Cover

Is the view of Sino-American relations from Taipei and Washington the same? (design by Walter Shih, photo by Vincent Chang)

Editor's Note

This issue has a particularly large number of overseas reports. Two groups of Sinorama reporters recently went to the U. S. May is the pleasantest month in Washington, D. C., and the time when Twin Oaks is loveliest. The reopening of Twin Oaks and the progress in Sino-American relations achieved by ROC Representative to the U. S. Fredrick Chien are subjects of concern to everyone and the focus of this month's cover story. July 4th is the occasion for a long weekend in the U. S., a weekend which some 1,300 Chinese sacrificed to attend the Chinese-American Academic and Professional Convention in Houston and make suggestions for the ROC's national development. We've brought back a lively, on-scene report. Time, Newsweek, and other major news organs in the U. S. have recently reported on two celebrated Chinese: Paul C. W. Chu and Nien Cheng. Sinorama's face-to-face interviews with them in Houston and Washington are carried as the first reports in a new series on "Chinese in the Spotlight." "The Walled City of Kowloon" concludes our series on Hong Kong, but our overseas reports will continue with future articles on Chinese society in the U. S. For a Sinorama editor, one of the most exciting aspects of going overseas for a report is the chance to meet with our readers. In addition to overseas Chinese, we also met the co-pilot of a small 16-passenger plane we were taking to Washington who was excited to find out we were from Sinorama. He told us that his father had just returned from the the Lions Club convention in Taipei and said, "Taiwan's great!"

Sino-American Relations Viewed from Both Sides

"His son's studying overseas" "These goods will be sold overseas." "Do you like Chinese or foreign movies?" There are 174 countries in the world, but when Chinese people talk about "foreign" and "overseas," nine times out of ten they mean the U. S. The United States is our most important ally, our largest market, and the home of many of our most talented people, yet the results of a survey released this April by the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission revealed that public satisfaction with Sino-American relations is declining. At the end of June, John H. Chang, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' deputy director of North American affairs, stated in a public speech that U. S.-R. O. C. reltions are "friendly and close," the best they have been in the past ten years. Just what is the current state of relations? What does Fredrick Chien, on the front line of contacts between the two countries as the ROC's representative to the U. S., have to say about them? And how has the public felt about them over the years?

Twin Oaks Reopened

"He works in the office during the day and at Twin Oaks in the evening," says T'ien Ling-ling of her husband, Fredrick F. Chien, the ROC's representative to the U. S. Besides revealing the toil of working in the foreign service, her words also indicate the intimate ties between Twin Oaks and Sino-American diplomacy. Twin Oaks, a symbol of Sino-American relations, has been the residence of nine Chinese ambassadors since 1937: Wang Cheng-t'ing, Hu Shih, Wei Tao-ming, Ku Wei-chun, Tung Hsien-kuang, Yeh Kung-ch'ao, Chiang T'ing-fu, Chou Shu-k'ai and James C. H. Shen. On December 31, 1978, after the U. S. and the ROC severed diplomatic ties, Twin Oaks closed its doors. Yang Hsi-k'un, in charge of the flag-lowering ceremony, solemnly vowed to his companions at the scene: "We will return." Two thousand and eighty-three days later, his vow was finally fulfilled. On September 13, 1984, Twin Oaks reopened. When relations were broken in 1978, James Shen, the ambassador at the time, was given fifteen days to close down the residence and clear out. He quickly sold Twin Oaks for a nominal fee to the Association of Friends of Free China, frustrating the calculations of the Chinese Communists to take it over. The association, a private organization, was unable to bear the costs of maintaining the estate, however, and it fell into disrepair. During the Carter administration, the U. S. was not anxious for us to buy back the property, and it was not until September 1982 that Twin Oaks, through normal legal channels, was transferred to the Coordination Council for North American Affairs, the organization which represents the ROC in the U. S. After Representative Chien arrived in the U. S. in January 1983, he actively worked on restoring the estate, which required nine months and a cost of US$500,000. The ground floor is decorated in Chinese style, with carved wooden furniture, calligraphy scrolls, and antiques, while the upstairs is completely Western, with sofas and fireplaces. "We've tried to maintain a balance of trade even in the interior decoration," Mrs. Chien quips to visitors. The estate is assessed by the city government at a value of US$5.05 million and by real estate brokers at about US$9 million, a figure 26 times higher than the US$350,000 that the Chinese government originally paid for it. The appreciation is due to its historical value and architectural distinction as well as to its location in a prime residential area. Twin Oaks has been listed by the city government as a historic building. Built in 1888 as an example of Georgian Revival architecture, Twin Oaks was originally the summer home of Gardiner Greene Hubbard, the founder of National Geographic magazine. The grounds cover 19.5 acres, larger than those of the White House, while the building itself has 26 rooms and can entertain 200 people. As the residence of the Chinese ambassador, Twin Oaks was once renowned in Washington diplomatic circles for its banquets and social gatherings. Today, the U. S. and the ROC have a common under standing that it will not be used for activities incompatible with the status of the two countries' relations: for "official," "governmental" events, that is. Based on this principle, Twin Oaks may not be used as the residence or office of the ROC's representative to the U. S. or for National Day festivities but only for cultural, economic, social, and similar purposes. At present, besides being a major location for Representative Chien to entertain guests, it is often used to hold teas or dinners to raise money for public interest groups or charitable organizations. It hosts guests once every two days on average. Because of the number of visitors, Mrs. Chien has a special "homework assignment"keeping photographs from each function and writing the names of the guests on them so she can greet them by name the next time they visit and make them feel more at home. She also records the courses that were served at dinner so they can sample a different style of Chinese cuisine on their next visit. To save expenses, Twin Oaks employs just one grounds keeper, two guards, and a chef, who also cooks for the Chiens. To prepare for a big banquet the next day, all four sometimes pitch in to peel shrimp or shuck peas the night before. And when the chandeliers light up and the guests arrive, as Mr. and Mrs. Chien shake hands, show them the antiques inside, and chat about Chinese history, while the conversation turns to the current state of the Republic of China. . . . Twin Oaks once again plays its traditional role in Sino-American affairs. Twin Oaks has reopened; now how about diplomatic relations?( Chrissie Lu/photos by Vincent Chang/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

What Can and Can't Be Talked About --An Interview with Representative Fredrick F. Chien

In early 1983, Fredrick F. Chien, the Republic of China's representative to the United States, went to Washington determined to improve U. S.-ROC relations. That time was a difficult one for the ROC diplomatically, less than five months after the U. S. government and the Chinese Communists announced their "second Shanghai communique." In the four and a half years since then, Representative Chien has been an active presence on the Washington scene and earned a great deal of praise for his performance. To get his message across, Dr. Chien has established friendships with both liberals and conservatives and has visited 39 states during the 1,500 days that he has been in the U. S., responding to 163 formal invitations to speak. Dinners and receptions are daily events at his residence, and he regularly lunches at the House and Senate dining rooms on Capitol Hill to make friends and discuss problems with congressmen. To avoid being too "ostentatious" and incurring unnecessary harassment from the Chinese Communists, he must sometimes "cautiously turn down sensitive invitations," as he once put it in an interview. Examples of his boundless energy are numerous. For instance, even in the depth of winter, one aide quipped, "Representative Chien's car doesn't need to be warmed up, because his engine is always running." His appointment calendar is set out not in days or hours but in half hours. And he often sighs with regret: "Washington is so big that it takes an hour round trip to go anywhere." Wei Yung, chairman of the ROC's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, was deeply impressed by a speech he once heard Dr. Chien make in New York: "He talks about economic problems, the trade balance, and even the U. S. budget deficit as intelligently as any professionally trained economist." "In making a friend, you've got to talk about what interests him first. Once he's accepted you, then he'll gradually be willing to accept your ideas," Dr. Chien says. Based on this concept, he has hit the road and made the rounds, doing what he calls "building good will." As a result, when the media this May reported a poll as saying that Sino-American relations were one of the top two areas of government performance that the public was least satisfied with (an impression which involved some misunderstanding, as described in this issue's "Sino-American Relations in the Eye of the Public"), Dr. Chien, who has always been extremely demanding of himself, was deeply distressed. The following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Chien regarding ROC-U. S. relations. Q: Please evaluate the state of Sino-American relations today. A: I think that the development of U. S.-ROC relations is in general quite satisfactory at present. Both political parties agree that the political stability and the economic prosperity of the ROC are beneficial to the U. S. and support the Taiwan Relations Act. But, as of today, all the things in Sino-American relations that are good for us, practically without exception, can't be discussed, and the things that are bad are the ones that everyone sees. This is one of the most thankless tasks in the world, but somebody's got to do it, and I'll keep on bearing the cross. Q: Because the U. S. has official relations with the Communists, advances in substantive relations with the ROC can't be made public, but doesn't this have an effect on the way our people think about the U. S.? A: Absolutely. And what concerns me is that I can feel the growth of a potential emotionI won't say anti-Americanismbut a dissatisfaction at least, a dissatisfaction with the beer, wine, and cigarette talks, a dissatisfaction with the appreciation of the NT dollar. Q: The good things can't be talked about, and the news we see in the media is all about the U. S. "exerting pressure." Under these circumstances, how can the Chinese public make a correct assessment of U. S.-ROC relations? A: First, I have to ask the public to trust us, and then for the news media not to play up certain news items as though the U. S. were bullying us. Actually, economically, we're the ones doing the bullying. A lot of people think that the U. S. is the richest and strongest nation in the world, and if we make a little money from them, what's the difference? This idea may have been all right ten or twenty years ago, but if you tell this to an American today he'll think you're making fun of him, because the U. S. economy really is in trouble. The biggest reason why the American people are upset is because of their trade deficit in the manufacturing industries. What everyone sees are the factory closings. U. S. service industries, such as transportation, insurance, banking, and satellite communications, have a trade surplus, but no one sees that. Q: Isn't that a little unfairespecially for those developing countries in which manufacturing industries are still more important than service industries? A: No country has accurate statistics on service industries. In fact, statistics are not completely accurate even for manufacturing industries. We calculated our trade surplus with the U. S. last year at US$13.5 billion, while the U. S. Department of Commerce figures were US$15.7 billion. Q: What problems are the U. S.-ROC trade talks concentrated on at present? A: Basically, the U. S. understands that a person under three feet tall can't eat the same amount as a seven-foot giant: the Taiwan and the American markets are vastly different and an absolute trade balance is impossible. What they're unhappy about are tariff and nontariff barriers to the sale of U. S. products in Taiwan. Two and a half years ago, President Chiang clearly indicated that our economy would move toward liberalization and internationalization, but unfortunately we haven't been moving fast enough. Besides discussions on tariff and nontariff barriers, a third subject of the talks is counterfeiting and the protection of intellectual property. In this area, the situation has improved, and the U. S. recognizes our efforts. The fourth subject is our purchases from the U. S. They feel that many times we don't like to buy American. I explained to them that the ROC, like the U. S., is a free economy, and the government can't tell its people which country's goods they must buy. All the government can do is to set an example, and in this respect we're making efforts. Next is the exchange rate of the NT dollar, which has appreciated faster than the currencies of all but a few countries in the world, and lastly our foreign exchange reserves, which they believe we should invest in the U. S. Our government is moving forward on all these points, but the Americans are more impatient than we are. Q: To reduce the trade imbalance, we've worked at lowering tariffs, opening imports, and revaluing the NT dollar. How satisfied is the U. S.? A: They're happiest about the protection of intellectual property. Besides this, the government is working on eliminating tariff and nontariff barriers and on buying more from the U. S. The real problem is the exchange rate, because our foreign exchange reserves really are too high. We really have been making a lot of efforts to reduce the trade imbalancemuch more, in my view, than South Korea has, for example. But the U. S. often praises Korea because in Korea the government has strong control over the economy. Their vice premier announced this May that their 1987 trade surplus would in no way exceed the 1986 level. Now we have a free economy where the exporters are private enterprises; no one in the government can make that kind of statement. But one word from South Korea is more useful than all the efforts I've just mentioned. Just one word. Q: It's apparent from what you say that you know a lot about the U. S. You spend a lot of time studying American affairs, don't you? A: Americans basically don't understand much about foreign affairs, and they're not interested in doing so. So if you sit down with them and tell them how important the ROC is and what its strategic value is, in three minutes they'll stop listening. To attract them, you've got to talk to them about the things they're interested in first. Only when they find out that you have something useful to say to them will they be willing to talk to you and believe what you have to say. Then you can tell them a little about the ROC "by the way." Q: How can we establish a long-term friendship with the U. S.? A: Establishing a long-term friendship requires working at building up good will. Among the 120 and some consulates in Washington, D. C., few are more active than we are. In the past we made friends mainly with conservatives; today it's with anyone, especially the main stream. Frankly, if we'd made those friends twenty years ago, our relations would probably be a different story today. In addition, almost all the think tanks in Washington have close contact with us. These are the people from which future administrations will pick their secretaries and undersecretaries of state. . . . Building up good will means this kind of work. Q: Finally, would you please discuss what things you have found most satisfying and most disappointing in your four and half years as representative to the U. S.? A: It's difficult for me to say that I've found anything satisfying, partly because I'm very strict with myself and partly because the public's evaluation of Sino-American relations is so low. If I really had to say what was satisfying it would be my staff, who have worked so hard under difficult circumstances. And that my compatriots at home have not given them the encouragement that they deserve has been my greatest disappointment.( Chrissie Lu/photos by Vincent Chang/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Sino-American Relations in the Eyes of the Public

