The (un)bearable lightness of Chineseness? – Taiwanese national identities and the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research examines the controversy caused by Taiwanese speedskater Yu-ting Huang at the Beijing Winter Olympics to analyze the concept of Chineseness on mass media in Taiwan. The videoclip of Huang wearing an outfit of the Chinese national team during training went viral on the social media. The incident triggered a series of chain reactions including her eventual suspension from the national team. However, Huang remained the flagbearer for the parade of nations representing Taiwan in the opening ceremony. The mixed messages were the microcosm of the complex between Taiwan and China and, more importantly, the problematic appropriation of the Chinese diaspora. While Taiwan and China are linguistically, ethnically, culturally proximate, and economically interdependent, Taiwan and China are also politically opposite and militarily hostile. Through Taiwan’s unique perspective, instead of China’s official and controlled channels, the concept of Chinese diaspora and the complex of the cross-strait relations can be further illuminated. While Chinese cultural heritage remains an integral part of Taiwanese identity, it is not an unquestionable and natural weight put on Taiwanese. It is via the narratives of sports that the contrast between Chinese and Taiwanese civil society is highlighted. The self-governing island since 1949 has grown its own unique identity. Chinese diaspora is thus becoming a concept that the island gradually growing out of from. While the construction of identity is always dynamic multi-directional, the dichotomic nature of sports differentiating “us” and “them” has become an indicative field for Taiwanese to construct a unique national identity vis-à-vis China.