Input: Today in Zhongnanhai, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the country and honorary President of China's Red Cross, Zemin Jiang met with representatives of the 6th National Member Congress of China's Red Cross, and expressed warm greetings to the 20 million hardworking members on behalf of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and State Council.

Today

Zhongnanhai

China

China

the Communist Party of China

Red Cross

Red Cross

the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

State Council

Zemin Jiang

National Member Congress

20 million


Input: Zemin Jiang said, the China's Red Cross is an international social aid organization engaged in humanitarian works, and for the past ninety years has done lots of good works for the people and made a lot of contributions to the development of the country, in accordance to the basic principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.

Zemin Jiang

China

Red Cross

Red Cross

Red Crescent

the past ninety years


Input: It has won the respect and support of the masses through real action.


Input: Zemin Jiang said, Red Cross work is honorable social work and has positive accelerative effects on the building up of socialist material civilization and spiritual culture.

Zemin Jiang

Red Cross


Input: Since the reform and opening - up, the Chinese Red Cross has launched effective humanitarian works in accordance to new implementation demands.

Chinese

Red Cross


Input: It has produced broad, beneficial influences on society, creating a new road of Red Cross development with Chinese characteristics.

Red Cross

Chinese


Input: Vice President Yiren Rong, Qicheng Qian, Peiyun Peng, Zhengying Qian, etc. attended the meeting.

Yiren Rong

Qicheng Qian

Peiyun Peng

Zhengying Qian


Input: State Council Premier Peng Li, who is on an overseas visit, sent a congratulatory letter to the meeting.

Peng Li


Input: In his congratulatory letter Peng Li said, the Chinese Red Cross was a very important humanitarian organization

Peng Li

Chinese

Red Cross


Input: In the past 90 years, especially since the formation of the new China, it has demonstrated important effects in the communications between the Chinese people and the people of the world.

the past 90 years

China


Input: He hoped that the work of the Chinese Red Cross would flourish and develop further.

Chinese

Red Cross


Input: He hoped that society as a whole and all levels of government would express concern and support this honorable work.


Input: Zemin Jiang, Peng Li, Shi Qiao, Huaqing Liu, etc. also wrote words of appreciation for the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Chinese Red Cross and the concurrent 6th National Congress.

Zemin Jiang

Peng Li

Shi Qiao

Huaqing Liu

Chinese

Red Cross

National Congress


Input: -LRB- End -RRB-


Input: Xinhua News Agency, London, August 31st, by reporter Hao Liu

Xinhua News Agency

London

August 31st

Hao Liu


Input: British Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 31st that the UK would send a frigate, a supply ship and military training personnel to join the multi-national force led by the US for the invasion of Haiti.

British Ministry of Foreign Affairs

the 31st

UK

US

Haiti


Input: It was reported that before this the five nations of the Caribbean Union had already agreed on the 30th to send troops totaling 266 people to Haiti to join the multi-national force that had a total of about 10,000 people.

five

about 10,000

the Caribbean Union

the 30th

Haiti


Input: Also, according to reports, United Nations Secretary General Ghali expressed on the 30th that, the peace effort by the UN trying to persuade the Haitian military government to step down had already failed because military rulers of Haiti had refused to meet with his special envoy.

United Nations

UN

Ghali

the 30th

Haitian

Haiti


Input: On the same day, vice-minister of the US Department of Defense Doetch said that the multi-national force would soon invade Haiti, " This moment has already arrived ".

the same day

US

Haiti

Department of Defense

Doetch


Input: The UNSC made the decision at the end of July to adopt " all necessary measures " to regain the authority of Haitian President Aristide who was overthrown by the military.

UNSC

the end of July

Haitian

Aristide


Input: -LRB- End -RRB-


Input: Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 1st, by reporter Yuming Gai

Xinhua News Agency

Beijing

September 1st

Yuming Gai


Input: When meeting representatives from some regions of the nation attending the militia and reserve work conference at Zhongnanhai today, the General Secretary of the CCP, president of the country and president of the Military Commission of the Central Committee Zemin Jiang, stressed that, local party committees, governments and military departments of all levels should focus attention on the overall situation of the work of the whole party and whole country and the country's long term peace and stability, and recognize the importance of improving militia and reserve work.

Zhongnanhai

today

CCP

the Military Commission of the Central Committee

Zemin Jiang


Input: Zemin Jiang pointed out that, the militia are citizens as well as soldiers.

Zemin Jiang


Input: It is not only an important force that safeguards the safety of the country and maintains the unity of our country, but is also an important force that maintains the stability of society and promotes two civilized constructions.

two


Input: Various levels of the local party committees, governments and military departments should fully muster enthusiasm and creativity of the mass militia and reserve troop officers, should make contributions to deepening reforms, promoting development and maintaining stability.


Input: All troops should provide reliable safety guarantees for reforms, development and stability, and actively participate in local economic construction and work hard to promote the common prosperity of all races.


Input: They should strengthen unity between the troops and the government and unity between the troops and the people, truly achieving commonality, a common fate and a linking of hearts with people of all races.


Input: Huaqing Liu, vice president of the Military Commission of the CCP, Wannian Zhang, Military Commission member, Yongbo Yu, Quanyou Fu and leaders of the three headquarters of the PLA and the Central Office of the Military Commission attended the meeting.

Huaqing Liu

Wannian Zhang

Yongbo Yu

Quanyou Fu

the Military Commission of the CCP

Military Commission

PLA

the Central Office of the Military Commission

three


Input: -LRB- End -RRB-


Input: Xinhua News Agency, Madrid, August 31st, by reporter Tairan Hu

Xinhua News Agency

Madrid

August 31st

Tairan Hu


Input: A Spanish left - wing group and 36 other mass organizations issued a joint communique on August 31st, strongly denouncing the various measures adopted by the US to strengthen its blockade against Cuba.

Spanish

August 31st

US

Cuba


Input: The communique points out that the US government's " adopted these measures, the purpose of which is to create an atmosphere of anxiety within -LRB- Cuba -RRB- so as to further aggravate opposition among the people and to provide an excuse for foreign intervention and military occupation of this island. "

US

Cuba


Input: The communique holds that methods such as forbidding overseas Cubans residing in America from remitting money and mailing articles to their families in Cuba, and sending Cuban stowaways detained on the high seas to the Guantanamo naval base, etc. is to put pressure on the Cuban government and attempt to damage and postpone Cuba's economic recovery process.

Cubans

Cuban

Cuban

America

Cuba

Guantanamo

Cuba


Input: The communique also points out that the establishment of " refugee camps " at Guantanamo by the US violates international agreements on the use of military bases.

Guantanamo

US


Input: The communique requests that the US respect the territorial integrity of Cuba, return the Guantanamo military base to Cuba, and immediately stop the blockade.

US

Cuba

Guantanamo

Cuba


Input: It also requests that Cuba and the US implement " full negotiations ".

Cuba

US


Input: -LRB- End -RRB-


Input: Taiwan News Holds Seminar on Cross-Strait Relations

Taiwan News


Input: The biggest story of the year in Taiwan has naturally been the changing of the guard at the presidential palace as a result of the Democratic Progressive Party -LRB- DPP -RRB- victory in the election on 18 March.

Taiwan

Democratic Progressive Party

DPP

18 March


Input: Jin Zhong, president and editor - in - chief of Hong Kong's OPEN magazine, which specializes in political reporting and commentary, spent an entire week in Taiwan observing the election campaign and its aftermath, and on 20 March, OPEN organized a seminar titled " The New President and Cross-Strait Relations. "

Jin Zhong

Hong Kong's

OPEN

OPEN

20 March

The New President and Cross-Strait Relations


Input: The seminar was held in cooperation with Taiwan News, one of the island's oldest English - language newspapers -LRB- known until last year as the China News -RRB-.