How does the public evaluate U. S.-ROC relations? Is it really second among areas of government performance with which the public is least satisfied? That was said to be the resultquoted by Fredrick F. Chien, the ROC's represen-tative to the U. S., and given wide coverage in the news mediafrom a public opinion poll conducted by the Executive Yuan's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission. But when we asked the RDEC to verify it for us, Commission Chairman Wei Yung indicated that "some things needed to be said." Q: Please discuss the background of this poll and its conclusions. A: The poll is a survey of the degree of voter satisfaction with government performance. We've conducted it after elections seven times since 1978. The poll that Representative Chien referred to was held at the end of December last year, the results of which were announced at a press conference on April 17th. What I especially want to make clear is that U. S.-ROC relations were not second from the bottom in terms of voter dissatisfaction; the order actually was "environmental protection," "food safety regulation," "social welfare," and then "Sino-American relations" and "international standing." (See Table 1.)Q: Be that as it may, voter satisfication with "Sino-American relations" did drop when compared with the previous poll. A: That's true; however, voter satisfication with government performance declined overall and not only with regard to Sino-American relations. Whether this dissatisfaction was caused by substantive government actions or by a raising of expectations requires further analysis. Generally, after the rise of a middle class, a society's expectations of its government are raised, so that the public of an advanced democratic nation is often evenly divided in its satisfaction with government performance, and a seventy or eighty percent satisfaction rate like some of ours is no longer easily attained. As to satisfaction with "international standing," we've surveyed that six times and the curve has continued to decline. "Sino-American relations" has been recorded five times, and has gone both up and down. (See Table 2.)Q: Can you analyze for us why satisfaction with Sino-American relations has had its ups and downs? A: The reasons are complex, but in general the climb in satisfaction through 1985 may be related to a couple of factors: one would be the efforts made by Representative Chien after taking office in 1983, and another would be the stable period that relations entered after 1983, which was viewed rather positively by the media. The decline after 1985 may be due to pressures put on us with the beer, wine, and cigarette talks, trade protectionism, the appreciation of the NT dollar, and other problems. These pressures, widely reported by the media, created a mistaken impression with the public that this is the whole story to U. S.-ROC relations. Q: Do the media have a large influence on the public's satisfaction with Sino-American relations? A: Absolutely. We can experience domestic problems ourselves, but information on overseas problems must come from the media. The media's reports are heavily slanted toward trade talks, and the public just isn't made aware of our U. S. office's efforts and accomplishments. Also, our survey wasn't directed especially at "Sino-American relations," so we didn't ask just where the source of the dissatisfaction lay: basic policy, the Taiwan Relations, Act, trade, military sales, visas, or what. So I don't think that Representative Chien and his colleagues at the Coordination Council for North American Affairs should equate the public's dissatisfaction with Sino-American relations with an evaluation of the council's work. Q: What relation do you think public opinion should have on the conduct of foreign policy? A: The political scientist Harold Nicolson once said that the view of the public, and of most politicians, toward relations between states is generally impressionistic and easily mistaken. So foreign affairs should be handled by foreign affairs experts. Foreign affairs officers are answerable to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and he in turn is a member of the Cabinet, whose policies are answerable to the people's elected representatives. Expressions of concern about the conduct of foreign affairs belong in the National Assembly. Q: What differences in satisfaction toward "international standing" and "Sino-American relations" are there among voters with different backgrounds? A: People with higher levels of education, higher incomes, higher social standing, and better occupations generally express more support for the government. However, in the case of "international standing" and "Sino-American relations," it's exactly the opposite. In addition to understanding the reasons for this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should strengthen its communication with the educated public. Four years ago, I mentioned that foreign affairs problems would become domestic affairs problems and affect the public's overall satisfaction with government performance. It's a matter that deserves thought.( Chrissie Lu/photo by Chung Yung-ho/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Against Free Trade--In Wild Animals

Today, as transportation among countries around the world grows increasingly convenient and international trade ever greater, one kind of trade is more and more strictly restricted. This May the World Wildlife Fund formally mandated the ROC's Society for Wildlife and Nature to serve as an "ecological policeman" for the Asian areato supervise and record illegal trafficking in wildlife, particularly animals, and to take action to stop it or to notify the fund so that it may adopt countermeasures of its own. The World Wildlife Fund, whose membership includes scientists, zoologists, ecologists, and environmentally concerned people from around the world, has a 26-year history and an influence of global proportions. The fund has rescued some thirty or forty species of wild animals from extinction and has facilitated the establishment of nearly 300 national parks around the world. Under the WWF is an organization called TRAFFIC (Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce) which is specially charged with suppressing illegal trade in wildlife and which has branches distributed in strategic locations on every continent. The organization's Asian head-quarters is in Japan. The ROC is the second Asian country after Japan to be asked to serve as an ecological policeman. Why were we picked? Some people think it's like making the naughtiest pupils in class monitors. Japan is the largest trafficker in illegal animal trade in Asia, and since Singapore clamped down on illegal wildlife trade last year, a lot of business has been funneled to Taiwan. However, many environmentalists believe that the ROC's positive efforts in recent yearsits continuing ecological research, its taking the initiative to make contacts with international conservation organizations, and other stepshave also been an important reason. Two years ago, Great Britain's Prince Philip, head of the WWF, commended the R. O. C.for its efforts. Local conservation groups have long been supplying TRAFFIC with information on wild life transshipments, and the ROC's ongoing conservation work has also produced a favorable impression. One major reason for the improved image, according to Chang Feng-hsu, minister of state in the Executive Yuan, is the ROC's prohibition two years ago of the importation of rhinoceroses and rhinoceros horns, a prized ingredient in certain Chinese medicines. Rhinos have declined in number by seventy percent in the past decade, and have been internationally designated as a protected animal. The ROC also prohibited the importation of tigers and three other endangered animals, and restricted the importation of Chinese medicine containing rhino horns, tiger bones, and other ingredients. International trade in wildlife has been going on for centuries. During the Dutch occupation of Taiwan, over 100,000 pelts of Formosan sika, or "plum-blossom deer," were exported a year. Today the animals are facing extinction. Wildlife trade soared in the 1960's. During that decade around 10 million crocodile hides were sold each year; the U. S. imported nearly 160,000 tiger and leopard skins in 1967; and in 1972 Kenya exported 150 tons of elephant tusks. The monetary figures are equally astounding. U. S. trade in wildlife in 198l reached nearly US$1 billion; one South American puma skin fetches as much as US$40,000 in West Germany; and an ounce of rhino horn may be more expensive than an ounce of gold in many Oriental medicine shops. The result has been the gradual disappearance of wildlife around the world. Experts have estimated that 2,000 species of wild animals will become extinct by the year 2000, and flowering plants will decline in number by one-fourth. It was facing this scenario that 21 nations in 1973 signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to establish regulations for international trade in endangered wildlife. Ninety-six countries have joined the organization to date. CITES classifies protected wildlife into three categories. It prohibits all trade in first-category wildlife, controls trade in the second category by quota, and allows trade in the third category provided the importing and exporting countries have each granted a permit. The Board of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Economic Affairs has been charged with the responsibility for reviewing permit applications in the ROCThere are currently four or five large companies engaged in the animal trade on Taiwan and numerous smaller firms which import or export tropical fish, birds, ivory, or stuffed animals. In the past the companies have used loopholes in the regulations to carry on trade in restricted species. But this March the government implemented new regulations designed to close the loopholes and crack down on offenders. Since then, the responsible agencies have been facing pressure from domestic traders demanding that they be allowed a grace period to adjust to the new system. And some dealers ask, "Formosan sikas long ago disappeared in the wild, but now that many are bred and raised, why can't they be exported?" "Animal dealers must understand that trade in plants and animals is getting more and more difficult all over the world," says Wu Kuan ts'ung, of the Council of Agriculture's Resources Conservation Division. For many undeveloped, impoverished regions, wild animals are a source of foreign income, and prohibiting their export is indeed difficult. For example, even though ivory-producing countries have established a quota of twenty tons a year, trafficking on the black market far exceeds that figure, with most of the profit going into the pockets of middlemen. The driving force behind all the trade is, of course, the consumer. At an ecological protection seminar held in Taipei this year, one speaker showed a slide of a pair of feet in elegant snakeskin shoes standing on a polished marble floor. The subtitle was, "An unwitting participant in crime!" And ourselves? Are you wearing snakeskin shoes, carrying an alligator purse or wallet, or keeping a fur coat in the closet? If so, you too may be the murderer of an endangered species!( Gypsy Chang/photos by Vincent Chang/tr. by Peter Eberly)

