September 18, 2007 0:00 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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What’s in the name?

Rectification of names is one most salient feature of Confucianism the government of President Chen Shui-bian wants to get rid of in his all-out de-Sinicization campaign. But he loves the rectified name of Taiwan. He is obsessed with the idea of getting Taiwan to accede to the United Nations under its rightful name. His government bristles whenever anything from Taiwan shown abroad is said to be from Taiwan, China.

That’s why the Government Information Office lodged a complaint with the organizers of the Venice Film Festival, who, under pressure from Beijing, listed Taiwan-produced films as entries from Taiwan, China. Among them was “Se Jie (Lust Caution),” directed by Ang Lee of “Brokeback Mountain” fame. It was originally described as a production from “USA and China” for it was shot in both countries. It was later changed to Taiwan at the request of its producer. That in turn drew complaints from China. Then the name was settled as “USA/China/Taiwan.”

And Chthonic, a Taiwanese metal band with that Greek name meaning “Of the Underworld,” gave a performance in Washington to drum up sympathy and support among American youth for President Chen’s United Nations bid. We wished his government hadn’t paid for the American tour of the band whose lead singer and songwriter Freddy Lim claims he was fighting for his musical career, as well as for his country. Have any of our readers heard of Chthonic? A metal band must be a newly-added avant-garde novelty in Taiwan. All this sounds like silly gags in a bad TV sitcom. Can’t we try just to forget whatever name other countries in the world choose to attach to our island nation?

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