Formosan Bear Guarding National Identity: Animal Diplomacy of Taiwan

The article is focused on the key aspect of Taiwan’s “animal diplomacy” – the international promotion of the image of Taiwan’s unofficial national animal, the Formosan black bear. The article analyzes the origins of the bear’s perception as a symbol of the island. It explores the significance of the bear in ancient Chinese tradition and the culture of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. The author examines the use of Formosan black bear’s image in the spheres of marketing, propaganda and “animal diplomacy” of Taipei. Cases of well-known brands OhBear, Hero, and Bravo are covered. The role of the Formosan black bear within Taipei’s information discourse and foreign policy activities is analyzed. Special attention is paid to Taiwanese propaganda, particularly political cartoons and Internet memes. To assess the effectiveness of the Formosan black bear promotion, the author conducts a quantitative content analysis. The analysis demonstrates that the Formosan bear is primarily regarded as a symbol of Taiwan mainly within local media discourse, while international audience rarely associates Taiwan with this animal. The author concludes that the image of the Formosan black bear is effectively used when engaging with domestic audience: it is perceived as a symbol of Taiwan’s democratic regime and the distinctive national identity of its residents. However, this image has limited circulation in international media discourse. The promotion of this image has not demonstrated the same effectiveness as China’s “panda diplomacy”. In the future, the image might gain greater popularity abroad as a symbol of the island of Taiwan.