Taiwan News

the China News

one

English

last year


Input: The KMT ticket finished nearly 14 percentage points behind independent candidate James Soong and pulled in fully two million votes fewer than the DPP ticket, a margin of defeat which Jin Zhong described in his opening remarks as stunning.

KMT

DPP

14 percentage points

James Soong

Jin Zhong

two million


Input: When Chinese Communist premier Zhu Rongji made belligerent remarks a few days before the election in an effort to scare voters away from the DPP ticket, the ruling party made a grievous mistake, opined Jin, when it failed to come out strongly critical of Zhu and attempted instead to capitalize on the incident by playing the " fear card. "

Chinese

Communist

Zhu Rongji

Jin

Zhu

a few days

DPP


Input: At the same time, however, winning candidate Chen Shui - bian captured only 39% of the vote, which translates to a weak mandate.

Chen Shui - bian


Input: As a result, he must take a moderate line that stresses inter-party cooperation.


Input: He will have to include a wide range of people in his government, keep a low profile, guard against any temptation to grow imperious in power, and strive to be a president of all the people.


Input: As for mainland China's saber - rattling, Jin argued that there is no need for undue concern.

China

Jin


Input: Stated Jin, " The consequences would be too severe.

Jin


Input: It's not like Taiwan is without any means of retaliation.

Taiwan


Input: Are the mainland authorities really prepared to see Hong Kong and Shanghai go up in flames? "

Hong Kong

Shanghai


Input: There are other perspectives on cross-strait relations, of course.


Input: The seminar participants basically fell into three camps on future prospects.

three


Input: Some were highly optimistic, others were guardedly optimistic, and a third group argued that the crystal ball has gone cloudy.

third


Input: Perhaps the most optimistic view was expressed by Ruan Ming, a visiting professor at Tamkang University's Department of China Studies who in the 1980s was an assistant to former Chinese Communist Secretary General Hu Yaobang.

Ruan Ming

Hu Yaobang

Tamkang University's

Department of China Studies

Chinese

Communist


Input: Ruan stated that Beijing's basic position on Taiwan has not changed at all since the days of Deng Xiaoping.

Ruan

Deng Xiaoping

Beijing

Taiwan


Input: " There's nothing new in what they're saying. "


Input: The only thing the Chinese Communists are saying, says Ruan, is that they will attack " if Taiwan makes any sort of formal move toward independence, " and Taiwan has no need to formalize anything because changing the country's name would be meaningless.

Chinese

Communists

Ruan

Taiwan

Taiwan


Input: " No matter what you call yourself, people are still going to call you Taiwan.

Taiwan


Input: It's just like in England - the official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but nobody calls it that.

England

the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland


Input: And there's no need to going around shouting,' We're a country! We're a country!'


Input: Who in the international community does that? "


Input: Pragmatism, please


Input: " Taiwan needs to be more pragmatic, " says Ruan, " just like the mainland. "

Taiwan

Ruan


Input: They made a lot of noise ahead of the election trying to sway votes, but once the election was over they backpedaled quickly with the simple statement, " We'll wait and see what they say and do. "


Input: The attitude with them, in Ruan's view, is very pragmatic.

Ruan


Input: Ruan is optimistic about cross-strait relations under the new regime, and states, " Chen Shui - bian is best positioned to improve cross-strait relations. "

Ruan

Chen Shui - bian


Input: He likens Chen to the staunchly anti-communist Richard Nixon, who was able to normalize ties with the Chinese Communists precisely because he was trusted by the American people.

Chen

Richard Nixon

the Chinese Communists

American


Input: Similarly, when Chen Shui - bian negotiates with Beijing, no one will worry about him selling Taiwan down the river.

Chen Shui - bian

Beijing

Taiwan


Input: The noted political commentator Chin Heng - wei, chief editor of Taiwan's Contemporary Monthly, agreed strongly with Ruan's comments, and added, " In this election the people of Taiwan were even more concerned about domestic issues than they were about cross-strait relations. "

Chin Heng - wei

Ruan

Taiwan

Taiwan

Contemporary Monthly


Input: The most pressing issues facing the new president are education, the environment, " black gold " politics -LRB- murky connections between the worlds of politics, business, and organized crime -RRB-, and crime fighting.


Input: When Nobel laureate Lee Yuan - tseh came out in support of Chen Shui - bian, implying that the DPP represented " the progressive forces in society, " Chen's support jumped immediately upward.

Nobel

Lee Yuan - tseh

Chen Shui - bian

Chen

DPP


Input: Virtually everyone at the seminar was in agreement that it is neither advisable nor necessary to seek a quick solution to the cross-strait issue, and that Taiwan need only avoid stirring up Chinese nationalism.

Taiwan

Chinese


Input: Wei Chengsi -LRB- news director at ATV news in Hong Kong and a former director of policy research in the public relations department of the municipal party committee in Shanghai -RRB- emphasized the fluid nature of Beijing's policy on Taiwan.

Wei Chengsi

ATV

Hong Kong

Shanghai

Beijing

Taiwan


Input: He feels that the mainland authorities face many more pressing issues than Taiwan, and that the current tension basically stems from President Lee Teng - hui's pronouncement on state - to - state relations.

Taiwan

Lee Teng - hui


Input: Having been through the Tiananmen massacre, Wei felt compelled to warn the people of Taiwan, " You absolutely must not think the way the students did in Beijing in'89.

the Tiananmen massacre

Wei

Taiwan

Beijing


Input: You must not think that' the communists won't attack because the US won't let them,' and then go out of your way to provoke them to where they no longer have an out.

US


Input: Under the wrong circumstances, failure to display strong Chinese nationalism could spell political suicide for a Communist Party leader, and he might well decide,' To hell with the US and economic development, I've got to attack if I'm to stay in power.'

Chinese

Communist Party

US


Input: That would be an incredible disaster. "


Input: Chiu Hsiang - chung, chief editor of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, also advocated cautious optimism.

Chiu Hsiang - chung

the Hong Kong Economic Journal


Input: In his view, there has been no fundamental change in the cross-strait relationship, but he listed a few variables that bear close watching.


Input: The first is the combination of nationalism and Jiang Zemin's desire to serve another term as Secretary General of the Communist Party and make his mark on history.

first

Jiang Zemin's

the Communist Party


Input: Could he attempt to use nationalism to further his ambition?


Input: Second, the People's Liberation Army hopes to parlay the Taiwan issue into increased influence in domestic politics.

Second

the People's Liberation Army

Taiwan


Input: Third, Taiwan could make mistakes and give the Chinese Communists an excuse for military action.

Third

Taiwan

the Chinese Communists


Input: And a fourth factor is the wishy - washy American support for Taiwan.

fourth

American

Taiwan


Input: If all of these variables combined in the wrong way, the military authorities could make a miscalculation that would lead to war.


Input: When hawk meets hawk


Input: Chou Chi - ping -LRB- senior advisor at Business Weekly -RRB- and Tseng Fu - sheng -LRB- general secretary of the KMT's Department of Mainland Operations -RRB- felt that the future of cross-strait relations is still up in the air.

Chou Chi - ping

Tseng Fu - sheng

Business Weekly

KMT

Department of Mainland Operations


Input: Chou, as a former official with the Straits Exchange Foundation, has had direct dealings with the Chinese Communists.

Chou

the Straits Exchange Foundation

the Chinese Communists


Input: He argued that the DPP's view of the mainland has always been colored by ideology, and thus take a dim view of the other side.

DPP


Input: It is true, acknowledges Chou, that Chen Shui - bian has changed his basic stance and now says that he " will not change the country's name, declare independence, or seek to enshrine the state - to - state principle in the constitution. "

Chou

Chen Shui - bian


Input: It is also true that Lee Yuan - tseh -LRB- who is highly respected in the mainland for his academic achievements -RRB- has vouched for the sensibility of Chen's approach to cross-strait relations.

Lee Yuan - tseh

Chen


Input: And yes, once again, it is true that the Chinese Communists have muted their rhetoric considerably.

the Chinese Communists


Input: Nevertheless, the two sides view each other with suspicion.

two


Input: If the Chinese Communists conclude that Taiwan's leadership has dropped its insistence on formal independence only to pursue a policy that includes de facto independence as its aim, Chou argued that this will introduce a note of uncertainty into the relationship.

the Chinese Communists

Taiwan

Chou


Input: Tseng Fu - sheng feels that Taiwan should claim the high ground by holding up its experience in democratization as an example for the Chinese Communists.

Tseng Fu - sheng

Taiwan

the Chinese Communists


Input: Says Tseng, " Reunification depends entirely on whether China can democratize. "

China


Input: His biggest worry is that the deep gulf between the DPP and the mainland authorities could cause them to misread each other.

DPP


Input: He stressed that there are both doves and hawks on all sides of the trilateral relationship between Beijing, Washington, and Taipei.

Beijing

Washington

Taipei


Input: If the hawks gained the upper hand at the same time in all three capitals, opined Tseng, the result could be war.

Tseng


Input: The seminar attendants also examined Taiwan's domestic situation.

Taiwan


Input: Versatile author and cultural commentator Ping Lu offered some very incisive comments regarding the post-election protests outside the KMT headquarters.

Ping Lu

KMT


Input: In demanding that Lee Teng - hui resign as chairman of the KMT to take responsibility for the election defeat, Ping -LRB- herself a second - generation " mainlander " -RRB- argued that the protest revealed an ethnic fault line in Taiwanese society.

Lee Teng - hui

Ping

KMT

Taiwanese


Input: It was a venting of mass frustration on the part of one particular ethnic group, said Ping, noting that most of the protesters were mainlanders.

Ping


Input: This group feels a loss of status, for during the many decades of KMT rule they have always thought of themselves as a privileged " majority " in Taiwan even though in fact they are a minority.

KMT

Taiwan


Input: They do not identify with Taiwan as their home, and they have an unconscious feeling of superiority vis - a - vis the local majority.

Taiwan


Input: In some ways the election has forced them to realize that they truly are a minority.


Input: This development should help to bring about long - lasting ethnic harmony in Taiwan.

Taiwan


Input: The participants generally felt that the election was a victory for democracy.


Input: On the domestic front, the victory of Chen Shui - bian showed that people want more democracy, greater respect for human rights, and a more serious effort to banish " black gold " from the political arena.

Chen Shui - bian


Input: In cross-strait relations Chen's victory spells the end of an era in which the cross-strait relationship was conducted within the framework of a civil war between he KMT and the Chinese Communist Party.

Chen

KMT

the Chinese Communist Party


Input: Reform of the KMT and the formation of a new political party by James Soong will also improve the political system in Taiwan.

KMT

James Soong

Taiwan


Input: It appears that the people of Taiwan have finally taken their first bold step into an era of true democracy, and a mature political system is no longer a distant prospect.

Taiwan

first


Input: President Chen Travels Abroad

President Chen Travels Abroad


Input: -LRB- Chang Chiung - fang / tr. by David Mayer -RRB-

Chang Chiung - fang

David Mayer


Input: President Chen Shui - bian visited the Nicaraguan National Assembly on August 17, where he received a medal from the president of the assembly, Ivan Escobar Fornos.

Chen Shui - bian

Ivan Escobar Fornos

the Nicaraguan National Assembly

August 17


Input: -LRB- photo by Wu Chi - chang, Central News Agency -RRB-

Wu Chi - chang

Central News Agency


Input: On August 25 President Chen Shui - bian wrapped up his first overseas trip since taking office, swinging through three countries in Latin America and another three in Africa.

August 25

Chen Shui - bian

first

three

three

Latin America

Africa


Input: While in the Dominican Republic to attend the inauguration of President Hipolito Mejia, Chen had a chance to meet with the leaders of many different nations.

the Dominican Republic

Hipolito Mejia

Chen


Input: The president signed joint communiques with Nicaragua, Gambia, and Chad, and agreed to provide US$ 4.6 million worth of loans to the Dominican Republic to serve as a guarantee to help the latter secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund.

Nicaragua

Gambia

Chad

the Dominican Republic

US$ 4.6 million

the International Monetary Fund


Input: " We can not use pressure from Beijing as an excuse for our diplomatic setbacks, " said Chen, who used concrete actions to demonstrate to ROC's allies that our country has no intention of pulling back from its diplomatic partnerships; on the contrary, the ROC will be working even harder than before.

Beijing

ROC

ROC

Chen


Input: Chen Shui - bian left on August 13 for a 13 - day trip that included state visits to the Latin American nations of the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, as well as the west African nations of Gambia, Burkina Faso, and Chad.

Chen Shui - bian

the Dominican Republic

Nicaragua

Costa Rica

Gambia

Burkina Faso

Chad

August 13

13 - day

Latin American

west African


Input: Before boarding the plane on the 13th, Chen Shui - bian delivered a short speech in which he stated, " Taiwan must stand up and be counted. "

Chen Shui - bian

Taiwan


Input: The purpose of this trip, said Chen, is to share Taiwan's experiences with other countries, and he also indicated the hope that this trip would help to solidify Taiwan's diplomatic relations.

Chen

Taiwan

Taiwan


Input: The entourage was the largest ever to accompany an ROC president abroad, and included: Chuang Ming - yao -LRB- secretary - general, National Security Council -RRB-, Tien Hung - mao -LRB- minister of foreign affairs -RRB-, Lin Hsin - yi -LRB- minister of economic affairs -RRB-, Chen Po - chih -LRB- chairman, Council of Economic Planning and Development -RRB-, Chen Hsi - huang -LRB- chairman, Council of Agriculture -RRB-, Chung Chin -LRB- head of the Government Information Office -RRB-, Jeffrey Koo -LRB- chairman of the National Association of Industry and Commerce -RRB-, Wang Yu - tseng -LRB- chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce of the ROC -RRB-, and Lin Kun - chung -LRB- chairman of the Chinese National Federation of Industries -RRB-.

ROC

Chuang Ming - yao

Tien Hung - mao

Lin Hsin - yi

Chen Po - chih

Chen Hsi - huang

Chung Chin

Jeffrey Koo

Wang Yu - tseng

Lin Kun - chung

National Security Council

Council of Economic Planning and Development

Council of Agriculture

the Government Information Office

the National Association of Industry and Commerce

the General Chamber of Commerce of the ROC

the Chinese National Federation of Industries


Input: There were also many legislators in the delegation, including Hung Chi - chang, Helen Chu, Feng Ting - kuo, and Li Yin - yun.