The 1987 Chinese-American Academic and Professional Convention

While people around the U. S. were planning how to spend this year's July 4th weekend, over a thousand Chinese from all over North America were packing their bags and flying to Houston, Texas, to attend the three-day Chinese-American Academic and Professional Convention. As they checked into the Adam's Mark Hotel, the site of the convention, warm and enthusiastic greetings were exchanged even between those Who had never met before: although they had come from many different places, they were all one in spirit." I founded Wang Laboratories to tell people that Chinese can do more than just run laundries and restaurants." Gold-rimmed spectacles, blue bow tie, and a modest smileAn Wang's features have become a distinctive symbol of a successful Chinese. In his opening speech, Dr. Wang invited the 1,300 outstanding Chinese men and women attending the convention to share in his recent honor of receiving the U. S. Medal of Liberty. "The credit should go to each one of you here, and to all Chinese striving together in this society," he said. Dr. Wang praised the economic accomplishments of the Republic of China and stated that this achievement can be maintained only through a continued determination to advance scientifically and technologically. To spur this advance, Wang Laboratories recently declared that it is working with ROC banks in establishing a Golden Gate Development and Investment Fund designed to facilitate cooperation between Taiwan and overseas investors. The convention was hosted by the southern U. S. branch of the Association of American-Chinese Professionals, which was founded ten years ago. The idea for this and similar associations came from overseas academics and professionals who have attended ROC National Development Seminars and who wished to be able to continue to meet and discuss plans for national development while overseas. There are around twenty of the associations in North America and some 26 worldwide. Three years ago, the 1984 Chinese-American Academic and Professional Convention was held in Los Angeles in place of the National Development Seminar in Taipei. Because of the convention's success, it was decided that the seminar and the convention would alternate from year to year. The subject of this year's convention was "Joint Domestic and Overseas Promotion of the ROC's Technological and Comprehensive Development as it Marches Toward the Ranks of the Developed Countries." Under the chairmanship of Dr. William Chien, the convention was organized into seven panel discussions (environmental protection, regional planning and development, information science development, biotechnology and medical science, mechanical and aeronautical engineering, industrial chemistry and materials, and education and culture) and five technical sessions (high-tech venture capital investment, science and technology long-term development, promotion of overseas scholar involvement in private industry R&D, energy resources development and management, and overseas Chinese education). To express the government's sincerity in accepting advice, Shih Ch'un-jen, director-general of the Department of Health, opened with a story about a rich man who went to his doctor for a brain transplant. The doctor offered him a doctor's brain for $30,000 a lawyer's for $50,000, a scientist's for $80,000, and a government official's for $100,000. When the man asked why the official's brain was so expensive, the doctor replied, "Never been used." Amid the laughter, Director-General Shih went on to say that his own brain, on the contrary, had been "overworked" with problems since he took office, and he eagerly looked forward to the participants' input and suggestions on public health and the environment. Environmental protection was, in fact, one of the hottest topics at the conference. Discussion centered around industrial waste management and the training of environmental technical personnel. The common consensus was that environmental protection must be comprehensive in scope and preventative in nature and that long-term efforts must be devoted to environmental education. Participation at other panel discussions and technical sessions was also enthusiastic and intense. Because of insufficient time during the day, four of the discussion panels had to be held at night. Not only were the discussion rooms full, but the panels continued on past their scheduled 10 o'clock closing time without anyone leaving in the middle. Scholars could be seen huddled together in the corridors late into the night carrying on the discussion. Because the ROC's economic development has entered a period of transformation in recent years, combined with the government's promotion of liberalization and internationalization and the lifting of controls on foreign exchange, economic and technical topics were the focus of intense discussion. Minister of Economic Affairs Lee Ta-hai and Vice Minister Hsu Kuo-an spoke on foreign exchange reserves, the appreciation of the NT dollar, and overseas investment. And Fredrick Chien, the ROC's representative to the U. S., discussed the U. S.-ROC trade balance and urged participants to think of ways of upgrading the domestic manufacturing structure and improving the investment climate. The discussion panel on long-term planning for scientific and technological development focused on how to encourage domestic industry to increase research and development. Although most of the topics discussed at the convention were related to technology, the panel on education and culture attracted a great deal of interest and was well attended. Discussion centered around overseas Chinese education, culture and the quality of life, and graduate school education. To enable the conferees to participate more fully in the discussion, appropriate background material was provided for each topic. Some of the material, such as that for information software, reached 100 pages in length. Scholars expressed the hope that agencies would provide them with more relevant information on a periodic basis so that they could keep abreast of the domestic situation. The convention closed on the afternoon of July 5th, after three full days of fruitful activity. From seven in the morning until ten at night, the scholars had rushed between conference rooms to make the best possible use of their time, particularly since they had all sacrificed their long holiday weekend to attend. In his closing address, John C. Kuan, chairman of the National Youth Commission, provided a final footnote, quoting from a book by an American scholar which listed the input and ideas of overseas scholars as a prime reason for the Republic of China's progress and democratization over the past ten years." How unfortunate it is that our country is divided. But how fortunate that so many overseas scholars are willing to work with us and help," Chairman Kuan said. "Even though we government officials may not have $100,000 brains, we're truly glad to listen to your recommendations and strive together for the Republic of China!"" Theresa Wang/photos by Arthur Cheng/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Swordmakers for West Point

When the cadets graduating from the U. S. military academy at West Point step up to receive their diplomas, each one wears a ceremonial officer's sword. Flashing silver in the sun, elegantly curved, and delicately engraved, the swords have a noble, aristocratic air, especially when grasped firmly in the hand of a handsome young officer! Who would guess that the splendid swords of West Point come all the way from a little woodcarving company in the Taiwan countryside? Trudging under a blazing summer sun in the southern Taiwan village of Tounan, we finally found the address we had been looking for. It was a residential building with no sign in front, butno mistakethis was the Yang Ming Woodcarving Co. The scene inside was typical of a family workshop: a wooden ship displayed in a cabinet in the living room, carved wooden masks hanging from the walls, various kinds of wooden athletic equipment stacked in the corners . . . only not a trace of a sword in sight. When we explained the reason for our visit, Ch'en Ming-ts'un, the owner, commented, "They're ceremonial swords, you see, not real weapons," and pulled one out to show us." They make swords for the honor guard at the Chinese Military Academy, too," said an elderly neighbor who had dropped in for a chat, putting in a good word for his friend. In fact, the swords for the Chinese Military Academy, look even more impressive than the West Point onesthey have gold-plated black scabbards and their hilts are even more exquisitely patterned. That's really something, isn't it, doing business all the way to West Point!" Not at all," replied Ch'en, Who is in his fifties, shaking his head with some embarrassment. "Just luck." Ch'en Ming-ts'un, born and raised in Tounan, taught himself woodcarving as a youngster in the evenings after helping out with the family chores. When he was 28, he opened a woodcarving shop, which at one time, at its peak, employed fifty workers. Their carvings of twenty or so years ago were generally masks and animal figures, most of which were sold to Japan. Because he had always been interested in martial arts, he later began to carve wooden t'ai-chi swords, nunchakus, and other martial arts accessories. But wooden ghost masks, which are popular with the Japanese, remained his mainstay. His woodcarving expertise did enable him to receive an unexpected special order from overseas, though. Five years ago, a Jewish-American businessman heard about Ch'en and came to Tounan with an order for 5,000 West Point officer's swords, an order that was originally intended for Spain, he was told. But it was two years later before the swords were really up to snuff. "The buyer was really demanding," said Ch'en's 27-year-old son, Ch'en Tsai-fa, explaining that just finding a steel factory to open a mold and produce a satisfactory sample took a considerable amount of time and energy. The West Point sword is long and curved, and beating the high-carbon steel into just the right angle is a science in itself, he said. And adding the embellishments along the blade is a real "precision industry"they must be done by hand." Right now, machines can only substitute for one-third of the labor," Ch'en Tsai-fa said. Getting the sword to fit the sheath is another science. Because the work is done by hand, standards are not automatically uniform. If the measurements are a bit off, the sword won't go in. Besides this, the swords come in six sizes, to fit soldiers of different heights. With so much intricate labor, the price must not be cheap, right? Generally speaking, a West Point officer's sword sells for no less than NT$4,000 (around US$130), and a Chinese Military Academy sword for around NT$6,000. Unfortunately, these ceremonial swords can only be purchased by direct order, and are unavailable on the retail market. Ordinarily, work on the swords is slow and steady, but as graduation season approaches, things get hectic. "They work like prisoners in the work house," Mrs. Ch'en said, half in anger, half in resignation. She keeps berating her son for being too busy to find the time to look for a girlfriend. Hearing her describe her son and spouse as being "as clever as wood," a neighbor sticks up for them: If they weren't talented, their business would never have reached all the way to West Point Academy and "done us all proud!" When asked about the future, the Ch'ens displayed little ambition to expand. "The most important thing is to keep on improving quality," Ch'en Ming-ts'un said, stressing that the challenge is to make products superior to those mass-produced on a machine. He has discovered that stainless steel is even better for making swords than high-carbon steel, and plans to suggest using it to his clients. It looks as though Tounan village really does "harbor hidden masters."" Sunny Hsiao/photos by Chiu Sheng-wang/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Library Chops: A World of Erudition in a Tiny Space

If there is anything that embodies the most erudition in the smallest space, it's got to be the chop. There are many stories about chops. As early as the T'ang Dynasty, the official seals of the T'ai-tsung emperor and the Hsuan-tsung emperor appeared on paintings, books, and porcelain of the national treasury. These seals were used to distinguish government goods from those of private collectors. These are the earliest known "collection chops." These stamps on cultural relics by emperors or private collectors, or collection chops, usually consist of the name and clan of the collector and sometimes an auspicious character or two as they are handed down from generation to generation. The "library chop" is a kind of collection chop, and is made especially for ancient books. According to Mr. Wu Che-fu from the National Palace Museum, library chops are usually stamped in the blank space just below the title of the first chapter in ancient books. If this space is filled, then they are put at the end of the last chapter. From the Chinese point of view, a good book is more precious than any other possession. Therefore, a library chop carries a greater implication of high culture than the less specialized collection chop. Generally, the collection chop is used to indicate the collector's status or position, which takes only a few words. However, a library chop can contain as many as 180 words which describe the collector's goals and express some words of encouragement to his or her descendants. Thus, a library chop not only indicates the status of the collector, but also can record biographical details. One of the most interesting stories which occurred with relation to a chop was that of Huang P'i-lieh in the Ching Dynasty, whose library chop was engraved as follows: "May twenty stops bring recovery." Huang's father passed away in 1795. A disastrous fire followed the next year. Misfortunes came one after the other, and the Huang family was down on their luck. One day in 1816, Huang read T'ao Yuan-ming's "A Poem to Stop Drinking Wine." This poem consists of twenty lines, each of which contains the word "stop" in it, for a total of twenty "stops" in all. In the twenty years from his father's death to his reading of this poem, Mr. Huang had had nightmares regularly. In his joy and excitement that his twenty years of misfortune should end with his reading of the twenty "stops" of T'ao Yuan-ming, Huang had this wishful chop made. Collectors often judge the authenticity of books and paintings by these seals. In the case of books, for example, some collectors liked to stamp between the pages. Later on, it is possible to determine replacement of pages or forgery of portions of the book by the seals. Aside from providing information on ownership and authenticity, these seals can also convey the collector's love of books. A library chop properly used can add a magic touch to the original book or painting. However, some collectors have misplaced or overused them, which mars the work of art. Hsiang Yuan-pien, a famous collector in the Ming Dynasty, loved to put his seal on the items in his collection. On every item that he owned, he either put many seals or the same seal many times. On one of the paintings in his collection he applied his seal nearly one hundred times. This can only harm a cultural relic, and detract from its beauty and value for posterity. Chops with clearly carved characters are not easy to imitate. Moreover, chops made of durable materials can last for a long time. However, the imprint of a chop can wear away with time. When this happens, it provides an opportunity for the would-be forger. This is why appraisal of the seals from library chops is such an art. The history of library chops may be long, but they are never out of fashion. Even now, with modern printing technology, books are easy to copy and replace. But, a yearning for the past and appreciation for antiques keeps library chops popular. At stores everywhere, you can find chops made from t'ai-lai stone and "green jade" stone which come in all sorts of different shapes and colors. Prices are low, generally NT$50 (or about US$1.70) for the price of a chop. These two types of stone are the most popular materials used to make library chops. Mr. Wang Chuang-wei, a famous engraver in Taiwan, has carved book chops for many bibliophiles. Among them, he especially remembers one which read, "I forget what I read the minute I put the book down. What a shame!" He carved this one for an aged scholar whose memory was failing him. Mr. Wang, who is now himself nearly eighty, has made an amusing library chop for himself which goes, "Reading now is for forgetting later on." This demonstrates the good humor and lightheartedness of the Chinese scholar.( Laurie Li/photos by Chung Yung-ho/tr. by Cathy Stachniak)

