The Lithuanian Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas city sponsored, in collaboration with 2017 Taiwan Study Project, the Seminar of "Civil Society in East Asian Countries", with the theme of "Contributions to Democracy, Peace and Sustainable Development " on October 26th and 27th, 2017.
A dozen of outstanding scholars from United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, and Taiwan made presentations on an array of topics of civil society in Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan respectively. Issues focused on the role of civil society in East Asian countries and the key features that make democracy and peaceful, sustainable development a viable policy in the area were widely discussed.
On Taiwan section, Professor Li-hsuan Cheng from National Cheng Chi University made a keynote speech on "The dual roles of social capital in emerging democracies: a reflection from the Taiwanese experience"; elaborating the active and important role of Taiwan's non-governmental organizations in the process of democratization. And Professor Chun-yi Lee from University of Nottingham presented a paper of "Learning from Taiwan's lesson? The comparison of changes and continuity of labor policies and grass-root labor organizations in Taiwan and China", depicting the correlation of labor movement and elections in Taiwan.
Traditional puppets of the well-known figures Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Chang Fei from the Romance of Three Kingdoms and God Imitation (Ban Shian) figures of Three Stars from Taiwanese folk opera were displayed at the entrance of the seminar hall, attracting many audience during the event.
Professor Chun-yi Lee from University of Nottingham making a presentation
Figures of Three Stars from Taiwanese folk opera on display
