By Danny Bloom
CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan– When ETTV reporter Claire Su [舒夢蘭] of Taiwan flew to Israel last June with a camera crew and producer in tow, she had no idea what to expect from her first visit to the Holy Land, but she returned to Taipei with fond memories of the people she met there and an hour-long news program that recently aired on national TV nationwide.
I caught the show when it aired the other day on TV here, but I was not looking for it specifically, and I had no idea it was going to be on that day. What happened was this: I was channel-surfing as usual on a Sunday afternoon, going from CNN to local variety shows, when I by complete chance switched over to ETTV, a 24-hour news Chinese-language news channel and suddenly began to see images of Israel on the screen, with a reporter speaking Chinese on camera. The TV reporter was talking to Israeli soldiers — male and female — and visiting a kibbutz farmer, attending a wedding, going the vegetable market in Jerusalem, walking along the beach in Tel Aviv, and I was glued to me television set because it’s not every day that a Taiwanese news show focuses on Israel.
Su interviewed a large number of ordinary Israelis who spoke on camera about their love and passion for their nation. The show was all in Chinese Mandarin, which is Greek to me, so this American reporter could not understand a word, except when Israeli citizens spoke English on camera, with Chinese subtitles. But it was an well-presented and positive news program about modern Israel, not a documentary per se, but more of a travelogue and extremely well done. I wanted to know more about how the show was put together and why the spotlight was on Israel.
I contacted Anna Shen, media and public affairs officer at the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, and told me that the program had been well-received by viewers in Taiwan and that a rerun is now scheduled as well, perhaps more than one time.
“Many viewers in Taiwan responded favorably to the news program, and it will be re-run again on the network,” Shen said. “The show was written and produced by the ETTV crew and reporter, but the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsored the camera crew and reporter’s stay in Israel in June and provided them with some guides as well.”
The Israeli trade office in Taipei is Israel’s ”defacto” government embassy in Taiwan, since communist China does not allow Israel to officially ”recognize” democratic Taiwan as a nation, which also applies to how the U.S. and most other Western nations must operate in Taiwan as well.
Simona Halperin, the Israeli trade office’s official representative, also made an appearance in the news program, speaking in English and explaining to viewers a few things about life in Israel from her perspective, and with subtitles identifying her by her government title.
With Claire Su visiting towns and cities all over Israel, from Haifa to Tel Aviv and including the streets of Jerusalem as well, the camera showed Taiwanese viewers pictures of an Israel they probably never saw before — a modern, bustling Israel full of interesting people and faces — and the show represented a different view of Israel than a nation at war (as most news headlines and photos usually show it to be).
In the ETTV program, part travelogue and part documentary, Israel was presented to Taiwanese viewers as a small but industrious nation, much like Taiwan is, and the televised images are certain to showcase a different side of the Holy Land to Taipei residents who have never really thought much about it before.
When asked if the Israel report represented her first visit to Israel, reporter Su told the San Diego Jewish World by email: “It was my first time to visit Israel. I’m a reporter and an anchor at ETTV station and have reported from many countries for my show, including nations in Asia, Europe and Africa — and even Antarctica once. So for me, nothing can really surprise me very much, but this trip to Israel really did.”
“I have to say that I admire the Israelis,” Su added, noting: “How they could re-build their own country after almost 2000 years, how they can remain a strong nation and win several wars against their neighbors, and how they have created so many new technologies. The trip in June really inspired me a lot, both as a person and as a news reporter.”
When asked how she felt Taiwanese viewers felt about the show, Su said: “A lot of ETTV viewers have told me me that finally, through our show, they understand better the reasons for the regional problems that beset the Middle East, and that now they want to visit Israel themselves to see what I saw. As a reporter, I was really glad to hear that and so happy to introduce Israel to my Taiwanese viewers.”
Su said that while some critics in her country criticize the local news media for its lack of international perspectives on global issues, she hopes that her Israel program, through video images and words, can help Taiwanese get a better understanding of Israel’s history, religion, the thoughts and feelings of its soldiers, male and female, as well as the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
“Many people told our station that our show on Israel was the best one they’ve ever seen in any Taiwanese TV network about the Middle East people,” Su added, noting: “I’m proud of bringing our audiences to as many corners of the world as possible, and without a doubt, our Israel show was well worth the effort and time we put into it.”
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Bloom is Taiwan bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at dan.bloom@sdjewishworld.com