Taiwan’s tourism bureau says that there was nothing “inappropriate” about showing a busload of Chinese tourists a British-made documentary about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
The comments were in response to a complaint from a tour group that visited Taiwan in August. The Hebei Overseas International Travel Service Co. Ltd. requested that Taiwanese tour buses be banned from showing what it called “anti-PRC” documentaries, and that tour guides also be prevented from expressing those viewpoints.
An investigation by the Taiwan tourism bureau found that only one tourist had expressed dissatisfaction with the documentary. He said the viewpoints expressed were different from his own understanding of “Chairman Mao.” When the tour guide asked what the other tourists thought, they said they were willing to continue watching the movie.
The tourism bureau said that tour buses can show films on board as long as they do not infringe upon copyrights or moral standards.
The bureau said that Taiwan is a free and democratic nation, and that visitors to Taiwan should not only follow the local laws, they need to respect the expression of different opinions and ideas.