Since 2021, the Institute of Transcultural and Transtextual Studies (IETT) at the University of Jean Moulin Lyon 3 (Lyon III) has hosted the Spotlight Taiwan Lyon programme for four consecutive years. The fourth edition, titled Taiwan: (No) Futures, explores Taiwanese society’s vision of the future, shaped by global challenges like the #MeToo movement and the crisis of democracy. The programme examines how Taiwan responds to these issues while shaping its diverse identity. Hosted by Dr. Gwennaël Gaffric and PhD student Lin Chi-hung 林其宏, and organised by the Department of Chinese Studies and the IETT, the event showcases Taiwan’s collective imagination of the future, focusing on social movements through the lenses of culture, politics, and language.
The programme took place from May to October 2024, featuring a series of workshops, film screenings, intensive Taiwanese language classes, as well as cultural and academic events, with International Days concluding the activities in October.
The first event, held on 17 May, was titled Queers of Yesterday and Today: Encounters with Taiwanese Cinema and Literature (Queers d’hier et d’aujourd’hui: Rencontres autour du cinéma et de la littérature taïwanaise ). It focused on Taiwanese queer literature and cinema, featuring a screening of Dear Tenant (2020) and a translation seminar by Dr. Emmanuelle Péchenart. She explored the evolution of queer identities in Taiwan since the 1990s, highlighting the works of authors Qiu Miaojin 邱妙津 and Kevin Chen 陳思宏.
From 27 May, a five-day intensive Taiwanese language class was offered, led by linguist Dr. Yoann Goudin and Lin Chi-hung. Using the “Silent Way” teaching method, Dr. Goudin introduced students to Taiwanese phonetics and linguistic features, guiding them from the basics. The course blended theoretical instruction with practical language exchange, offering students the opportunity to practice with Taiwanese people living in Lyon.
Following the language class, on 31 May, Dr. Fanny Caron (Aix-Marseille University) introduced the history of Taiwanese indigenous literature. She discussed the social movements and cultural heritage of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.
On 5 July, the third workshop welcomed Dr. Corrado Neri, Director of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC-Taipei), who led a film discussion analysing the Taiwanese New Cinema elements in the award-winning film Love is a Gun, presented at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. The discussion also explored the future of Taiwanese cinema.
In September, during the back-to-school season, two significant events took place as part of the Spotlight Taiwan programme. On 16 September, a film discussion titled Ten Years Taiwan took place. Following the screening, Gwennaël Gaffric and Lin Chi-hung introduced the Ten Years extension project by Hong Kong director Ka Leung Ng 伍嘉良, leading a discussion with students about the visions of five emerging Taiwanese directors regarding Taiwan in 2028, as presented in their short films. On 26 September, Professor Stéphane Corcuff (IEP de Lyon) conducted a seminar on “The Future of Taiwanese Politics” (L’avenir politique de Taiwan), exploring various possibilities for Taiwan’s political future and presenting research methods in political science.
The climax of the Spotlight Taiwan programme took place in late October, with International Day events running from 23 to 25 October in the MILC Auditorium at Lyon 3 University. On 23 October, the event commenced with Gwennaël Gaffric’s introduction, followed by the seminar Rebellious Taiwan: Social Struggles in History and Contemporary Taiwan (Taïwan rebelle : luttes militantes historiques et contemporaines), which focused on contemporary social movements in Taiwan. Coraline Jortay from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) spoke on the intersection of feminist movements and language in 1980s Taiwan, analysing the influence of Women’s Knowledge magazine (婦女新知雜誌). Next, Dr. Li Pei-ci 李珮琪 (Lorraine University) explored the narrative strategies used by Taiwan’s United Daily News, China Times, and Liberty Times in their coverage of the 2023 #MeToo movement, shedding light on the media’s role in gender-related movements. CNRS researcher Beatrice Zani shared insights from her ongoing project Migrant Workers in Taiwan: Mobility, Inequality, Solidarity, and Recognition (Travailleurs migrants à Taïwan: mobilités, inégalités, solidarités et reconnaissance), which investigates the social and labour inequalities faced by Southeast Asian migrant workers on Taiwanese fishing vessels. Dr. Alexandre Gandil discussed The Lifting of Martial Law in Kinmen and Matsu, comparing the process of lifting martial law in these areas to that of Taiwan’s main island. Finally, Dr. Émilie Frenkiel (Paris-Est Créteil University) presented Taiwan’s digital democracy movements, discussing how movements like Hackathon and Gov-zero (G0V) have helped Taiwan become a model for digital democracy.
On 24 October, the second day of International Day began with a masterclass by cartoonist Stellina Chen. Stellina, a political cartoonist, shared her journey into press illustration with the attendees in Lyon. In the afternoon, the Taiwan Punk Roundtable Forum was held, where Gwennaël Gaffric and Damien Ligot explored the relationship between Taiwan’s underground music scene and its social movements. Lin Chi-hung presented films on rebellious youth, showcasing how student protests and campus activism have been portrayed in Taiwanese cinema. Later that evening, the second masterclass featured Taiwanese author Chiou Charng-ting 邱常婷, who shared her experiences in writing Taiwanese fantasy novels and discussed how the social atmosphere influences her creative process. Later that evening, the film Goddamn Asura (2021) was screened at Lumière Bellecour in Lyon, with director Lou Yi-An 樓一安 attending the post-screening Q&A to discuss his portrayal of Taiwanese social phenomena.
On 25 October, Taiwanese comic experts Alexandre Georges and Stellina Chen introduced Taiwanese fantasy and science fiction comics in the opening event. Later in the day, the final masterclass featured director Lou Yi-An 樓一安, who shared his new film project Dreaming The Snake 夢蛇. In a conversation with Lin Chi-hung, he reflected on his filmmaking career. The programme ended after the screening of A Place of One’s Own (2009) in the afternoon.
The 2024 Spotlight Taiwan programme wrapped up triumphantly, with Gwennaël Gaffric and his team guiding students and the public in Lyon through a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s societal future and cultural movements. The programme demonstrated how Taiwan responds to current social and political challenges through a variety of approaches. In 2025, the 5th edition of the Spotlight Taiwan programme will also be held in Lyon, so stay tuned!
Contributor Bio
Chi-Hung Lin is a lecturer and PhD student at the Institute of Transcultural and Transtextual Studies (IETT) at the University of Jean Moulin Lyon 3. His research focuses on the representation of Taiwanese politics in cinema, with an emphasis on elections, parliamentary violence, and social movements.
Along with his colleagues at IETT, he co-organized the Taiwan Spotlight events (2023 and 2024 editions), funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture.