Cultural and People-to-People Relations

Lithuania and the Republic of China maintained limited cultural and people-to-people relations due to geographical distance and challenging historical circumstances. Very early examples are Lithuanian diaspora communities that established themselves in China (notably, Shanghai); some Lithuanian missionaries who stayed there with a goal to spread Christianity; and individual travelers, such as Matas Šalčius, who visited Republic of China in the early 1930s and wrote about it in his widely popular books (although he never set his foot into Taiwan – or Formosa as he often called it – as it was under Japanese occupation at the time).

Missionaries

Petras Urbaitis (who adopted the Chinese name Wong Chung-Yun) arrived in Hong Kong in 1931, where he studied theology before moving to work in Shanghai in 1934. There, he taught at the Don Bosco School until 1937. Later, Urbaitis worked in Macao and again in Hong Kong until 1946, when he relocated to Lianzhou in Guangdong province to supervise four churches. Despite his contributions to the country’s development over 20 years, Urbaitis was arrested by the communists in 1951 and forced to leave China.

Antanas Perkumas (who chose the Chinese name Ngan Sin-Sang) studied in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and beginning in 1936, worked for a few years in Kunming, Yunnan Province. He later returned to Hong Kong where he experienced the Japanese occupation and was injured. After regaining his health, Perkumas helped to establish the Salesian School in Honk Kong and worked there until 1952, before moving to Venezuela.

Antanas Perkumas shared the following story related to Taiwan in his book:

In 1952, just before leaving China, I received a letter from the National University in Taipei.

“I am very glad that after a long search, I finally managed to obtain your address. I graduated from your Salesian school in Kunming and was later conscripted into the Red Army. However, I managed to escape to Formosa. There, I finished gymnasium and graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the university in Taipei. I now work as a professor there and am very happy. Before getting married, I was baptised and chose your Christian name – Antanas. If I have a son in the future, I will name him Kazimieras, as you spoke so interestingly about him during one of our nature hikes. I remain forever thankful for all the good things you did to me.”

The letter was signed by “Jeung Veng-Te”.

Vaclovas Sidzikauskas and Kazys Bobelis

The first few decades after the Second World War were also difficult for maintaining closer connections between Lithuania and Taiwan. Lithuania was under Soviet occupation, and the official policy of the Soviet Union was to treat Taiwan as a hostile country. As a result, Lithuanian authorities had no contacts with their Taiwanese counterparts, and only limited interaction was maintained with the Lithuanian diaspora, which represented Lithuania’s independence in exile.

The first to establish such ties was the influential interwar diplomat Vaclovas Sidzikauskas, who had been living in the USA since 1950 and continued to represent Lithuania. From November 6 to 11, 1963, Sidzikauskas visited Taiwan, including Kinmen and Taipei, as part of a delegation from the Asian People’s Anti-Communist League. During the visit, he delivered a speech on Radio Taipei, expressing Lithuanian support for the Chinese struggle against communism. Additionally, Sidzikauskas had a personal audience with Chiang Kai-shek, who voiced his support for Lithuania and expressed admiration for the bravery of the Central and Eastern European nations resisting Soviet occupation.

In 1966, from October 31 to November 8, Vaclovas Sidzikauskas, as Chairman of the Lithuanian Delegation to the Assembly of Captive European Nations, once again met with Taiwanese representatives in Seoul, South Korea, during the 12th Conference of the Asian People’s Anti-Communist League. In his speech, Mr. Sidzikauskas stated, “The free world should not be amiss in its duty to the captive Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians, and should continue to expose Soviet colonialism in the United Nations and elsewhere.”

A similar visit to Taiwan took place from July 14 to 19, 1974, when Dr. Kazys Bobelis, an active member of Lithuanian diaspora in the USA, represented the American Lithuanian Council at the World Anti-Communist League conference in Taipei. In his speech, Bobelis expressed support for Taiwan, highlighted Lithuania’s struggle for freedom against Soviet occupation, and encouraged further efforts in the fight for freedom and democracy. The full text of the speech was later published in the China Post.

Read a short excerpt of the speech:

It is certain that Taiwan is the most appropriate place for this meeting since the Republic of China has been for years, a most inspiring symbol of the firm and persistent resistance against international communist expansion and I sincerely hope that the Republic of China will successfully continue in its struggle for the re-establishment of the democracy on the mainland.