Hung Chi - chang

Helen Chu

Feng Ting - kuo

Li Yin - yun


Input: -LRB- Li is soon to assume a position as deputy director of the ROC diplomatic post in Washington, DC. -RRB-

Li

ROC

Washington, DC


Input: The total size of the delegation came to nearly 200 people, including more than 50 journalists.


Input: The president kept to a very tight schedule during the trip.


Input: After a brief stopover in Los Angeles on the 13th, Chen continued on and reached the Dominican Republic on the 14th.

Los Angeles

the Dominican Republic

Chen


Input: He attended the presidential inauguration there on the 16th, and was able to meet with the leaders and representatives of friendly nations from around the world.


Input: On the 17th he continued on to Nicaragua, where he met with President Arnoldo Aleman and delivered a speech to the Nicaraguan National Assembly.

Nicaragua

Arnoldo Aleman

the Nicaraguan National Assembly


Input: On the 18th, presidents Chen and Aleman signed a joint communique before Chen Shui - bian departed for Costa Rica, where he received the Great Cross of Juan Mora Fernandez, a gold medal which is the nation's highest award.

Chen

Aleman

Chen Shui - bian

Costa Rica

the Great Cross of Juan Mora Fernandez


Input: On the 20th he flew across the Atlantic Ocean to Gambia to meet with Gambian President Yahya Jameh before heading on to Burkina Faso and a dinner with President Blaise Compaore.

the Atlantic Ocean

Gambia

Burkina Faso

Gambian

Yahya Jameh

Blaise Compaore


Input: On the 23rd Chen delivered a speech to the Gambian parliament.

Chen

the Gambian parliament


Input: The next stop on the itinerary was Chad, where Chen dined with Chad's President Idris Debi.

Chad

Chad

Chen

Idris Debi


Input: On the 25th Chen and Debi signed a joint communique and held a press conference before heading back to Taiwan slightly ahead of schedule to oversee efforts to deal with the powerful Typhoon Bilis.

Chen

Debi

Taiwan

Typhoon Bilis


Input: Chen's stopover in Los Angeles was a sensitive subject, for Chen had originally planned an informal meeting with several members of the US Congress.

Chen

Chen

Los Angeles

the US Congress


Input: After furious protests from Beijing and discouragement from the US State Department, however, Chen canceled the plan just the day before arriving in Los Angeles.

Beijing

Los Angeles

the US State Department

Chen

the day before


Input: A crowd of 500 to 600 Taiwanese living in the United States showed up to greet the president at his hotel and protest against the US government's " caving in to Beijing at the expense of Taiwan. "

Taiwanese

the United States

Beijing

Taiwan

the US government's


Input: When Chen arrived on the 14th in the Dominican Republic, he was greeted at the airport by over 100 representatives of the Taiwanese business community there, and more than 700 Taiwanese residents threw a party for the president that night at his hotel.

Chen

the Dominican Republic

Taiwanese

Taiwanese


Input: The next day, Chen took advantage of the upcoming presidential inauguration to meet with leaders from a number of countries with which the ROC has diplomatic relations, including the vice-president of El Salvador and the second vice president of Panama.

Chen

ROC

El Salvador

Panama


Input: On the 16th Chen attended the inauguration of President Hipolito Mejia.

Chen

Hipolito Mejia


Input: The ROC contingent was larger than any other at the ceremony.

ROC


Input: The ROC currently has diplomatic relations with 29 countries, half of which are located in Latin America and the Caribbean.

ROC

Latin America

Caribbean


Input: In recent years, however, mainland China has continually upgraded its trade links with the ROC's diplomatic partners.

China

ROC


Input: The allegiance of a number of these countries may be put to the test in the coming years by various political and economic considerations.


Input: In the case of the Dominican Republic, for example, supporters of President Mejia announced to the media on the eve of President Chen's arrival that mainland China was planning to build a large thermal power plant in their country.

the Dominican Republic

China

Mejia

Chen


Input: In addition, the Dominican Republic is seeking a seat on the UN Security Council in 2002, and will certainly be lobbying for Beijing's support.

the Dominican Republic

Beijing

the UN Security Council


Input: This situation could affect relations with Taiwan.

Taiwan


Input: On the bright side, Taiwan has scored a few points of its own in this diplomatic tug of war.

Taiwan


Input: When Chen arrived in Costa Rica on the 18th, his hosts departed from the pattern of the past few years by promising to support the ROC s bid for membership in the United Nations.

Chen

Costa Rica

ROC

the past few years

the United Nations


Input: Costa Rica's President Miguel Rodriguez also accompanied President Chen on a tour of a Taiwanese export processing zone, an orchid farm run by Taiwan Sugar Corporation, and a vocational training school.

Costa Rica's

Miguel Rodriguez

Chen

Taiwanese

Taiwan Sugar Corporation


Input: President Chen departed on the 20th for Africa, where the ROC has eight diplomatic partners.

Chen

Africa

ROC


Input: Chen Shui - bian is the first ROC president ever to travel to western Africa.

Chen Shui - bian

first

ROC

western Africa


Input: There is little two - way trade between Taiwan and any of the three countries on Chen's African itinerary.

two

three

Taiwan

Chen

African


Input: Instead, agricultural and economic assistance constitute the mainstays of our diplomatic ties with these countries.


Input: Taiwanese agricultural specialists stationed in Burkina Faso have converted 1,000 hectares of desert to arable land, while Taiwanese specialists sent to Gambia have successfully transplanted tomatoes, green beans, okra, and various leafy vegetables from Taiwan and raised them on Gambian soil.

Taiwanese

Taiwanese

Gambian

Burkina Faso

Gambia

Taiwan

1,000 hectares


Input: In addition to this type of technical assistance, Taiwan has also assisted with various infrastructure projects.

Taiwan


Input: Taiwan's most notable contribution to Gambia's infrastructure is the main terminal at the airport.

Taiwan

Gambia


Input: Gambian President Yahya Jameh declared his support for admission of the ROC to the United Nations, and as a gesture of goodwill declared that all holders of ROC passports would henceforth automatically be granted 90 - day landing visas upon arrival in Gambia.

Gambian

Yahya Jameh

ROC

ROC

Gambia

the United Nations

90 - day


Input: President Chen's trip yielded many positive results and generated a lot of very favorable media coverage, but it was not problem - free.

Chen


Input: First, as the president was preparing to depart Taiwan, the Nicaraguan foreign minister publicly called upon the ROC to make good on the previous administration's promise of US$ 100 million in assistance.

First

Taiwan

ROC

Nicaraguan

US$ 100 million


Input: This remark sparked controversy in Taiwan, where some accused the new government of pursuing the same " checkbook diplomacy " practiced by its predecessor.

Taiwan


Input: Chen Shui - bian responded that while the new administration has not made plans for any new promises of foreign aid, neither will it fail to honor the promises made by its predecessor.

Chen Shui - bian


Input: Foreign Minister Tien Hung - mao stated that the purpose of Chen's trip was to consolidate Taiwan's diplomatic ties, and to strengthen friendships by building upon the existing foundation.

Tien Hung - mao

Chen

Taiwan


Input: Tien stressed that the president would not sign any new foreign aid agreements.

Tien


Input: President Chen received a very warm welcome in Nicaragua, but the local press still mentioned " checkbook diplomacy " in reporting on the visit.

Chen

Nicaragua


Input: The ROC's ambassador to Nicaragua, Antonio Tsai, bluntly argued in a briefing with Chen that Taiwan's foreign assistance to Nicaragua was being misused.