The Walled City of Kowloon

There's a place in Hong Kong that the government can't control; where the police can't go in; where businesses don't have to pay any taxes. . . where the people can do whatever they please. But it's no enviable "paradise on earth"; it's Hong Kong's capital of gambling, drugs, and prostitution: the notorious Walled City of Kowloon. This January 14th, the British government and the Communist Chinese announced that the Walled City, long decried by Hong Kong authorities, Will be torn down to build a park. Just what kind of a place is it? Why is it outside government control? And why are the Communist Chinese and the Hong Kong government so eager to tear it down? The Walled City is located north of Kai Tak International Airport on the Kowloon peninsula. Despite the name, there is no wall or fortificationsjust a towering warren of dilapidated old apartment buildings heaped in a pile. This six-acre district is home to over 40,000 people, making it one of Hong Kong's most densely populated areas. The buildings, constructed to no rhyme or reason other than that of containing as many people as possible, are jumbled so tightly together that they block out the sunlight from above and residents of neighboring buildings can reach out the window and touch hands. The alleyways inside are dark and narrow, a maze of twisting tunnels and passages unfathomable to the outsider, filled with the stench of garbage and over-hung with a tangle of jerry-rigged electrical tap lines and dripping water pipes. But the reason the Walled City is known in Hong Kong as a "sink of iniquity" is not just owing to its abysmal standards of environmental sanitation. Because the area is outside the government's jurisdiction, it has become a hideaway for all the riffraff of the city and a hotbed of illegal activities. During the 1950's and 1960's it was Hong Kong's "general headquarters" for gambling, drugs, and prostitution. Inside the compound, besides Hong Kong's poorest and wickedest class of people, live many refugees who have escaped from the mainland but who lack Hong Kong immigration papers. Outside, no one knows exactly why, the area is ringed with tiny, ill-equipped dental clinics, many of them set up by unlicensed doctors from the mainland. How did Hong Kong, the prosperous "Pearl of the Orient," come to harbor such a festering sore? Answering that question requires taking a look back at some history that for most Chinese is rapidly fading from memory. . . . Eight hundred years ago, during the Sung Dynasty, Kowloon was one of ten major salt-producing regions along the Kwangtung coast. It became a strategically important location for military defense in the wake of the increasing threat from Westerners during the 17th and 18th centuries. The wall for which the Walled City was named, however, was not built until after the 1842 Opium War, as a defense against the British on Hong Kong island, who were covetously eyeing the mainland from across the water. The wallwhich was 25 feet tall, was six to twelve feet wide, and enclosed an area of 12.3 acreswas completed in March 1847, after four years of construction. In 1898, when the British leased north Kowloon and the New Territories for 99 years, the Ching court retained the Walled City under its jurisdiction for the use of its officials and functionaries. However, with the Ching Dynasty already on its last legs, lacking appropriations from the court, and harassed by the British, the officials soon abandoned the city and left. During the Second World War, the Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong tore down the wall to expand Kai Tak Airport for military purposes. Easier access to the district opened the way for more riffraff to settle down there, and made the situation even more problematic. Without the wall, the borders of the Walled City became ill-defined. Several large fires and subsequent encroachment by the surrounding city have reduced it in area to its present six acres. The Hong Kong government has repeatedly tried to tear down the Walled City, but has met with persistent opposition from the district's residents. Serious violence erupted over the issue in 1948, and the conflict has been reenacted every few years since. The announcement this January 14th that the Walled City will be torn was the result of discussions following the joint declaration on the question of Hong Kong signed by the British government and the Chinese Communists three years ago. Although many district residents oppose the demolition, the Hong Kong government has already begun to register households and to construct public housing for them at another location. As to why the Communists are so eager to tear the district down, many scholars surmise that they hope to have this "hot potato" off their hands before they take over the colony in 1997. The HK$1 billion cost of the project will be paid for through the Hong Kong government by the taxpayers of Hong Kong. Superficially, tearing down a recognized sink of iniquity would seem to be all to the positive. But many of the people who have taken refuge in this "jurisdictional loophole" think otherwise. For example, the unlicensed dentists and doctors who practice in the district face almost certain unemployment once they are forced to move. And the Hong Kong government has indicated that "undocumented residents" will be sent back to their place of origin, meaning a return to the mainland for many refugees who thought they had escaped. Tearing down Kowloon's Walled City does not mean that the "problems of the Walled City" have all been solved; nor does it mean that the Chinese people will forget the lessons of the history that happened there!( Gypsy Chang/photos by Chung Yung-ho/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

The New Minister of Communications--A Practical Man

From being the president of National Chiao Tung University to the Minister of Communications, Kuo Nan-hung has never changed his candid character and occupational enthusiasm. He has only been on the job for two months, and the consensus about him is that he is full of a refreshing spirit of enterprise. But Kuo says, "We're not out to make a big splash, we just want to do a good job." On the first day of work he held a press conference, and facing all the questions from reporters, he stated, "I've just come on the job and have no answers yet. Give me a month's time to know this place; then I'll know." His first test was the problem of holiday traffic during the Dragon Boat Festival. When others are busy making the traditional steamed rice dumplings, or tsungtzu, and planning trips for the three-day vacation, the employees of Communications are just beginning to work. First, for these three days the Directorate General of Telecommunications established forty extra lines for the traffic information channel "168" which reports the traffic situation so that travellers can avoid traffic jams. Second, during the holiday period no highway tolls were collected so as to expedite traffic flow. Auxiliary highway patrols were also stationed to offer quick assistance in case of accidents. These were only a few of the many precautionary measures taken. As a result, thousands of listeners were able to avoid traffic jams and accidents by listening to "168", and the work of the patrols kept the highways clear. During the holidays, Minister Kuo himself drove out to the highways to monitor traffic speeds three times. Although not perfect, the Dragon Boat Festival weekend traffic situation compared very favorably with the jams of Tomb-Sweeping Day. The Minister received a grade of "just passing" for the weekend. Kuo Nan-hung is 51 years old, and was born in Tainan. He received his B. S. in electrical engineering from National Taiwan University, his M. S. in electronics from Chiao Tung University, and his Ph. D. in electrical engineering from North-western University. His character is frank and persevering, and he likes to get to the bottom of things. He describes himself as an early-to-bed, early-to-rise "country boy" with simple tastes. A professor at Chiao Tung says of him, "He'll never take a suggestion of yours unless you have good reason and full confidence in it." The first two days on the job when he was being welcomed at the Ministry, and many government officials came to congratulate him, illegal parking in front of the Ministry was widespread. Kuo had the situation monitored and admonished his guests that obedience of the traffic laws must start at the Ministry. Being a driver himself and having experienced many a jam, he sees layout of the roads as the most urgent problem. Every rapidly developing country has this same problem, he says. Everybody has high hopes for Minister Kuo. Does he feel pressure from such high expectations? He believes that the pressure is normal, but it won't alter his work style, or his determination to do his best. He has decided to approve the use of radio taxis. "We've observed that three to six out of ten cars on the road are taxis, and many are without passengersand people ask why we have traffic jams," declares Kuo. The use of radio taxis can decrease traffic. Motorcycles and taxis are the malignant tumors of Taipei traffic. Kuo says, "The two-wheeled motorcycle with poorer balance at high speed is more accident prone. They also create noise and air pollution. Although they possess these disadvantages, it will be a while before we can see a decrease in their use due to crowded parking and inconvenient, overloaded public transportation." "We now have two objectives: The first is to improve public transportation, and the second is to restrict motorbikes to certain streets," explains Kuo. He continues, "I'm optimistic that in time we can reduce the number of motorcycles." His ten-hour work days are consumed by meetings with co-workers and receiving visitors; all other work is taken home. He attributes his considerable energy to the fact that he plays tennis regularly. At the Ministry, he retains the same manner of working he had at Chiao Tung; he prefers informal meetings and working lunches to formal speeches. Kuo says, "A minister who stays behind his desk and has no contact with the real situation can easily fall out of touch. Personal contact with employees and visitors is the best way for a minister to be well-informed." As for work goals, Kuo says, "I'm an engineer; I have no goals." After thus surprising his listeners, he adds, "In engineering we know that overall perfection is unattainable; what we strive for are solutions on a problem-by-problem basis." The interview over, the Minister turns back from his office door and smiles, "Talk won't get our work done."" Jack Chang/photos by Chung Yung-ho/tr. by Cathy Stachniak)

From "Liberating Taiwan" to "One Country Two Systems"

