Matinee Lecture - Denmark Oct.7, 2008


Denmark: Where Fairy Tales and Hi-Tech Meet
A Matinee Lecture by Mme. Sally Beardsley,
Wife of the Director of Trade Commission of Denmark, Taipei.

Fairy tales and hi-tech: what an enticing title and so appropriate for the world in which we live today. Don’t we all hold the dreams invoked by fairy tales in our hearts? Don’t we just love the imagination and the beauty of our favorite stories while secretly hoping the beast will always turn into the handsome prince? And yet we live in a world of cyber communication, and satellite TV where alternative sources of energy is the ‘buzz’ topic for research. Speaking of energy, did you turn your computer off before sitting down on your comfiest chair with some soft music in the background to read your WTT newsletter?

The conference room in the Foreign Services Institute was packed to hear Sally Beardsley cover all the above topics as she took us on a fascinating voyage through the beauty, magic and the hi-tech of her adopted country Denmark.

Denmark’s land mass is only slightly bigger than that of Taiwan but it is divided among over 400 islands. It is hardly surprising then that Denmark’s most well known fairy tale should be ‘The Little Mermaid’. Her small but beautiful statue sits pensively in the harbour of Copenhagen but, “just like tiny Denmark, her impact on the world is out of proportion to her size” as Sally led us on to discover while her slide show unfolded before us.

First we discovered the Danish love of good design where imagination and beauty are brought together to produce the most aesthetically pleasing but ultra modern furniture classics. Did I mention that comfy chair – what could be more comfy than the ‘Egg chair’ or more stylish the ‘China chair’? And that music playing in the background, how wonderful it would be if it came from one of Bang and Olufsen’s signature speaker systems the quintessence of pared down elegance and easy operation (even ingeniously magical as Sally revealed).

Beauty and elegance combined with practicality continued to be intertwined as Sally introduced us to Royal Copenhagen porcelain, Georg Jensen silverware, the Novo pen for easy insulin injection and the world wide children’s favorite (continuing of course Hans Christian Anderson’s tradition) the land of ‘Lego’.

We also discovered that Danes are the happiest people in the world according to a 2007 survey. Living in a democratic society where personal freedom and tolerance are highly valued may well be the secret. The Danes also boast a long line of monarchs who have in the past greatly contributed to architecture and today continue to be accessible and active in society.

Another secret of Danes happy life style may be the generous laws protecting the right of parental care during the early weeks of infanthood and the generous provision of nurseries and kindergartens later where care is clearly considered the responsibility and privilege of both women and men. Danes care for their children and as leaders in the field of wind power technology also look to provide for them a sustainable future.

Finally we looked at the closeness between Denmark and Taiwan, two small island nations with great hearts when it comes to giving and considerable worldwide impact when it comes to technology, both conserving a rich cultural heritage while fully participating in the high-tech world of today.

by Margaret Ledoux
Wife of the Representative of
European Economic and Trade Office, Taipei

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Feel Finland A Matinee Lecture by Mme. Christine Sitanggang-Seilonen, Wife of the Representative of the Finland Trade Center

Finnish people don’t look you into the eyes, they dislike small talk, they don’t interrupt you, - in fact, all they want is to be left alone. That’s their idea of politeness...

This is not exactly what the audience was told by Mrs. Christine Sitanggang-Seilonen, wife of the Representative of the Finland Trade Center, but it is nevertheless taken from a book which Mrs. Seilonen intended to present to the audience – and then simply forgot!

Here is another one, also taken from the book: Russia has Siberia, the U.S.A. has Alaska, and Europe has Finland!

You might start to wonder why I am doing this, making jokes about an often threatened country which seems to consist mainly of water, saunas and islands? And of five million despite their impossible language (nayttaa, naytattaa, nayttaytya, nayttaytyttaa) healthy and honest models of Human Rights? Who have set up Nokia (the fifth influential global brand), the best Trade Center in the world (rated by WTO), who hold first positions in that for many European countries fatal PISA report, whose blond -and thanks to a broad consent on education policy- well educated children rarely have to pass tests and not only therefore love and respect their teachers; a country that agrees on the idea of equality; that is home of winners like Kimi Raikkonen and his Ferrari, not to forget Sibelius and his melancholy, and also Lordi, the hard rock band; a country that is origin of that famous cool Nordic design (which to the ladies’ delight was on display in the hall) that gave us the Aalto vase to put our flowers in effortlessly and Iittala glasses that don’t go into the dishwasher....?

Let me tell you why I am doing this: WE OTHERS don’t have SISU. SISU could be roughly translated by “to have guts”. It does not mean courage or flexibility. It is the ability to finish the task and get things done, to sustain the same. It means strength of will, determination and perseverance which makes (Finnish) people act rationally in the face of adversity. As cold weather or hot saunas. We others probably cannot have it because SISU seems endogenous Finnish.

Therefore my suggestion for the organizing committee of Welcome to Taipei International Club: Could you, please, offer SISU classes?

by Hiltrud Boldt-Schiffer,
Wife of the Representative of Deutsches Institute