Turtle Egg, Fire: Why Is the Taiwan Representative Office in France Called the Taipei Representative Office?

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. A few days ago, I participated in the "Art Reunion" event at the Taiwan Representative Office in France (the first time in nearly twenty years that I entered an embassy for an event). After the event, since the embassy had just been freshly painted, Ambassador Zhang invited everyone to the unveiling ceremony at the main gate. In front of the artists, he unveiled a red cloth to reveal a bronze archway inscribed with "Taipei Representative Office in France." We were all stunned; it was bizarre and disheartening, making it hard to believe my eyes. How can an embassy under our own Taiwan sovereignty not call out the name of our motherland, Taiwan? By extension, it seems that all representative offices of Taiwan around the world are named after "Taipei." To date, no ruling administration has shown responsibility. Taiwanese people have become ghost citizens. Please ask the Representative Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ruling party to give the people of Taiwan a clear answer.