ROC

Nicaragua

Taiwan

Nicaragua

Antonio Tsai

Chen


Input: According to Tsai, the assistance has been used to build a presidential palace and a new headquarters for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Tsai

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs


Input: Opposition politicians charge that the aid has done nothing for everyday people, and Western nations have also been critical.

Western


Input: A second problem connected with the trip was the question of who would act in the president's stead while he was out of the country.

second


Input: Concern over this issue prompted President Chen to state before his departure that he would remain commander - in - chief of the military forces, and that he would maintain hot lines to every cabinet - level agency.

Chen


Input: The president said that there was no need for an acting president because he had taken painstaking precautions to ensure domestic political stability during his absence.


Input: So is Taiwan's diplomacy a way of giving back to the international community?

Taiwan


Input: Or is it checkbook diplomacy?


Input: Ambassador - without - portfolio Lu Yi - cheng wrote an article in which he argued that foreign aid has always been universally recognized as a regular tool of diplomacy as well as a humanitarian necessity, and there is no reason why Taiwan should have to steer clear of it.

Lu Yi - cheng

Taiwan


Input: He pointed out that the world's developed nations spend an average of 0.24% of GNP on foreign aid, as opposed to 0.17% in Taiwan's case.

Taiwan


Input: In view of Taiwan's economic strength, argued Lu, our foreign aid expenditures need not be reduced; in fact, they should even be raised somewhat.

Taiwan

Lu


Input: The ROC has been criticized a lot in recent years for pursuing checkbook diplomacy, so there was no surprise when this issue cropped up in connection with the president's trip.

ROC


Input: The question of an acting president, however, has never before been a matter of concern.


Input: This situation is to some degree a reflection of the fact that the public still has doubts about the new administration's ability to govern.


Input: This is an important point that is worth keeping in mind.


Input: Paralympics Offer Stage for Taiwan Performers

Paralympics

Taiwan


Input: Closing ceremonies for the 2000 Sydney Paralympics were held on October 29.

October 29

Sydney

Paralympics


Input: Nearly 4000 athletes from more than one hundred and twenty countries participated.

Nearly 4000

more than one hundred and twenty


Input: This event, a manifestation of the ideal that " the flame burns in the body, mind, and spirit of every individual, " broke down international barriers and was an admirable example of the global village in operation.


Input: The ROC team took one gold, two silvers, and four bronzes, marking the first time any Taiwan athlete has returned from an Olympic games with a gold.

ROC

Taiwan

one

two

four

first

an Olympic games


Input: Also, as part of the events, Taiwan's Crescent Moon Dance Troupe, made up of handicapped persons, was the only foreign troupe invited by the Australian government to participate in the Paralympic Arts Festival.

Taiwan

Crescent Moon Dance Troupe

Australian

the Paralympic Arts Festival


Input: But even more important than these honors was the spirit of overcoming all obstacles and facing life with courage that shone through during the Paralympics.

Paralympics


Input: The just - completed Paralympics were enriched by ethnic flavorings.

Paralympics


Input: The opening ceremony on October 18 was in the form of a welcoming for aboriginal elders.

October 18


Input: Amidst a festive atmosphere, the athletes entered the stadium by categories - one group in wheelchairs, another on crutches, another led by guide dogs.

one


Input: The events at the 12 - day Paralympics were packed with spectators.

12 - day

Paralympics


Input: The 1.1 million tickets sold show the extent to which everyone took the games seriously.

1.1 million


Input: The host government even set up a huge TV screen in Darwin, which is the port of entry for the most visitors to Australia, to broadcast the games live.

Darwin

Australia


Input: The games were also a platform for the idea of the welfare state caring for disadvantaged groups, and for emphasizing how handicapped persons can break through barriers and limitations.


Input: On October 14, Taiwan's Crescent Moon Dance Company created a sensation with their performance " Standing on the Highest Peak, " performed in traditional vests and short skirts as worn by indigenous people in Taiwan.

October 14

Taiwan

Taiwan

Crescent Moon Dance Company

Standing on the Highest Peak


Input: After the 10 - minute performance ended, the hall was rocked by thunderous applause.

10 - minute


Input: The standing ovation lasted three minutes, and some people were even moved to tears.

three minutes


Input: The Crescent Moon Dance Company has only been in operation for four years.

The Crescent Moon Dance Company

four years


Input: Organized by a group of amputee women on a nonprofessional basis, it is the world's first dance troupe of its kind.

first


Input: As its manifesto reads: " One with no voice may nonetheless sing.


Input: One with no wings may nonetheless soar.


Input: One with no limbs may nonetheless dance.


Input: The crescent moon and the full moon are the moon just the same, and equally beautiful. "


Input: The troupe also delighted Sydney citizens with a performance at the Sydney City Hall on October 19.

Sydney

the Sydney City Hall

October 19


Input: In the competition, host country Australia took the most medals, including 64 golds

Australia


Input: Among the ROC's medals, the gold - the first ever for Taiwan - was won by Chiang Chih - chung.

ROC

Taiwan

first

Chiang Chih - chung


Input: With a throw of 57.28 meters, Chiang shattered the world record for the javelin in the F12 visually - impaired class.

57.28 meters

Chiang


Input: Chiang, a member of the Bunun indigenous people, received a traditional hero's welcome home from the Bunun of Sanmin Rural Township in Kaohsiung County.

Chiang

Bunun

Bunun

Sanmin Rural Township

Kaohsiung County


Input: During the festivities, which were both moving and fun, tribal elders sang warrior songs and praised Chiang for his glorious deeds.

Chiang


Input: Meanwhile, the ROC table tennis team twice made it to the finals, but fell just short of the gold each time.

ROC


Input: In the wheelchair men's doubles class 5 event, Chou Chang - sheng and Lin Yen - hung took the silver, while Chou won another silver in the men's singles.

Chou Chang - sheng

Lin Yen - hung

Chou


Input: The men's class 9 team for persons with non-leg - related disabilities and the women's wheelchair team of combined classes 4 and 5 took bronzes in team events, while Li Ching - chung -LRB- men's judo class 1 -RRB- and Lu Li - hua -LRB- women's powerlifting class 1 -RRB- garnered individual bronzes.

Li Ching - chung

Lu Li - hua


Input: Among Asian countries, South Korea turned in the best performance, taking five gold medals.

Asian

South Korea

five


Input: This was due in part to the fact that the ROK government has provided special coaching in wheelchair table tennis to soldiers injured in service.

ROK


Input: Indeed, many handicapped competitors from other nations besides the ROK were retired veterans.

ROK


Input: Their pensions allow them free time to train, and through athletics they bring meaning to their lives and glory to their countries.


Input: Taiwan team members, on the other hand, come from a variety of backgrounds, and train out of personal interest.

Taiwan


Input: They must give up working if they wish to train full - time.


Input: The South Korean team of veterans, by overcoming their injuries to give a display of athleticism at the international level, have emerged from the shadow of war and transformed their handicaps into glorious results.

South Korean


Input: This example should provide food for thought to the disabled and sports communities in the future.


Input: Pali: Storied Past, Uncertain Future

Pali


Input: -LRB- Lin I - hsien / photos by Diago Chiu / tr. by Phil Newell -RRB-

Lin I - hsien

Diago Chiu

Phil Newell


Input: I wonder if Pali is jealous of Tanshui.

Pali

Tanshui


Input: I ask because fate has treated these two towns, separated only by the mouth of the Tanshui River, very differently.

two

the Tanshui River


Input: Tanshui is celebrated in poems, songs, paintings, and lovers' memories of its scenic views.