The problem of the reunification of China has long been a focus of concern for the whole world as well as for Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and the method of solving it has been broadly discussed by scholars. The Communists have loudly proclaimed their "one country two systems" formula in recent years; just what are its contents and practicability? Sinorama specially invited Professor Hungdah Chiu of the University of Maryland to analyze these question. (The Editors)The Chinese Communists have always wanted to solve the Taiwan problem by force, but have been unable to do so because of the Republic of China's strong military defense and its international support. When they established diplomatic relations with the United States on January 1, 1979, they changed their rhetoric but not their intentions. "The liberation of Taiwan" became "the return of Taiwan to the motherland," and instead of referring explicitly to the use of armed force, they stated that "the method of achieving national unification is completely an internal affair of China" armed force may be used in an "internal affair" of course. Because the Communists were unwilling to relinquish the use of military force, the U. S. stated when it established diplomatic relations with them that it would continue to sell arms to the ROC To show the U. S. that their intentions were peaceful and pressure the U. S. into halting sales of defensive weapons to the ROC, the Communists proposed their so-called "nine-point proposal for peaceful reunification" on September 30, 1981. According to this proposal, Taiwan could have a different social and economic system from the mainland's, but not a different political system. With this proposal, the Communists' "one country two systems" formula gradually began to take shape. The Communists used this reunification plan to make the Americans think that their intentions toward Taiwan were peaceful. And on August 17, 1982, the U. S. promised to gradually reduce military sales to Taiwan and not to increase them in quality. In January 1984, Teng Hsiao-p'ing stated: "After reunification, Taiwan can practice its capitalism and the mainland socialism. There will be one China with two systems, and neither side will hurt the other." And that May, Chao Tzu-yang told the National People's Congress: "Because of historical experience and the reality on Taiwan, we have conceived the idea that after reunification of the motherland there may be 'one country two systems.'" Since then, the "one country two systems" formula has become a formal policy in the Communists' united front campaign against Taiwan, and they have set out to put the formula in practice in Hong Kong." One country two systems" appeared in the joint declaration on the future of Hong Kong which the Communists signed with the British on September 24, 1984. The main points of the formula and the reasons why the people and government of the Republic of China cannot accept it are in general as follows:(1) The one country referred to by the Communists is the "People's Republic of China," so the name Republic of China would be eliminated, her flag would at best be demoted to a "regional flag," and her Constitution would be replaced by a "basic law" established by the Communists' National People's Congress. Under the name, flag, and Constitution of the Republic of China, the people and government of the ROC have created a prosperity unprecedented in the history of China and continue to make strides toward democracy. Under the Communists' name, flag, and numerous constitutions, 30 million people starved after the Great Leap Forward and millions were killed and hundreds of millions persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. Their per capita income is less than one-twentieth of the ROC's (around US$250 compared with the ROC's US$5,000). What right have the Chinese Communists to ask that the Chinese people on Taiwan accept a name, flag, and constitution that have produced a catastrophe unmatched in the history of China?(2) The "high degree of autonomy" under the "one country two systems" formula is determined by the National People's Congress, a rubber stamp controlled by the Communist regime, and interpreted by the standing committee, so it can be revised or revoked by the Communists at any time. Under these circumstances, does the so-called "high degree of autonomy" have any guarantees?(3) That Taiwan can maintain its own army is empty talk. After reunification, Taiwan's forces would become part of the forces of the "People's Republic of China" and could be transferred, reduced, or disbanded by the Communists at any time. What good is an army like that?(4) The Chinese Communists are in constant upheaval. Favored officials one day are imprisoned or murdered the next. Since Mao's death, the Communist leader-ship and its successors have changed several times. Since 1975, the Communists have changed constitutions three times. Who can believe their guarantees?(5) If the Communists are sincere about their "special administrative region" with a high-degree of autonomy, they can begin by practicing it in Tibet and Hong Kong. When the Tibetans demanded that the Communists implement their nine-point proposal for Taiwan in Tibet, the Communists fiercely refused on the grounds that Tibet has already been "liberated." The Communists signed an agreement with Tibet in 1951 just like their nine-point proposal for Taiwan, but they disbanded the Tibetan government in 1959 and replaced it with direct military control. And now in Hong Kong, the Communists have stipulated that only one-fourth of the committee drafting the basic law may be from Hong Kong, that the law will be interpreted by the standing committee, that they oppose direct elections, and that they have the power to station troops there. On April 16, 1987, Teng Hsiao-p'ing stated, "If anything should happen in Hong Kong to threaten the nation's basic interests or Hong Kong's own basic interests, could Peking let it pass?" This shows that the Communists may use the pretext of "national interests" to interfere with Hong Kong's "high degree of autonomy" at any time. As stated before, the main purpose of the Communists' "one country two systems" formula is to dupe the American government and people into gradually halting arms sales to Taiwan, thereby weakening Taiwan's defense forces and paving the way for a military invasion. Because the Communists noisily proclaim their "one country two systems" formula, the U. S. and other nations may come to think that the reunification of China can only occur under that formula. The people and the government of the Republic of China cannot but give this point their close attention.( Hungdah Chiu, professor, University of Maryland/excerpts tr. by Peter Eberly)

A Pivotal Figure at a Pivotal Point in Time--Lee Huan

On July 14, at 6:00 p.m. in the counsel chamber of the Government Information Office a press conference with Chinese and foreign reporters was held. GIO Director-General Yu-ming Shaw delivered a joint statement by President Chiang Ching-kuo, Premier Yu Kuo-hwa, and Defense Minister Cheng Wei-yuan on the revocation of Martial Law: "The President hereby declares on this day, July 14, 1987, the formal abrogation of Martial Law on Taiwan as ratified by the Legislative Yuan." This 38-year-old law which greatly helped to maintain the security of Taiwan and Penghu was misunderstood by many people and affected the image of the nation. In March of last year, the Chairman of the ruling party, Chiang Ching-kuo, announced a party-and nationwide reform. "The abrogation of Martial Law is a basis for reform," stated a well-informed political reporter. After rescinding Martial Law, what will the government's next step be? On July 1, the ruling party accepted the resignation of Secretary General Ma Shu-li and reassigned former Education Minister Lee Huan in his place. This important personnel change has attracted much attention. Scholars of political science point out, "The secretary general's responsibility is to aid the party chairman, to supervise, manage, coordinate, and to promote the party. It's a pivotal position with heavy responsibility. Therefore, each time the secretary changes it attracts a lot of attention because it will set off a series of high-level personnel changes." After the rescinding of Martial Law, the outlawing of other political parties and press restrictions will also gradually be abrogated. Our democratic political development is entering a new phase. The ruling party will now face the adjustment from revolutionary political party to democratic party. How will it be accomplished? This will be the party's greatest test. Government officials have this view: Ma Shu-li was an able coordinator, and Lee Huan is an able executive. In other words, Ma has cleared the way for Lee. There are high expectations for Lee Huan which stem from his forty years of experience and performance in politics. Lee Huan was born in 1916 in Hankow. He received his B. L. in law at Central Political University, his M. A. in education from Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from Tankok University in Korea. His past positions include Director of the Yan-Ming Institution of National Revolution and Development, Minister of Education, Chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Committee of the KMT, President of National Sun Yat-sen University, Chairman of the National Youth Commission, Director General of the China Youth Corps, and Director General of the Department of Organization Affairs of the Kuomintang Central Committee. In 1972, Lee Huan was appointed as Director General of D. O. A.-KMT when Chiang Ching-kuo was Premier. Another political reporter, Lee Yung-te, says, "When the ROC resigned from the United Nations, there was a lot of doubt, and many people demanded reform and more participation in the political process; it was Mr. Chiang who, with much foresight, created the agenda for the nation's development, and Mr. Lee who implemented the plans." In his positions at D. O. A.-KMT, T. P. C. -KMT, C. Y. C., and N. Y. C., he had the opportunity to meet many young, educated people. Many present government officials call themselves his students or proteges. According to his friends, his character is one of tranquility and calmness even in tense situations. Another well-informed political reporter says, "Lee is fond of advising his proteges not to speak or act hastily because one can never know what changes will occur." Besides exuding an air of calm, he is also unassuming. He always advises his subordinates, "Don't be the first; be the second," and "It's better not to put yourself in an unsuitable position." What he means is, "Know where you are and where you are going." In 1977, during the Chungli Incident, Lee Huan, who was Director of D. O. A.-KMT, C. Y. C., and Y. I. N. R. D., took responsibility and submitted his resignation. Later, he became the president of CTV until 1979. That year he became president of Sun Yat-sen University. In 1984, he was appointed Minister of Education. In all of these positions he has worked with characteristic cool-headedness. As for the Chungli Incident resignation, he never made any explanations; he only says, "The election in 1977 didn't meet my expectations, so I resigned." When he was Education Minister he spoke little, but accomplished much. In his three years as Education Minister, he abolished restrictions on students' hair length, enabled the establishment of private colleges, established a college of physical education, increased scholarships for graduate students, established the University Publications Committee and more. Owing to all these accomplishments, people have high hopes for him. In his present high-level position, it is hoped that he can help facilitate the reforms and democratization in the ROC that will go down in the history of politics.( Chen Chin-hua/photo by Vincent Chang/ tr. by Cathy Stachniak)

Foreign Exchange Spillover

Starting July 15, 1987, foreign exchange restrictions will only be retained for amounts above US$1 million. Whether for business or private use, citizens may now keep, buy, and mail out foreign currency. How will this affect the nation's economy? Our magazine made a special visit to Dean Liu T'ai-ying of the Taiwan Economic Research Institute. Below are the contents of his interview: Q. What significance does the present loosening of foreign exchange restrictions have for our economy? A. For a long time the foreign exchange restrictions in the ROC have barred private citizens from holding foreign currency; only the Central Bank could do so. But from 1976 on, our exports have exceeded imports allowing huge foreign currency reserves to accrue. Today the Central Bank holds more than US$60 billion, creating a monetary surplus. However now, with the relaxation of restrictions, we can balance the flow of currency better by allowing free use of it. This balance is crucial because it allows us to stabilize the economy by preventing a currency surplus which could cause inflation or an excessive appreciation of the NT dollar which hurts our trade balance. Q. You have just spoken with respect to the national economy; what about private industry? A. The greatest effect of the relaxation on private industry will be to render limitations on foreign investors a restriction in name only. Previously foreign investors in Taiwan were required to undergo an audit to mail out their earnings. Now, with the relaxation, this problem will be easier to over come, resulting in greater foreign investment here. Moreover, although some restrictions remain on bringing in foreign currency, this too, will be easier to overcome. Money can now be borrowed in Taiwan with money in U. S. banks as collateral. All these new investment opportunities will be a challenge to Taiwan industry. But the pain is only short-term, resulting in increased productivity long-term. The competition can stimulate computerization, conversion to larger scale operations, and establishment of research divisions. Q. Will the relaxation of restrictions be risky for Taiwan? Some think the ROC needs greater capital reserves, and that overseas investment isn't a good idea. How do you respond to this? A. I think the new policy can only enhance the ROC's security. If mainland China should decide to invade Taiwan, there would be even more foreign incentive to support us because of the greater investment of foreign industry here. In the past, we were reticent to loosen restrictions for fear of a drastic currency outflow. But now, the appreciation of the NT dollar and the many investment opportunities here can only bring in more capital. Q. How will all this affect the domestic situation? And, how should our business community take advantage of this opportunity to develop? A. The business community should take a global view. From now on, the international monetary situation is going to affect us more quickly than it did before when the controls offered some protection. So, what our manufacturers will face is international competition. But if we keep abreast of the situation, it will be a great opportunity for them to issue new stocks and bonds and borrow money abroad. All these opportunities, especially corporate investment, Where there is usually a strong economic research contingent backing it up, can benefit and stimulate business in Taiwan. Thus, with some hard work, the good can be even better.( Elaine Chen/illustration by Chu Te-yung/ tr. by Cathy Stachniak)

One-Stop Exit Procedures for Travelers Leaving the Country from the South

For the convenience of travelers leaving the country from the south of Taiwan, the Ministry of Communications, in coordination with China Airlines, Kaohsiung International Airport, and Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, will permit international travelers to complete all inspection and exit procedures at Kaohsiung International Airport before transferring to other others flight at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport. This service is not limited to China Airlines international flights but is available to passengers transferring to the international flights of other airlines as well.

