Nanzhuang Junior High School hangs banner reading "Xijiu Enters Taiwan, China" - Chinese-funded donation, principal and inspector pose for photo

April 22 is World Earth Day. Miaoli County's Nanzhuang Junior High School chose this day to hold a nutritional lunch donation ceremony and a "One Day Plant-Based Meal to Love the Earth" event. Unexpectedly, a photo from that day's event sparked a series of controversies in the local area.

"Jiuzhou Shengping Culture Media Co., Ltd." from China, through the introduction of Huang Jinyuan, chairman of Shitoushan Quanhua Temple, donated 600,000 yuan to provide free nutritional lunches for Nanzhuang Junior High School. After the donation ceremony ended, everyone posed for a group photo at the school gate holding a red banner printed with "Xijiu with Sentiment Enters the Treasure Island of Taiwan."

The matter gradually fermented locally, with many residents discussing it. Some believed that Nanzhuang Junior High School is an educational institution and should not cooperate with entrepreneurs to take photos for alcohol promotion. Others defended the school, saying that if an enterprise both donates money and requests a group photo at the same time, it would be hard for the school to refuse. Jiang Zhenrong, an inspector from the Miaoli County Education Bureau who appears in the photo, specifically clarified that he did not know the content of the banner when the photo was taken, and he believed that "this kind of photo is very inappropriate."

Nutritional lunch shortfall of 300,000 yuan per semester; Chinese enterprise generously donates a full year's worth in one go

Nanzhuang Junior High School principal Zhan Jixiang stated that due to Miaoli County Government's financial difficulties, school nutritional lunch subsidies were canceled in the 105th academic year (2016), and parents were required to pay the full amount themselves, an extra 4,360 yuan per semester. Nanzhuang Junior High School has 183 students in total, nearly half of whom are from indigenous families that previously received government subsidies. Since the cancellation in the 105th academic year (2016), after deducting low-income households, poor families, and families that suffered sudden changes who can receive full government subsidies, the school's nutritional lunch shortfall averages 300,000 yuan per semester.

After learning of Nanzhuang Junior High School's difficulties, Huang Jinyuan, a first-generation alumnus and chairman of Nanzhuang Shitoushan Quanhua Temple, donated a total of 1.2 million yuan to Nanzhuang Junior High School for two consecutive years (four semesters) in the 105th and 106th academic years (2016 and 2017). However, due to a decrease in incense money in recent years, plus the need for additional construction and maintenance of the temple's hardware facilities, Shitoushan Quanhua Temple did not continue donating to the school.

Principal Zhan Jixiang further explained that he does not know Hou Jiangshan, chairman of Jiuzhou Shengping, and only knows that Hou Jiangshan went to Shitoushan to offer incense and visit Chairman Huang Jinyuan, expressing a desire to donate money to the temple for merit. Huang Jinyuan took the opportunity to redirect this money to Nanzhuang Junior High School, directly funding a full year of nutritional lunch expenses.

Principal Zhan emphasized that recent social media posts have indeed brought trouble to the school, but his focus is on the aspects of children truly benefiting and parents' financial pressure being eased.

Local figures: The Ministry of Education should be vigilant and inventory the presence of Chinese capital in schools at all levels

In response, some local figures said privately that although they could not bear to be too harsh on the school, they were also deeply worried: "Is Miaoli really this poor? Has it come to this? If we don't pay attention in the future, Chinese capital will absolutely fool the foolish Taiwanese people!"

If the Ministry of Education is sincere and vigilant, it should quickly inventory, for schools at all levels, the flow and use of Chinese capital, as well as the degree of cross-strait exchanges in the education sector. Otherwise, Chinese enterprises using money to boil frogs in warm water on campuses, even if they fill students' stomachs, what may ultimately be sacrificed is very likely a democratic and free way of life.