Tanshui


Input: Pali has donuts, mussels, a garbage landfill, and troubles which have yet to be revealed to the outside world.

Pali


Input: Have you heard this legend?


Input: Liao Tianding, Taiwan's Robin Hood, fleeing from imperial soldiers, took refuge in Pali, where he fell in love with a local woman, and, later, at age 27, was murdered in the Monkey Cave at Laochienkeng -LRB- in Pali Rural Township -RRB- by one of his best friends.

Liao Tianding

Robin Hood

Taiwan

Pali

Laochienkeng

Pali Rural Township

the Monkey Cave

one


Input: Countless legends grew up around Liao after his death, and the people of Pali began to worship his spirit.

Liao

Pali


Input: In 1958, his small burial plot was converted into a huge temple.


Input: He has followers scattered far and wide, and every year on the special day appointed for making offerings at his temple -LRB- the 26th day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar -RRB-, the grounds are packed with cars and visitors.

the 26th day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar


Input: The Ko brothers, now in their 60s, recall their impressions of a visit to the Liao Tianding gravesite: " It must have been 30 years ago, we used to go there just for the fun of it.

Ko

Liao Tianding

30 years ago


Input: The road in front of the temple wasn't so wide then, and what a crowd!


Input: People were so jammed in you couldn't move. "


Input: They also recall that the Pali of those days was a place in which most people lived by fishing, farming, or petty trading.

Pali


Input: The elder Ko gives a thumbs - up and declares: " That's why I always say that a can - do guy like Liao Tianding must be looking after us, so that we have developed and can even earn money from the tourists. "

Ko

Liao Tianding


Input: Yet, he may not know about Pali's real heyday, long in the past.

Pali


Input: The days of the sailing ships


Input: Pali was originally called Palifen, a transliteration of the place name used by the Ketagalan indigenous people.

Pali

Palifen

Ketagalan


Input: Located on the northwest corner of Taiwan, Pali faces the Taiwan Strait to the northwest, rests against Mt. Kuanyin to the southeast, and looks across the river toward Tanshui to the northeast.

Taiwan

Pali

Tanshui

the Taiwan Strait

Mt. Kuanyin


Input: Though it doesn't have much of a hinterland, its geographic location has proved historically important, as one can see from the prehistoric cultures unearthed at the Ta - pen - keng and Shih - san - hang archeological sites.

Ta - pen - keng

Shih - san - hang


Input: Later, when Han Chinese began trickling across to Taiwan, they mainly settled along rivers.

Han Chinese

Taiwan


Input: Because Pali is relatively close to the mainland and sits at the mouth of a river, despite the fact that it does not have a natural harbor, in 1757 the Qing court designated it to be one of Taiwan's small number of official ports for maritime transport with the mainland.

Pali

Taiwan

Qing


Input: Thus began an era in which great ships sailed in and out of Pali.

Pali


Input: However, as a result of silting and a destructive typhoon that struck in 1796, Pali began to give way in importance to Tanshui, located just across the river.

Pali

Tanshui


Input: Once mainly dependent on fishing, Pali increasingly came to rely on farming.

Pali


Input: But the hilly terrain and strong winds meant that there was little good land.


Input: While the hardy people of Pali barely kept their stomachs filled, their children and grandchildren left in search of a better life.

Pali


Input: Neither the Japanese occupation -LRB- which began in 1895 -RRB- nor the return to Chinese rule -LRB- in 1945 -RRB- brought much joy or change to this rural area.

Japanese

Chinese


Input: But in the 1970s, urban planning came to Pali.

the 1970s

Pali


Input: It proved to be the prelude to a symphony -LRB- or perhaps cacophony -RRB- of transformation.


Input: Changing the rhythm of Pali life

Pali


Input: During the height of real estate speculation and soaring land prices in Taipei, builders put up self - described " villas " and " mansions " -LRB- apartment blocks, in fact -RRB- one after another in Pali.

Taipei

Pali


Input: Also, to try to reduce the outflow of population from Pali and to get the stagnant local economy moving, the government decided to link this formerly isolated village to the outside world.

Pali


Input: What had been Chungshan Road was turned into Provincial Highway #15, and the opening of the Kuantu Bridge to traffic linked Pali directly to the busy Taipei districts of Shilin and Peitou.

Chungshan Road

Provincial Highway #15

the Kuantu Bridge

Pali

Taipei

Shilin

Peitou


Input: Gifted with a lovely setting between the mountains and the sea, Pali began to dream of a tourism boom.

Pali


Input: But fortune had other things in store.


Input: In order to pave the way for the construction of a water treatment facility on the northeast edge of Pali, the plan to develop tourism in Pali was scrapped overnight.

Pali

Pali


Input: The government, applying urban planning principles, zoned the area for residential and industrial use, in order to create a construction site for the facility.


Input: Then in 1987 came the program to bring gravel from eastern to western Taiwan for construction purposes, and a harbor was built on the Pali coast for the convenience of gravel transporters.

Taiwan

Pali


Input: In accordance with the urban plan, new streets were cut this way and that through Pali's land, and high - rise buildings sprang up along the sides of these roadways.

Pali


Input: The sounds of backhoes at work resounded even from the black sand beaches.


Input: In 1997, the Hsiachuotzu garbage landfill formally opened, and it became common to see fleets of garbage trucks winding through the streets of Pali.

Hsiachuotzu

Pali


Input: This rural township, which was made responsible for storing the garbage from several communities in Taipei County, seemed resigned to the fate -LRB- suffered by many outlying areas -RRB- of having to choke on the garbage spit up by others.

Taipei County


Input: It is only recently that the residents of Hsiachuotsu, unable to stand the smell, have begun to protest.

Hsiachuotsu


Input: Lin Yi - hung, born and raised in Pali, stands on the roof of his house and looks across to the beach where he used to run and play as a child.

Lin Yi - hung

Pali


Input: He can not help but sigh, as he looks at the ranks of new buildings and thinks of the dramatic changes that have come to this area: " These construction projects have destroyed the relationship we people of Pali used to have with the sea. "

Pali


Input: It's certainly true that a lot of people here thought they would get rich from the rezoning.


Input: But just because land increases in value doesn't mean someone will buy it, and just because apartment complexes are built doesn't mean there are people who want to live there.


Input: Worst of all, interpersonal relationships have been poisoned in the struggle over divvying up the profits, because no one really knows how much money is involved.


Input: Lin concludes: " I am not by any means opposed to development.

Lin


Input: But development is not necessarily the same as progress.


Input: Can the people of Pali really survive change of this magnitude? "

Pali


Input: All part of the plan?


Input: One after another, government development plans have raised the expectations of Pali residents.

One

Pali


Input: But so far the only things Pali folk have been able to enjoy have been flying dust from construction sites, roads filled with giant trucks, and new neighbors of an " otherworldly " kind.

Pali


Input: The new roads have certainly brought in a group of immigrants anxious to escape from Taipei City and return to nature.

Taipei City


Input: But at the same time, verdant Mt. Kuanyin - named for its uncanny resemblance to the deity Kuanyin - is covered with columbariums and cemeteries.

Mt. Kuanyin


Input: Even Kuanyin, worshipped for her limitless compassion and mercy, must be creasing her brow at this rampant overuse of the mountain.


Input: Chen Chien - kuo, a secretary in the Pali Rural Township government, says facetiously: " What can we do? We have the mountains behind us and the sea in front.

Chen Chien - kuo

Pali Rural Township


Input: People say the fengshui is good here, so they come. "


Input: He adds, in a far less amused tone, that the government has been talking about making Mt. Kuanyin a national park for a long time, and has banned construction or use of the mountain.

