Yang Chih-yuan (painter)
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Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵) created a diplomatic incident in 2004 when his painting won a contest to be featured on United Nations stamps to be issued to celebrate the International Day of Peace. Yang, 13 years old at the time, entered the contest sponsored by Lions Club International with a poster dipicting "contrast between war and peace with images of tanks and doves".[1]
The UN first announced that Yang's poster had been selected to be put on a stamp. However, it later said that Yang's poster would not be used. Media reports in Taiwan, the government of Taiwan, and the Taiwan Lions Club believed the decision to not use the poster was the result of pressure from China because the student's painting contained an image of Flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The UN claimed that its initial announcement that Yang's poster would be used was simply a mistake.[2] Critics of the United Nations move claimed that the rejection of the student's painting on purely political grounds did not reflect the ideals of the International Day of Peace.
The government of Taiwan later issued a stamp containing the image. [3]
[edit] References
- ^ "News Release: President Chen Receives the Painter of International Day of Peace Stamp Yang Chih-yuan", Office of the President, Republic of China.
- ^ "Row erupts over local boy's stamp design", Taipei Times.
- ^ "Chunghwa Post announces intent to use student art", Taipei Times.