Value of Foreign Currency That May Be Carried out of the Country Raised to US$5,000 Per Person

The Executive Yuan has decided to revise articles six and seven of its "Restrictions on Carrying or Sending Silver, Gold, Foreign Currency, or New Taiwan Dollars In or Out of the Country." The total value of foreign currency that travelers may carry out of the country will be increased from the current US$1,000 to US$5,000, and the total value of foreign currency that airline or ship personnel may carry out per trip will be increased from US$300 to US$1,500. This revision, which was drafted by the Ministry of Finance in coordination with the relaxation of controls on foreign exchange and approved upon consultation by the Bank of China, will be implemented upon announcement by the Executive Yuan and notification of the Legislative Yuan. According to this revision, the amount of gold jewelry or gold currency which each person may take out of the country will remain 62.5 grams, and the amount of silver jewelry or silver currency will remain 625 grams. The amount of gold jewelry, silver jewelry, and New Taiwan dollars that an airline or ship personnel may take out of the country per trip will still be 62.5 grams of gold, 625 grams of silver jewelry, and NT$4,000.

Information for Tourists Going to Hong Kong or Macao

ROC citizens visiting Hong Kong and Macao, provided they do not travel to other areas, need only obtain exit and entry permits and not passports. The Bureau of Entry and Exit indicates that, now that the government permits tourists to travel directly to Hong Kong and Macao, the bureau will process applications within five days, but wishes to remind applicants that visas for Hong Kong and Macao are still be processed in Hong Kong and may require as long as three weeks to obtain. Correction: Due to errors in source material, two mistakes appeared in "Communication Channels" in the June issue (Vol. 12, No. 6): The amount of items that may be brought into the ROC duty free from areas other than Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, and Okinawa should have read NT$10,000 instead of US$3,000; and the home and other appliances listed under item (3) may in fact, not be brought in duty free. In addition to this notice, a correction notice was also published in the July 15th issue of the United Daily News.

Paul Chu-Searching for High Temperatures Below Zero

Chinese in the SpotlightOver the past half year, two Chinese in the U. S. have become world news figures featured in reports by Time, Newsweek, American newspapers, and television networks. They are: Dr. Paul C. W. Chu, the discoverer of high-temperature superconductors. His achievement has made him a potential winner of the Nobel Prize. Ms. Nien Cheng, the author of Life and Death in Shanghai. Her book tells the story of her six-year imprisonment on trumped-up charges during the Cultural Revolution. This July, Sinorama interviewed Dr. Chu in his laboratory at the University of Houston and Ms. Cheng in her apartment in Washington to bring our readers this special report. Paul Chu Searching for High Temperatures Below ZeroSeeing a superconductor at work is like watching a magic trick; it's surprising and puzzling. Take an ordinary tray and place in it a superconductor and a little magnet. At room temperature, the two will stick together. Add liquid nitrogen, chill the superconductor to a certain temperature, and watch what happens. The magnet will rise up about half a centimeter and hover in the mist given off by the liquid nitrogen. Bump it, and the magnet will turn and bounce around, sort of like the spaceship in Close Encounters. Demonstrating superconductivity is a snap, but finding materials that will superconduct at comparatively high temperatures has taken over half a century. Ever since the discovery in 1911 by the Dutch scientist H. K. Onnes that mercury loses its electrical resistance when cooled to near absolute zero (273), scientists from all over the world have been trying to discover materials that superconduct at higher temperatures. The reason is simple: Room-temperature superconductors would revolutionize world industry. Their zero resistance could cut down losses in a city's electrical trans-mission system and allow electricity to be stored overnight for use during peak hours the next day. And their magnetic properties could levitate a superfast train, lift heavy materials in factories, or eliminate friction just about anywhere. For the past seventy years, the search has been extremely slow. Then this February, a pair of research teams led by Paul C. W. Chu of the University of Houston and Chu's former student Wu Mao-k'un of the University of Alabama finally achieved a breakthrough. They found a new metallic oxide compound that superconducts at a comparatively high temperature (175) achievable with inexpensive liquid nitrogen. Chu's breakthrough got its start last year. That spring K. Alex Muler and J. Georg Bednorz, researchers at an IBM laboratory in Switzerland, found a material that superconducts at 238. Their advance was not much noticed at the time, but Chu read their paper and, using it as a foundation, had increased the superconductivity ceiling to 233 by the end of last year. But the real break-through came at the end of this January, when he suddenly pushed the ceiling up to 175. Paul Chu was born and raised in the central Taiwan village of Chingshui, Tai-chung County, where he received all his primary, middle, and high school education. He recalls that his Chinese teacher used to imbue the students with the concept that "to the virtuous, money is not important." "It didn't mean much to me at the time," Chu says, "but now I think he was right." During his twelve years as a researcher, he has received many lucrative offers from companies to serve as a consultant, but has always preferred to go his own way. Chu says that if he had thought about making money, it would have distracted him from his research and he would never have made the discovery he did. Mrs. Chu, the daughter of the mathe-matician Ch'en Hsing-shen, also works in physics. They have a six-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter. The family lives simply; they go to museums and concerts together on weekends and holidays, and Chu keeps a garden. As to the future, Chu hopes to raise the temperature of superconductivity even further and produce superconducting wires that can be used in use in experiments. If a material can be created that superconducts at room temperature, it would revolutionize industry. "Who knows?" Chu says, "Someone may be making a new discovery even while we're talking."(text and photos by Arthur Cheng/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Nien Cheng--They Say I Was Brave

Nien Cheng is 72 years old, and she likes to drive. When she left mainland China in 1980, she had one suitcase and US$20. When she moved from Canada to the U. S. in 1983, she had six suitcases and drove the 600 miles to her new home herself. When she was young, the wife of a diplomat in Australia, she used to drive around giving speeches in support of the war against Japan. Her friends tell her not to drive any more now because of her age, but she insists, because "being without a car in the U. S. is like being without legs." She lives in an elegant apartment in Washington, D. C., takes classes at a nearby university, regularly buys a season ticket to concerts at the Kennedy Center, and has what she calls "a bunch of old-lady friends." Eyes bright, radiating health and vigor, with adequate savings in the bank, Nien Cheng would seem enviably well-off in her old age. But also very alone. She wasn't before. At least, she should still have her lovely, precious Meiping. Meiping was her only daughter and her companion since she was widowed at 42. During the Cultural Revolution, because she had studied in England and had worked at a British firm, Nien Cheng was accused of being an "imperialist spy" and thrown into prison. The next year her daughter, for refusing to denounce her mother, was beaten to death and pushed off the ninth floor of a building to make her death look like suicide. When Nien Cheng left prison after resolutely refusing to confess for six years, she could not believe that the survivor of this catastrophe was her sickly self and that it was her lively, cheerful daughter who had guiltlessly lost her young life. This experience eventually became the recent American best-seller Life and Death in Shanghai. After the book was excerpted in two issues of Time magazine this June and widely reported in major American newspapers, Nien Cheng's regulated life changed. She began to accept numerous interviews and rushed from coast to coast to meet with readers. Her desk is piled with letters from readers around the world, including political prisoners in Yugoslavia and Iran who have gone through similar experiences. There have been many books about the Cultural Revolution over the years, some of them even more tragic than hers; Nien Cheng ascribes the attention that Life and Death in Shanghai has received from Westerners as due to several reasons: First, in Westerners' experience, the objects of political persecution are typically men, so some people have looked on her as the model of a woman who has been persecuted and relied on her own fortitude to survive. "They think I was very brave," she says. Second, Nien Cheng has received letters from readers who wrote that her book "reads like a detective novel," that they couldn't put it down, and that they couldn't relax until they had seen her safely leave Shanghai. On this point, Nien Cheng thinks thatexcept that she doesn't like to preachthere is really no trick; the experience in itself was dramatic enough. Besides this, her fluent, colloquial English must be another reason for the book's success. Nien Cheng says that she can't remember everything that was said at the time, but only the gist. When writing in English, she strove to translate freely into Western speech habits and thinking patterns to make the book more accessible. Furthermore, she rewrote the book five times in two years: the first three times to get her thoughts down and put them in order, the fourth time to revise the grammar, and the fifth time to abridge. She cut the book from 1,200 to 760 pages to make it read more tightly. The success of Life and Death in Shanghai on The New York Times bestseller list indicates the degree to which Westerners were moved by it, but judging from the curiosity displayed by Western reporters toward her sufferings from torture, their experience of the book would seem somewhat different from the Chinese reader's. Nien Cheng would patiently answer their questions and show them her scars, but she also felt that these young Westerners who had grown up in a just, rational, and well-to-do society could not fully comprehend that it was not just a question of physical suffering." Rather than brave, it would be better to say I was angry." Nien Cheng says that she saw many, many women in prison who were tortured worse than she: "What did my little wounds mean? I was just angry that they wouldn't talk sense, and I had to argue it out." When she was released from prison in 1972, she refused to leave, insisting that her case be cleared." Only The Wall Street Journal specially mentioned the political analysis in my book," she says. In fact, she had always been interested in politics. When the Communists arrived in 1949, she studied Marxist theory, noting, "It's too bad they don't talk sense." Nien Cheng recalls that when her interrogator in prison asked her, "Why won't you come clean like the others?" she would answer, "I've done nothing wrong; why should I?" "If you aren't wrong," he said, "why are you, out of the ten million people in Shanghai, the one in jail?" Nien Cheng immediately countered, "If you put a cat in a dog kennel and blame it for not barking, is it the cat that's wrong or you?" She left that anecdote out of her book. "Westerners would find it hard to appreciate the desperation behind the exchange," she explains. People have said that her book is free of rage and rebuke. "I don't hate the Red Guards," she says. "They were only children. They were used and are to be pitied. As for myself, although I was imprisoned and scarred, there was no great damage to speak of. To be this healthy at 72 isn't too bad." After two hours of conversation, Nien Cheng leans back in her sofa and shows a bit of fatigue. "The money and the property were just worldly burdens anyway, so what's the big deal? And my mind is much sharper than before. After that experience, my self-confidence and my knowledge of Communism are much deeper. But killing my daughter is something I can never forgive. If I ever tell anyone my feelings have subsided, it's an absolute lie!" On the table next to her sofa is a photograph of Meiping standing in front of a painting and smiling brightly. In her brief, young life she had believed in Communism and followed it. Those who killed her must have been crazy! When China went madthis was Time magazine's cover headline. Why? Wasn't socialism full of ideals? And Chinese are so bright? What caused hundreds of millions of Chinese to go mad?( Theresa Wang/photos by Arthur Jeng/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Marinated Chicken Wings

