Interview with Professor Yin Hongbiao, Department of International Affairs, Peking University, P.R.C.

“Young people across the Straits should have more interactions and exchanges”, says Prof. Yin Hongbiao from Peking University, who is currently on a short term visit to Sun -Yat Sen School of International Studies in NCCU. Prof. Yin Hongbiao is deeply interested in Chinese politics, Chinese history, Taiwan and Macau’s relations. He is a renowned scholar with in depth knowledge on the Cultural Revolution of China. He has spent considerable number of years researching about modern Chinese history.

He came here in September. He says that he feels at home in our university. When asked about the difference between Beijing and Taipei, he says that the way of life is very similar to Beijing. “Taiwanese people are very friendly and easy to move with”, says Prof. Yin with a deeply contended look. Talking about Peking University, he says that it has a bigger campus compared to NCCU and it has more bicycles. “Peking University’s campus surrounding is quieter”, he says,” but the students here are more polite”.

He has some complaints too…He generally feels that Taiwan’s students are not very much interested in China. He thinks that knowing about China is very important for the students. China is big and has considerable affairs in the world affairs. It is also developing fast and is poised to become a major power in the region. “Taiwan’s students should show more interest on China and learn more about the evolving situations” says Prof. Yin.

He says that it is the young students who could make the difference in building a relationship characterized by friendship and understanding. There should also be a conscious effort from both sides to enhance the interactions among the younger population. A policy to nurture knowledge and understanding of each other will help build a peaceful future.

He thinks that the Exchanges Programs among the scholars, which is being done just for the third time now, is very useful and should be more frequent. He strongly believes in the capabilities of the young people. He believes that the young people are least affected by governmental policies and they can think very clearly with an open mind. He says, “I believe young people don’t think about politics…they always have an open mind that is very important in dealing with complex issues that affect our relations”. He calls for increased interactions among the young people to ensure a peaceful and bright future.

(Reported by: Sun Chu-Chun, Translated by Alagu)