Aesthetic Diplomacy —Republic of China

Function Scenario: Opening Ceremony of MOFA Office Building
Venue: MOFA Banquet Hall, 5th floor
Date: August 1971

Advanced Communication Series—Special Occasion Speeches, Project 2 Speaking in Praise

ROC Foreign Minister's opening address on Aesthetic Diplomacy —Republic of China!

Vice Premier Chiang, Chairman Chen, Ambassador McConaughy, Distinguished Ambassadors, Ladies and gentlemen, Good Afternoon!

Welcome to the Opening Ceremony of MOFA Office Building, Republic of China!

It is a big day for MOFA today as MOFA has a new home, designed and built by the most prominent architect in the Republic of China, Architect Wang Da-hong.

I'd first like to express the heartfelt appreciation to US Government and Taiwan Province for providing the precious land in adjacent to the Presidential Hall and the Taipei Guest House.

I'd like to thank Architect Wang for agreeing to build MOFA office within a short notice. Wang won the design competition of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in 1965. During his tight schedule in building the national hall representing the father of our nation and his spirit of revolution, he completed MOFA office building in 14 month.

Mr. Wang was born in Beijing in 1917, son of celebrated law expert Wang Chung-hui, the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China. Mr. Wang was bought up by his grandmother in Suzhou. At age of 12, He went to high school in Switzerland where Spartan education was applied.

After graduating from Architecture Department in Cambridge in 1939, Mr. Wang continued his studies at Harvard where he and Ieoh Ming Pei were students of first generation architect Walter Gropius who taught them about modernism.

Wang opened a joint architect firm in Shanghai in 1947. He moved to Taipei in 1952. Wang holds very specific aesthetic views. He applies strict spatial rules. He believes less is more. With Wang's Suzhou background, he introduced interesting Chinese elements to functionalist modern buildings in the Republic of China.

MOFA office building was commissioned to Mr. Wang in 1969 with the theme of simplicity and modesty. Mr. Wang applied his aesthetic diplomacy in the symmetrical structure with two arms standing forward to embrace friendship from all over the world and to reinforce the image of stability of the Republic of China. The white walls of small mosaic tiles give MOFA a taste of dignity and solemnity.

Wang is an architect of arts, music, literature. He wrote his English novel Phantasmagoria when he studied at Harvard University. He translated Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" into Chinese, changed the scene from high society in London in late 19th century to that in Taipei in the middle of 20th century. Wang considered it an opportunity to hone his language skills in Mandarin. What a diligent and outstanding architect in pursuit of perfectionism.

My fellow diplomats colleagues, with the completion of MOFA office building, we can work in an elegant office with beautiful rectangular windows in odd numbers of 3 and 5 signifying the scrolls of Chinese paintings. Enjoy the fresh air and practice Tai chi during the coffee break at MOFA atrium gardens. Mr. Kissinger met Mr. Zhou last month. The Republic of China is losing the security council seat at United Nations any moment. Let's embrace the tremendous challenges held in store for us. Let's stay modest and proud by serving our country to the best of our abilities. No matter how strong the storm we shall face, we have faith in the fate of our country.

Allow me to propose a Toast to aesthetic diplomacy of Republic of China!

Long live the Republic of China!

Reference:
June 30, 1971 President Nixon spoke by phone with Walter McConaughy, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Taiwan. Nixon told McConaughy to, "Just say that we, that our—as far as the Republic of China is concerned that we have—we know who our friends are. And we are continuing to continue our close, friendly relations with them." Nixon explained that the U.S. would not support throwing Taiwan out of the United Nations, but he said there was no way to prevent Taiwan from losing the Security Council seat.
At the same time, Nixon stressed, "But we must have in mind, and they must be prepared for the fact, that there will continue to be a step-by-step, a more normal relationship with the other—the Chinese mainland. Because our interests require it. Not because we love them, but because they're there." Nixon noted the Taiwan government had just sent a nice wedding gift for his daughter. He said that if he were in their situation, he wouldn't worry about staying in the UN: "I would just say the hell with the UN. What is it anyway? It's a damn debating society. What good does it do?" Nixon went on to say that the Chinese, if they had a decent system of government, would be an economic powerhouse. (State Department, Office of the Historian)

Time magazine, July 26, 1971

National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger met with Premier Zhou. On July 15, 1971