[…]

We the people of the Free World are committed to the preservation and protection of the human rights and freedom of those people and nations who are unable to help themselves and it is our responsibility to continue to fight all dictatorial powers until all people will be able to determine their own destiny. And, therefore, we cannot and will not forget the brutal and illegal occupation of Lithuania and the other Baltic States, the forceful invasion of Czechoslovakia, merciless destruction of the freedom revolution in Hungary and many, many illegal acts performed by the Soviet armed forces. We must also not forget that terrible enslavement of the freedom and peace loving Chinese people by the military troops of Red China still continues.

For those who speak Lithuanian, you can listen to Bobelis discussing his visit to Taiwan during an interview with Radio Margutis on July 25, 1974:

Writers and Singers

Not many Lithuanians spent extended periods in Taiwan during the Cold War, and even fewer lived there. The most notable case is Marija Rima Tūbelytė-Kuhlmann, a Lithuanian painter and writer, who resided in Taiwan from 1968 to 1971 and again from 1979 to 1984, totaling almost 10 years. She had this opportunity due to her husband’s work, which stationed him in Taiwan during that time. Tūbelytė-Kuhlmann actively shared her experiences of living in Taiwan and her impressions of Taiwanese culture. For example, the Lithuanian diaspora newspaper Dirva in the USA published a series of stories titled “Notes from Taiwan” in 1978 and 1979, depicting episodes of life in Taiwan that Tūbelytė-Kuhlmann found interesting or surprising. Additionally, her paintings became quite popular, as she held more than a dozen solo exhibitions in both Taiwan and Japan.

If you know Lithuanian, please check the first story from the “Notes from Taiwan” series, which was published in the Dirva issue dated June 29, 1978. You can read it by clicking on the picture bellow.

Another artist who visited Taiwan was soprano Dalia Kučėnienė, a member of the Lithuanian diaspora in the USA. After performing twice for Taiwanese audiences in Chicago, Kučėnienė received a positive response and an invitation to visit Taiwan. In July 1978, she performed a program of classical, Taiwanese, and Lithuanian music (featuring composers Mikas Petrauskas and Viktoras Kuprevičius) in Taipei.

There are brief mentions of visits to Taiwan by traveler Renaldas Čėsna, journalist Juozas Kojelis, and possibly other Lithuanians during the Cold War. All of them were members of the Lithuanian diaspora in America, Australia, and other parts of the world.

Exhibitions and Concerts

Probably the first art exhibition of a Lithuanian artist in Taiwan took place in the 1970s when the previously mentioned Marija Rima Tūbelytė-Kuhlmann presented her paintings in Taipei. Some of her works depicted the Taiwanese landscape as well. The 1990s brought increased activity, including photography exhibitions such as “10 Taiwanese Photographers in Lithuania,” which were held in Kaunas, Vilnius, Šiauliai, Klaipėda, and Panevėžys, as well as a retrospective exhibition by Juan I-Jong, a National Cultural Award recipient, that toured six Lithuanian cities in 1995.

The new century began somewhat slowly for Lithuania-Taiwan cultural cooperation, with more activities emerging starting in the 2010s. A photography exhibition featuring works by professional Taiwanese photographers and photos taken by Lithuanians studying in Taiwan was opened in the Lithuanian Parliament in June 2010 and later exhibited in Kaunas. In 2012, the A. Žmuidzinavičius Museum hosted an exhibition showcasing the video works of artist Chen Chieh-jen. The following year, Taiwanese painter Chen Yang-Chun held an exhibition in the Lithuanian Parliament.

Taiwanese artists Chen I-Chun and Hsu Chia-Wei were featured at the contemporary art festival “Kaunas mene” in 2016. In 2017, an exhibition of traditional Taiwanese dolls was held in Kaunas as a collaboration between the Vytautas Magnus University Centre for Asian Studies and the Taipei Mission in Latvia. That same year, a joint project by composer Vytautas V. Jurgutis and visual artist Vaclovas Nevčesauskas, titled “Metroscan,” was presented at the audiovisual festival “Osmosis” in Taipei. The decade concluded with an exhibition of works by Lithuanian textile artist Birutė Sarapienė at the “International Color and Ink Painting Exhibition” held in Taipei in 2019.