10chicken wings3medium-sized bowls of ice water2scallions1large slice ginger, peeled1 T Shaohsing or other rice wine or sherry2flowerets star anise1 T salt1. Wash the chicken wings and pat dry with paper towels.2. Smash the scallion, ginger, and star anise, and combine with the wine and salt.3. Rub the marinade mixture of 2. onto the chicken wings and let marinate over night, covered, in the refrigerator.4. Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Arrange the chicken wings on a plate. (Do not stack or crowd them.) Steam for 15 minutes over high heat. Remove from steamer as soon as the heat is turned off.5. Place the chicken wings in the first bowl of ice water to rinse off the oil. Remove the wings from bowl one and soak in bowl two until thoroughly cooled. Next remove the wings to bowl three. The water should be 1" above the level of the wings. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. They may be served at any time in any quantity. This dish is not oily and is especially good in hot weather.6. This recipe can be used for chicken or duck wings. If duck wings are used, reduce the steaming time to 12 minutes.(tr. by Karen S. Chung)

Expressing the Fantastic in the Real

One of the mysteries of photography is how the flow and process of reality, when reconsidered as a moment of frozen stillness, may at times take on an atmosphere of fantasy and imagination. This kind of "new vision" is something which the naked eye is incapable of experiencing in the fret and bustle of ongoing reality. Among the few photographers active during the 1960's who were able to fuse realism and fantasy in this way, Lin Ch'ing-yun must be counted as one of the most outstanding. The realistic subject matter of his pictures seems to be giving us intimations of another world. In "Earth's Daughter," an everyday rice-planting scene takes on, under Lin's hands, a strange and completely different aspect. The grainy texture of the woman's startlingly white work clothes and their contrast with the dark soil of the field have a nonrealistic feel. Her legs, sunk in the mud, seem shackled to the earth; the trail she leaves behind as she crawls forward reminds us of a snail's, a reptile's. The angle and positioning of the picture seem dislocated. Her posture implies an imageof worshiping the earth and of suffering." Morning" also gives one a sense of borderline reality. An old man out for a stroll, a loafing dog, and three people practicing Chinese shadow boxing represent a common enough sight in an early morning park, but they acquire fresh life here with the interesting contrasts in their attitudes, set off by the light and shade. These five "focal points" of the photograph, which seem close together in space, are distant psychologically, a distance to which the unseen presence of the photographer adds a further layer, lending the whole an air of unreality. Lin Ch'ing-yun was born in 1927 to a fishing family in Linpien Village in Pingtung County, the southernmost county on Taiwan. Drafted by the Japanese, he served as a technician in the Japanese navy for three years in Indonesia. On returning home in 1946, he acquired a 6 x 6 military camera left behind by the Japanese, which marked his first contact with photography. For the next ten years he worked as a newspaper reporter in Pingtung, taking pictures on his own in addition to those for his stories. In 1953 he passed an examination qualifying him to draft legal documents for real estate transactions, a profession he has pursued to this day, although his wife sometimes kids him that "photography is your real occupation; drafting real estate documents is just a hobby." In the early 1960's he and Chang Ta-ming founded the Pingtung Single Lens Photography Club, one of the longest-running and most respected photography clubs in the south of the island. Lin served as chief officer of the club for its first ten years. Among the club's early members, Lin was a close friend of Liu An-ming, although their styles are something of a contrast. Both photographers start out from a spirit of realism, but Lin moves on to approach another plane of reality. In "Young Woman Clamming" we see a clever combination of various lines: horizontal, vertical, triangular, square, round, erratic. Her black sun mask and spotted raincoat seem like strange costumes from the stage, but what we see of her hands and feet are solidly realistic. Her hidden expression, which we can only guess at, is the picture's emotional focal point. In a similar way, another sun mask adds a sense of the surreal to "Spring Plow ing." The animal's whorled fur, its musculature, the bamboo stick, and the girl's hidden features form a scene at once realistic and mysterious. And "Driving Them Home," besides possessing a comic playfulness, acquires a certain feeling of dislocation and absurdity because of its odd spatial setting. Lin is particularly adept at geometrical arrangements of lines and at capturing light and shadow. In "Peeking" the children's arms and legs and the structure of the building provide a rich variety of angles for the eye to dwell on, as we "peek on" the children being "peeked on" by the photographer. And a simple yet ingenious crisscrossing of lines turns the realistic scene of "Fisherman" into something of a dreamscape. A sharp contrast between light and dark is used to telling effect in other pictures. In "After the Rain" Lin vividly transforms an ordinary raincoat, setting it off against a rich background of clouds and puddles. In "Loneliness" the old woman seems fixed to the bench like a statue; her shadow on the tiles, a reflection of her frame of mind. And in "Solitary Walker" the human figure is dwarfed by the desolate hills behind it. Having just entered his sixtieth year, Lin Ch'ing-yun still carries his camera around villages in the South taking pictures. That he can still create photographs as rich as "After the Rain," which was taken just this year, proves that his skills have in no way dulled with age. He is one older photographer worth watching, and from whom we can expect still more.( Chang Chao-t'ang/photos by Lin Ch'ing-yun/tr. by Peter Eberly)

To Have "Golden" Ratings the "Co-hosts" Need Talent

There is a show on television which commands more than 30% of the ratings. People seem to either love it or hate it. The people who watch it once and love it become addicts. The people who hate it sneer but still watch." Golden Co-hosts" is a show that blows people's minds. During the long, hot summer, every Wednesday there is another playground in Taipei. On this new playground there are no roller coasters, no boat rides, nor train rides. It's the set where "Golden Co-hosts" is filmed. Around 1:00 p.m. the field outside the set is filled with hundreds of gaping children all trying to get a good look as each star arrives. The hosts of "Golden Co-hosts" are infantile clowns. But the children love them. Their verbal trademark, "It blows my mind!" has become a staple in the children's vocabulary too. According to Shen T'ien-lu, advertising planner for the Chin Yuan Record Company, the thing that makes these infantile clowns so popular is the opening of the show where all five of them shout in unison, "How is everybody?" The children, electrified and jumping from their seats, reply thunderously, "Great!" This animated and cordial opening establishes a great rapport between the performers and their audience. The exaggerated acting, comedy, and great prizes also really seem to please the children. According to Ch'en Yu-chu, the executive producer of the show, more than one third of the viewers of "Golden Co-hosts" are children. These days children can commandeer the selection of a television station in the home; that's why it's not hard to understand why the show has maintained ratings of over 30% for as long as two years and eight months. Liang K'un-chieh, the director of the show, thinks that the ratings success is due to the fact that "Golden Co-hosts" seems to meet the modern viewing needs of the public. He explains, "People in this day and age experience a lot of pressure and need a little fun. They want a program that doesn't require a lot of brainwork or concentration. Both adults and children may experience failures in work or school. In the skits in 'Golden Co-hosts' characters in superior positions are lampooned and mocked by characters in subordinate positions, and this makes everybody forget their troubles." Like many other programs on television, "Golden Co-hosts" is full of singing, dancing, and comedy skits. But why is it so much more popular than all the rest? Producer Huang Chien-fu analyzes it thus, "Five stooges are better than one smart guy." The five co-hosts of the show work together as a team, and it's their group chemistry that is such a smashing success. Besides having the basic elements of comedy down, the performers have years of stage experience and are excellent at improvising a wide range of emotions. Besides Chang Fei's twelve years of experience, and Chien Ch'ang's three years, the other three hosts each have twenty years of stage work under their belts. Besides impersonation, Ni Min-jan is also a talented linguist and sings popular songs in Fukienese, Taiwanese opera in Hakka, Peking opera in Suchow dialect, and Cantonese opera in English. Everything he does brings hilarity to the audience. Chang Fei is most talented with musical instruments; he can play guitar, piano, bass, trumpet, and can also sing. He can handle rock and romantic English language or Chinese songs. Hsu Feng has experience as an emcee on many other television shows and looks more respectable, so all the games on the program are hosted by him. Lo Chiang plays the chubby, comical scapegoat of the group. After some business failures, Chien Ch'ang was helped by Chang Fei to get into acting. In "Golden Co-hosts" he usually doesn't speak as much as the others, and so is a refreshing influence in this group of old hams. One of the creators of the show, Yao I-chun, explains, "The performers have confidence in their own experience, improvisation, and charisma." The writers only have to brief them on each skit, and with a simple rehearsal half an hour before the show, they are ready to go on the air. Asst. Professor Niu Ch'uan-hai of Fu Jen University says, "This kind of adlibbing is much more theatrical and is refreshing for the television audience." Although the show is popular among children, it was judged by some psychiatrists and education specialists to be in poor taste and violent, examples which could damage character development in youth. For example, Chao Hung, sociology professor at National Cheng Chi University, has written this criticism of the show: "The program combines stupidity, violence, backwardness, immorality, and inhumanity." There are some people who view it differently. Niu Ch'uan-hai says, "The standard by which to judge whether the show is good or bad should take into consideration what it is trying to accomplish." For instance, if the aim of the program is cultural elevation, and it meets this need, then it's good. But if the aim of the program is to make people laugh and forget their troubles, then "Golden Co-hosts" is one of the better of these types of programs. The criticism naturally affects the spirit of those who work on the show. "Golden Co-hosts" recently gave a charity performance to raise money for the ROC adult baseball team's trip to Japan this August in hopes of improving the program's image." Golden Co-hosts' is a career high point for the five of us on the show. Besides continuing to bring people laughs, we're going to do our best to find ways to repay society," Chang Fei says in an uncharacteristically serious mood.( Sophia Lin/photos by Chiu Sheng-wang/ tr. by Cathy Stachniak)

Lining Up

The photographer's roving eyelights on the kingdom of cosmeticsand is surprised to see la jeunesse standing in lineWho needs flowers? Their languageis less eloquent than the good earth's rich greenFish, flesh, or fowlbefore becoming a "thing of repast"stop and listen to the market's incivil clamorLamps in the temple each one a person's spiritform thousands of twinsYou hold your incense sticksI'll clutch my ace in the holeOut in the sun so longhoping to break rank and "get drunk"a thirst unquenchableConcrete building blocksstacked in a pileworking togetherto steal a last ray of sunset(photos by Chiu Sheng-wang/ text by Shun T'ien/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Computers Tackle the Classics