Mt. Kuanyin


Input: But after 30 years, the park plan is still a non-starter, and meanwhile many cemeteries and colum - bariums have " snuck in. "

30 years


Input: " Nobody seems to care about our Pali, and we are very remote, so people just dump what they don't want out here.

Pali


Input: We say that this is why we not only have a water pollution treatment plant and a garbage landfill, but also five nursing homes and hospices for the terminally ill. "


Input: Take the Taipei Happy Mountain Colony for example.

the Taipei Happy Mountain Colony


Input: This venerable institution was first used to house leprosy victims, who met only fear and loathing elsewhere.


Input: In 1932, a British missionary founded this home - over the strong opposition of the local gentry - to offer leprosy victims a place to live in dignity and find warmth away from the cold outside world.

British


Input: Today, Happy Mountain is a home for physically and mentally challenged young people, and the simple old structure, surrounded by greenery, rings with the laughter of children.

Today

Happy Mountain


Input: Li Li - chuan, who works at Happy Mountain, was born and raised right here in Pali.

Li Li - chuan

Happy Mountain

Pali


Input: Her family home is not far from the chil - dren's home.


Input: " When I was small I used to come here to play.


Input: All the adults called the kids' empty - headed.'


Input: I was small, and didn't know any better, so I just called them that too. "


Input: Stroking the head of a sleeping child with hydrocephalus, she says: " He is so cute when he smiles! "


Input: Located on the margins of the island of Taiwan, the people of Pali take it in stride that they must live alongside the marginal people and objects cast off by society - waste water, trash, the deceased, and victims of diseases that society would prefer not to see at all.

Taiwan

Pali


Input: And there is no sign this situation will end: Reports now say that all the waste and earth being moved to Linkou for a land reclamation project there will be trucked along Provincial Highway #15 - right through the heart of Pali.

Linkou

Pali

Provincial Highway #15


Input: Serving Greater Taipei

Taipei


Input: " I believe, " says Lin Yi - hung, " that the people of Pali understand that this is just the way society works -

Lin Yi - hung

Pali


Input: the interests of the few are sacrificed so that the majority can be better off. "


Input: Thus, in urban plans Pali is always assigned the role of serving Taipei.

Pali

Taipei


Input: " But the government should think carefully about whether they are using the right methods or not.


Input: There are no real comprehensive policies, just short - term trade - offs of interests.


Input: There are a lot of great - sounding plans, but what do the people of Pali get out of them?

Pali


Input: It's like the port they built for transporting gravel.


Input: There are a lot of bright promises for the future, raising people's hopes, but who knows what the final result will really be? "


Input: Chang Tsu - chou, now in his 70s, has been a secretary in the rural township government for more than 30 years, and loves Pali more than words can say.

Chang Tsu - chou

more than 30 years

Pali


Input: " I was first sent here to work in the Kuomintang Public Service Department.

the Kuomintang Public Service Department


Input: When I came here, they were only selling about 30 newspapers in all of Pali.

about 30

Pali


Input: But I went all out to promote newspaper sales, and by the time I left the department, they were selling more than 1000! "

more than 1000


Input: He has great confidence in Pali's future, and believes the new harbor will bring prosperity.

Pali


Input: " The government says that the first phase is for transporting gravel, but when the third phase is completed a lot of goods will be shipped in and out of here.

first

third


Input: At that time, Pali should really be hopping! "

Pali


Input: Pali, known as " the home of green bamboo shoots " for its famous local vegetable, is - like many remote areas all over Taiwan - accepting the pain and enjoying the pleasures of life in the space between hopeful expectations and disappointing letdowns.

Pali

Taiwan


Input: And, being marginal, it also must live with burdens that the citizens themselves do not want.


Input: Uncertain whether to makes fists or open their arms, the people of Pali watch, perplexed, as the great wheel of our times leaves its tracks through their rural township.

Pali


Input: Yet these are hardy people, who will always bounce back with a smile to face the unknown future, be it filled with troubles or glory.


Input: Pali Facts and Figures

Pali


Input: Pali Rural Township -LRB- also spelled Bali -RRB- is located at the northwestern edge of the Taipei Basin, on the western bank of the mouth of the Tanshui River.

Pali Rural Township

Bali

the Tanshui River

the Taipei Basin


Input: It has an area of 39.5 square kilometers and a population of just over 28,000.

39.5 square kilometers

just over 28,000


Input: It is one of the 29 townships under the jurisdiction of Taipei County.

one

Taipei County


Input: Pali produces wax apples, green bamboo shoots, and wendan pomelo which are famous far and wide for their delicate texture and sweetness.

Pali


Input: In addition, Chinese raspberries and strawberry pears are now being cultivated, with promising results so far.

Chinese


Input: The main attractions include the so - called " eight views of Pali, " the ferry boat scenic tour, hiking on Mt. Kuanyin, Formosa Wonderworld theme park, and the Liao Tianding Temple.

eight

Pali

Mt. Kuanyin

Formosa Wonderworld

the Liao Tianding Temple


Input: Pali is served by inter-city and local buses, or you can take a shuttle bus from the Kuantu Station of the Taipei rapid transit system.

Pali

Taipei

the Kuantu Station


Input: For more detailed information, visit http://www.bali.tpc.gov.tw/.


Input: -LRB- The above information is provided courtesy of Pali Rural Township Government. -RRB-

Pali Rural Township Government


Input: p. 098


Input: The red Kuantu Bridge connects Pali, a town which nestles at the foot of Mt. Kuanyin, with the outside world, and also adds a splash of color to the lovely river landscape.

Kuantu Bridge

Pali

Mt. Kuanyin


Input: p. 099


Input: On the ferry from Tanshui to Pali, decades pass in the blink of an eye.

Tanshui

Pali


Input: These mobile bridges evoke the golden age of ocean trade here, and also form a sentimental attachment between the two sides.

two


Input: p. 100


Input: The Shih - san - hang archeological site, located in Tingchuo Village in Pali Rural Township, revealed the secrets of how the plains aborigines of Taiwan lived 2000 years ago.

Shih - san - hang

Tingchuo Village

Pali Rural Township

Taiwan

2000 years ago


Input: Are the souls of these first residents still looking after " Palifen "?

first

Palifen


Input: p. 101


Input: Giant high - rises look on as fishing boats bob in the sea off of the Pali shore.

Pali


Input: What does this tell us about the transformation of Taiwan's townships?

Taiwan


Input: Mourn for the End of an Era: Three Taiwanese Cultural Giants

Three

Taiwanese


Input: -LRB- Laura Li / tr. by Jonathan Barnard -RRB-

Laura Li

Jonathan Barnard


Input: The year 2001 has started with a series of saddening losses in the cultural realm.

The year 2001


Input: On the first of the year, Hsu Tsang-houei, the dean of Taiwanese music, passed away after a fall left him in a coma.

the first of the year

Hsu Tsang-houei

Taiwanese


Input: Then came the news that Chang Kwang-chih, the respected archeologist and former vice-president of the Academia Sinica, had died of illness in the United States.

Chang Kwang-chih

the Academia Sinica

the United States


Input: Finally, on the afternoon of January 9, the historian Tai Kuo-hui died of septicemia.

January 9

Tai Kuo-hui


Input: These three masters in their fields were all in their early seventies.

three

early seventies


Input: Since they had just reached a time in their lives and careers where they could slow down and enjoy the fruits of their past labors, one feels inclined to complain to heaven or sigh about the brevity of life.


