Taiwan is a fascinating place. In 1949, the Republic of China lost Mainland China in the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party of China and resettled its government in Taiwan. It brought not only its followers, but also a

“I am the most unhappy and miserable person in this world… my health will never improve, and in such despair, things will only become worse instead of better…” – Franz Schubert Austrian Composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) is enshrined as the

“… For two years I have avoided almost all social gatherings because it is impossible for me to say to people “I am deaf”. If I belonged to any other profession it would be easier, but in my profession it

Debussy La Mer (1905) Estampes (1903) Prélude à l’après midi d’un faune (1894) The works of the great Romantic musicians, painters and writers contributed not only to Impressionism, one of the most important artistic and cultural evolutions in the mid-

Beethoven Minuet in G Beethoven “Moonlight” Piano Sonata no.14, C sharp Minor Carl Maria von Weber Der Freischutz, J277 Schubert Winterreise, Op. 89, D. 911 The events during and following the French Revolution in 1789 represented not only a complete

Reflections on the Advanced Cultural Leadership Program I have always been called ‘an idealist’ – pursuing beauty in the world and striving for the brightest side of the human soul. Some of my friends said that it is almost impossible

“The One-Armed Swordsman” (Dubei dao “獨臂刀”) is an old Chinese film depicting the life of a swordsman of the Golden Sword School. During a ferocious fight, the swordsman’s right arm tragically gets cut off, ending his career as a swordsman.

In the middle of the 18th century the last shadows of the Baroque faded into the more intimate, colorful and pastoral Rococo period. All of the art forms, particularly those in painting and music, emphasize the “artificial” disguised as the