Will the computer break into Dream of the Red Chamber? That's not science fiction; it's the title of a lecture given by a professor of Chinese literature at the Chinese Culture University recently. The eye-opening title in fact refers to a major revolution looming for research work in Chinese history and literature: a revolution in which the computer is playing a leading role. Chinese historical and literary records are vast and voluminous. Searching through catalogs for titles, looking through books word for word, and making notes and extracts by traditional research methods is a laborious and painstaking process. Many years must be spent before writing a thesis on preparatory work alone; this, plus the continual increase in new information and materials, has been a problem of great concern to researchers in history and literature. In view of this problem, Dr. Mao Han-kuang of Academia Sinica three years ago proposed a plan for the academy's Institute of History and Philology and its Computing Center to "computerize historical records," enabling computers to manipulate historical information so as to facilitate research. Work on the plan, supported by a grant from the Council for Cultural Planning and Development, got under way in July 1984 and is expected to take six years to complete. The ultimate goal is to store the complete text of China's 25 traditional dynastic histories, around 60 million Chinese characters, onto one thin computer disk, enabling researchers to search, index, and analyze the material by software commands. The first year's task was to enter into the computer the monographs on "food and commodities" (economics) from the first eight histories, including the "balanced standard" chapter from the Shih chi, or Records of the Grand Historian. As this material was fed in, proper names, place names, official positions, book titles, special terms, dynastic dates, chapter headings, and summaries were marked with special signs so that the computer could create separate index files for each category and perform searches. For example, to find out the different duties performed during different historical periods by the official known as a shang-shu, all one has to do is to type in the two characters for shang-shu with the sign for "official title" and the computer will search the proper file and list each occurrence of the term together with the number of the volume, page, and paragraph in which it is found. Searching the 150,000 characters of the "food and commodities" chapters from the first eight histories takes the computer a little over a minute, and it leaves no omissions. The next year's task was to enter the "food and commodities" chapters from the remaining histories, along with the entire Shih chi and Han shu, or History of the Han. Seeing how laborious the job of entering and marking the text at the same time was proving for his staff, Hsieh Ch'ing-chun, the Computing Center's director, discovered a way to simplify their work by letting them type in the text straight through without marking it word by word and having the computer do the sorting and classifying for them. Last year, the system made another advance: Users can now make notes and comments on the information listed from a search and transfer it onto a disk of their own if they wish to preserve it for future reference. Computerization of historical records is an inevitable trend. As Hsieh points out, "a computer won't get tired, it's fast, and it has a low rate of erroradvantages in manipulating vast amounts of historical information which the human brain can't match. At the same time, information stored in a computer can be made available to other institutions, accelerating the interflow of knowledge." Hsieh says that his computer main frame currently can be accessed by 28 people simultaneously. All users need to do is apply to Academic Sinica for a code number, and they can hook their Chinese-language computer into the academy's by telephone using a modem. The importance of the work extends beyond the ivory tower. Huang K'o-tung, professor at Ming Chuan Women's College of Commerce who has attended many seminars on computerization overseas, takes the history of the Japanese war, of which Japan, the Chinese Communists, and Taiwan each have their own versions, as an example. When the day comes when information is processed entirely by computer, whosever historical records are computerized first and in the most detail will be accepted first. The emergence of historical truth will be controlled by the country with the most advanced computerization." If we don't pick up the pace, there may come a day when later Chinese generations learn about their own history only through the English or Japanese they see on a computer screen," he says earnestly. "That would be sad indeed!" Academia Sinica's plan to "computerize historical records" may seem to be merely another exercise in computer application, but the meaning behind it is worth pondering.( Jack Chang/photos by Vincent Chang/ tr. by Peter Eberly)

Chinese Fashion Takes the International Stage

In the wake of the International Lions Club Convention, on September 8, the Taipei World Trade Center will host the Taipei International Textile Show, an exhibition which is highly significant for ROC economic development. We are the eighth biggest textile exporting country in the world. Each year, our fabric and clothing exports surpass US$7.5 billion. Nonetheless, this is the first time we have organized an international show for the textile industry. Therefore, in order to attract overseas buyers and reporters, the organizing committee has invited not only merchants from the ROC, England, France, West Germany, Sweden, Italy, Japan, and Hong Kong, but also the internationally famous fashion designer Gunko Koshino from Japan to judge the fashion designing contest. Most of our export clothing is inexpensive, so that even though export quantities are high, profits are not as great. Moreover, it is becoming difficult to survive with competition from other developing countries. Especially this year, as the value of the NT has increased by 28 percent, which is much higher than the Korean won and Hong Kong dollar, the competition is stiff. Due to the impact of the appreciated NT, experts suggested that upper-stream, mid-stream, and lower-stream textile manufacturers help each other out through the rough period. However, the timing for this was not ideal because Japan disposed of five million spindles this year creating a worldwide fiber shortage. Textile manufacturers didn't have to worry about overstocked inventories; why would they want to share the advantage with clothing exporters? Thus, experts came up with another idea" Improve management, increase production, and quality control." Mr. Y. S. Kang, executive vice-president of Chung Shing Textile Co., points out that clothes still require heavy labor, even with automation and computerized patterns. Also, for a given product, our labor cost is ten times that of mainland China or Bangladesh. How can we compete on price? Kang believes the thing to do now is to design fashion. What if competitors copy our style? Answers Mr. Kang, "Leading fashion is important in the clothing business. Copiers are always one step behind the trend. So if we can establish our own brand and lead, it will be the best strategy." Designing our own styles and brand names has been suggested for many years. But why have so few companies taken the lead? According to one expert, Chinese management prefers to invest in machinery rather than advertising. Machinery is tangible and produces tangible results, whereas the returns on advertising are more difficult to perceive and measure. Moreover, a one page advertisement in Vogue magazine runs for US$30,000. Other problems are the expense required to train designers and develop marketing channels. Despite the difficulties, there are still many ambitious and far-sighted merchants, such as Chung Shing Textiles. They developed a brand called "Green Line" in Los Angeles four years ago which is manufactured in Taiwan and designed by Westerners. Kang explains, "I think design reflects culture, and the styles designed by easterners might not appeal to Westerners. This is a new line, and using famous Western designers has help to promote it." At first, some of the discount chain stores wanted to purchase this line, but the firm sacrificed this business in order to establish a more high-quality image. Because of the high living standard in Taiwan, the domestic product is high-quality. Whenever, students return home from overseas, or business men visit they are all surprised by the high quality and prices of clothing in Taiwan. Many designers in Taiwan are interested in having large companies export for them. For example, take Carson Huang who graduated first in her class at Parsons School of Design. Two years ago, her work was admired by the general manager of Sunrise Department Store. A line designed by her and under her label, but backed by Sunrise has entered the international high-quality clothing market. Many merchants think this unwise because if a designer switches firms after the label becomes well-known, what then? But Carson Huang thinks this is nonsense. She says, "To get support from a financial group is a designer's dream, Money-making is not the primary motive; having the support to do high-quality work is paramount. Why don't the designers and financial backers work together to elevate the image of Taiwan clothing products?" Maybe this is the direction that Taiwan's textile industry should be working towards. At this international show in September, fifteen ROC designers will be asked to design ten pieces of clothing each with the theme of the "essence of modern China." Mr. Lu Fong-chih, another well-known designer in the ROC, points out that the goal is to make Taipei a fashion capital. But, with so many places in the world where you can buy high-quality clothing, we won't succeed unless our product is unique. Carson Huang adds, "European design follows the lines of the body; Japanese design is a shape itself into which the body is fitted. What will be the essence of our design?" Says Mr. Lu animatedly, "The essence of Chinese fashion is not just the high collar of the ch'i-p'ao or the combination of red and green. To find this essence will also require the contributions of the intellectual and artistic communities here. China has a long tradition and comprises one fifth of the world's population. Isn't it embarrassing if we don't have our own unique images?" The textile show in September is starting soon, and perhaps we won't have discovered this essence in time for it, but there is always the next show. At least now, our designers are pondering the problem and the essence is beginning to materialize.( Elaine Chen/photos by Chiu Sheng-wang/ tr. by Cathy Stachniak)

Chung Shan Medical College

Chung Shan is one of the three pillars of the medical community in Central and South Taiwan, along with China Medical College and Kaohsiung Medical College. While not the most famous medical school in Taiwan, Chung Shan has long been on the front lines of providing medical practitioners to the community. As one student said, "Although Chung Shan has relatively little scholarly authority, in taking care of the common people it takes a back seat to no one." This fact naturally is connected to how the school developed. Chung Shan originally started out as a dental school. It was in the 1950's, when oral hygiene was not yet a major concern and dental schools were few in Taiwan, that the dentist Chou Ju-chuan decided to set up the Chung Shan Dental College, which was to begin admitting students through the examination system in 1960. Unfortunately, many of the original backers who had hoped to get their relatives and friends into the school pulled out when it was decided to use the exam system to admit students. Even the land for the school was taken back. Undeterred, Dr. Chou, his brother Chou Ju-nan, and his wife Chou Chang Pu put together a small bit of land at personal sacrifice and went ahead anyway. Aside from the then newly-built Chang Pu building, the school had only a few aged structures crowded onto seven small hectares. The school lacked plumbing, dorms, bookstores, and specialized equipment. Unable to survive as only a dental school, Chung Shan added a medical curriculum in 1962. A midwifery nursing curriculum was added in 1965 and courses in medical technology in 1966. Still, as a private school where students have to pay greater tuition, it remained difficult to attract the best talent. This gloomy situation continued until 1972, when the well-known medical educator and authority on anatomy and histology Ts'ai Tzu-li agreed to head the school. Under Ts'ai's guidance, and building on the departments of anatomy and histology, the school's situation rapidly improved. Ts'ai brought in several of his former students to head up key departments, including Cheng Ming-hsiung (Anatomy), Chou Teh-cheng, and Liao Ke-kang (Electron Microscopy). Ts'ai also coaxed a large number of local doctors to enter Chung Shan's affiliated hospital. In 1977 the school's name was changed to the Chung Shan Medical and Dental College. After the name change, the school expanded rapidly, from having only Departments of Medicine and Dentistry (others having been temporarily suspended), to include the Departments of Medical Technology (1979), Nursing (1980), Nutrition (1981), and Rehabilitative Medicine (1985). Though still small at 2,500 students, and under certain objective limitations, Chung Shan has followed a strategy of developing key areas. Thus Chung Shan excels in Dentistry, Anatomy, and Biology. As for dentistry, the Chung Shan hospital has its own, independent building devoted to dental care, including two large outpatient departments further subdivided into eight separate specialties. Of special interest is Chung Shan's "Oral Hygiene Team," which visits Taichung middle and primary schools every Monday morning to educate children about oral hygiene. As for anatomy, NT$15 million has been spent to build an electron microscopy room; and Taiwan's first Tissue Culture Research Center has been set up. The biology course includes a cell genetics laboratory. This lab receives a lot of work from hospitals doing examinations of chromosomes for pregnant women, as well as research about abnormal chromosomes. Like all private schools in Taiwan, Chung Shan has a chronic shortage of funds and people. But students and faculty find ways around these problems, such as frequently inviting guest lecturers to come on weekends. Another problems is that because Chung Shan's place on the examination list is not high, about 10 percent of the students leave for other professions. But those who stay are dedicated. Though small, Chung Shan has 33 student organizations and six departmental associations. Besides the campus-wide publications, each organization or association puts out things on a regular or irregular basis, creating a lively publishing atmosphere. There are also at least seven dances each semester, one sponsored by the school and one each by the six departments. The key to Chung Shan's ability to break through limitations imposed by objective conditions has been the spirit of hard work, of self-reliance, and of critical self-examination. And hard work pays off. Last year over 90 percent of Chung Shan's graduates passed the medical boards. And a new, second affiliated hospital with 200 beds will open in August. It is because, as the President of the Association of the Department of Medicine says, "Chung Shan people really love Chung Shan, and have confidence," that a vigorous future for this school is more than just a dream.( Laura Li/photos by Ch'iu Sheng-wang/ tr. by Phil Newell)