The 2020s began with the COVID-19 pandemic, which created major challenges for cooperation. Nevertheless, the decade commenced with a number of exhibitions and visits. Photos from Taiwan taken by Dr. Arvydas Kumpis were exhibited in Kaunas and Druskininkai in 2021 and 2023. In 2022, the exhibition “Uncoverings: The Search for Identity in Lithuanian Photography” was held at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the National Center of Photography and Images in Taipei. That same year, two Taiwanese painters, Hsu Ming-Hsiung and Wu Shu-Hsin, held an exhibition at the Lithuanian Artists’ Association exhibition hall in Vilnius. In 2023, a large exhibition of Taiwanese painters’ works titled “Whispers of Formosa: Icons and Landscapes” was held in Kaunas, organized by the Art Association’s League of Taiwan. Additionally, in the same year, the world-renowned Taiwanese indigenous music band Moving Sound (聲動) performed concerts in Kaunas and Vilnius, while Taiwanese writer Wu Ming-Yi visited Lithuania as part of a conference organized in Vilnius from September 8 to 11 by the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations and the European Federation of Taiwanese Associations.

One of the most recent examples of cooperation in the arts is the unique collaboration between Lithuanian and Taiwanese photographers, which resulted in the photography exhibition “Taivanas 2+2,” held in multiple locations across Lithuania in 2024. That same year, an exhibition of Taiwanese ceramics was held at the Lithuanian National Museum of Art.

Literature

It is hard to imagine deepening mutual understanding without the influence of books. In this regard, we can observe significant breakthroughs, as well as ample potential for further development.

The first Lithuanian book dedicated solely to Taiwan was published in 2000, titled Kinijos Respublika Taivanis (The Republic of China Taiwan). It was written by Anta Filipsone, a lecturer at the University of Latvia, in collaboration with Giedrius Karsokas, a Lithuanian business manager, and was published through the initiative of the Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia. The book, based on an earlier publication in Latvian, provided essential information on Taiwan’s geography, population, economy, education, and more.

A different take on Taiwan was offered by Dr. Aurelijus Zykas, then an Associate Professor at Vytautas Magnus University and Head of the Centre for Asian Studies. In 2008, he published Raudonas ir žalias Taivanas (Red and Green Taiwan). This book takes readers on a journey through various locations in Taiwan, vividly narrating their history and culture through stories and colorful illustrations, while also sharing Dr. Zykas’ personal travel experiences and adventures.

The translation of Taiwanese literature into Lithuanian is still in its early stages, as Taiwanese authors remain relatively unknown, and few translators specialize in this field. A major milestone was reached in 2023 with the translation of Wang Ting-Kuo’s novel My Enemy’s Cherry Tree (敵人的櫻花), translated by Kristina Karvelytė and published by Sofoklis under the title Mano priešo sakura. It became the first Taiwanese authors’ book appearing in Lithuanian.

In Taiwan, the most prominent Lithuanian author is Kęstutis Kasparavičius, an internationally renowned illustrator and writer known for his uniquely styled children’s books. The Taiwanese publishing house Grimm Press discovered his work in the 1990s, and to date, more than a dozen of his books have been published in Chinese.

The most recent developments include books that introduce Lithuanian culture, traditions and various sightseeing locations to Taiwanese readers, such as More than Just Chocolate: Get to Know Lithuania (不只有巧克力 你想知道的立陶宛), released in 2022, and Step into Lithuania (走進立陶宛的世界), published in 2023. Additionally, there are books that delve deeper into Lithuania’s history, such as Beauty and Sorrow of the Baltics (波羅的海的美麗與哀愁：愛沙尼亞．拉脫維亞．立陶宛) and a translated work by Timothy Snyder, The Reconstruction of Nations.

Sources:

• Petras Urbaitis “Kinija – Azijos milžinas”, Lietuvių saleziečių leidinys, Roma, 1974
• Sidzikauskas’ memoirs printed in Dirva newspaper issue 1979-08-02
• Mūsų Pastogė newspaper issue 1966-11-28
• Lietuvių dienos newspaper issue 1967-01-15
• Tėviškės žiburiai newspaper issue 1974-08-15
• Extensions of Remarks issue 1974-08-16
• Various articles in Dirva and Tėviškės žiburiai newspapers issues from 1977-1979