Input: Each of these men was at the forefront of his field in Taiwan, and their deaths represent the end of an era.

Taiwan


Input: Where should Chinese music go?

Chinese


Input: Hsu Tsang-houei had a huge impact on Taiwanese music over the last half century.

Hsu Tsang-houei

Taiwanese

the last half century


Input: Born in Homei, Changhua in 1928, Hsu studied the violin in Japan as a youth.

Homei, Changhua

Japan

Hsu


Input: Later, he studied in France for five years, where he became well versed in the various schools of modern Western music.

France

five years

Western


Input: In 1959 he returned to introduce modern Western classical music to his homeland.

Western


Input: He also published a seminal essay entitled, " Where Should Chinese Music Go? " in which he passionately urged his fellow musicians to create contemporary Chinese music.

" Where Should Chinese Music Go? "

Chinese


Input: Many young composers took up his call and wrote difficult and dissonant twelve - tone works that would become the creative mainstream in music departments.

twelve


Input: Unfortunately, schools of modern classical music struggled to hold their audiences even in the West, and audiences found it harder and harder to connect with the Taiwanese modern music of which Hsu was the leading figure.

West

Taiwanese

Hsu


Input: Opinion has remained polarized about the worth of this music.


Input: Hsu was also at the forefront of efforts to record traditional Taiwanese folk music.

Hsu

Taiwanese


Input: In the mid-1960s, Hsu, Shih Wei-liang, Lu Ping-chuan and others established various organizations, including the Folk Music Research Workshop.

the mid-1960s

Hsu

Shih Wei-liang

Lu Ping-chuan

the Folk Music Research Workshop


Input: Fighting the reigning bias in favor of musical traditions from the mainland, Hsu led the way in collecting and recording Taiwanese Nanguan music and Hakka eight - tone, as well as the music of the aboriginal tribes.

Hsu

Taiwanese

Hakka

eight


Input: These collections helped to delineate the history of Taiwanese music.

Taiwanese


Input: In the past decade, with the rise of the " Taiwan first " movement in politics, Hsu's folk music collections have garnered more and more attention, and CDs of them have been released one after another.

the past decade

Taiwan

first

Hsu


Input: In the last few years, Hsu was appointed both as national policy advisor to the president and as the chairman of the National Culture and Arts Foundation.

the last few years

Hsu

the National Culture and Arts Foundation


Input: Cross-strait archeological star


Input: Just as Hsu's work spanned from the classical to the contemporary, from the West to his native soil, the archaeologist Chang Kwang-chih's broad vision allowed him to build the foundations for the field of archeology both for Taiwan and China as a whole.

Hsu

Chang Kwang-chih

West

Taiwan

China


Input: In his autobiography, Chang describes himself as a " Yam Man, " which is an allusion to Taiwan being shaped like a yam.

Chang

Taiwan


Input: Chang explains that he was actually born in Beijing, though his father's family was indeed from Taiwan.

Chang

Beijing

Taiwan


Input: After Taiwan was returned to Chinese rule, Chang returned to the land of his roots.

Taiwan

Chinese

Chang


Input: Studying at Chienkuo High in 1949, he was arrested on false charges of having participated in the April 6 Incident.

Chienkuo High

the April 6 Incident


Input: He spent nearly a year in jail before taking the high school equivalency exam and going on to study archeology at NTU.

year

NTU


Input: After earning his doctorate at Harvard, he took an academic post in America but always maintained his focus on Chinese archeology.

Harvard

America

Chinese


Input: Largely due to his unflagging efforts, Chinese archeology attained a sturdy theoretical and practical foundation that enabled it to emerge as a world-class discipline.

Chinese


Input: His research showed that the rise of Chinese civilization did not occur exclusively in the area around the Yellow River Valley.

Chinese

the Yellow River Valley


Input: Rather it emerged from several languages, ethnic groups and cultures spread over a vast landscape.


Input: This overturned the " single origin theory " and debunked Western assumptions about " oriental despotism. "

Western


Input: Though a world-class scholar, Chang never forgot the land of his origins.

Chang


Input: In the 1960s, he returned to Taiwan and embarked on research at the Fengpitou site in Kaohsiung, completing the most extensive archeological study made in Taiwan in over a century.

the 1960s

century

Taiwan

Kaohsiung

Taiwan

Fengpitou


Input: Then he went on to perform research in an area that spanned the Choshui and Tatu river valleys.

Choshui

Tatu


Input: It was a huge undertaking that involved both archeology and geology.


Input: Many of the leading lights among the younger generation of Taiwan anthropologists cut their research teeth on this project.

Taiwan


Input: Unfortunately, Chang Kwang-chih became afflicted with Parkinson's disease more than a decade ago.

Chang Kwang-chih

Parkinson

more than a decade ago


Input: His limbs started to shake, and it became impossible for him to perform fieldwork.


Input: Chang deeply regretted that he was unable to examine the Shangqiu site in eastern Henan.

Chang

Shangqiu

Henan


Input: Though sick, Chang returned home at the end of his life to serve as vice president of the Academia Sinica, where he worked hard to establish Taiwan as the preeminent world center for sinology.

Chang

the Academia Sinica

Taiwan


Input: Taiwanese heart, Chinese sentiments

Taiwanese

Chinese


Input: Finally there was the death of the historian Tai Kuo-hui, who served on the National Security Council and was admired as much for his lofty character as for his pioneering work in Taiwanese history.

Tai Kuo-hui

the National Security Council

Taiwanese


Input: His differences of opinion with Lee Teng-hui had thrust him into the spotlight in recent years.

Lee Teng-hui

recent years


Input: Born in 1931 in Taoyuan, Tai was educated under Japanese colonial rule, and he earned a doctorate in agriculture at Tokyo.

Taoyuan

Tokyo

Tai

Japanese


Input: Back in the 1960s, when Taiwanese history was still a taboo subject in Taiwan, Tai organized a research society in Japan devoted to the study of Taiwanese history and other related Asian topics.

the 1960s

Taiwanese

Taiwanese

Asian

Taiwan

Japan

Tai


Input: For this work, he was blacklisted in Taiwan.

Taiwan


Input: Later, Tai repeatedly declined invitations from Chiang Ching-kuo to return.

Tai

Chiang Ching-kuo


Input: It wasn't until Lee Teng-hui was president that he finally came home.

Lee Teng-hui


Input: But when he did, his different perspective about Taiwan history brought Tai Kuo-hui farther and farther from the mainstream of the ruling party.

Taiwan

Tai Kuo-hui


Input: Although Tai didn't flinch from condemning the authoritarianism of Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo, he also had harsh things to say about Japanese colonial rule - unlike Lee Teng-hui, who had fond memories of the colonial era.

Tai

Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Ching-kuo

Lee Teng-hui

Japanese


Input: Tai, who described himself as an " independent-minded Chinese born in Taiwan, " never lost his affection for China proper, and these sentiments set him apart from most historians of Taiwan.

Tai

Chinese

Taiwan

China

Taiwan


Input: With regard to cross-strait relations, Tai made his famous " testicles analogy. "

Tai


Input: Taiwan is a part of China, he stated, just as testicles are a part of a man's body.

Taiwan

China


Input: Though inextricably linked to the body, the testicles have their own special functions.


Input: He based his analogy on what he deemed was best for all of the Chinese people.

Chinese


Input: His theory was a far cry from Lee Teng-hui's belief that Taiwan should establish clear boundaries between itself and the mainland.

Lee Teng-hui's

Taiwan


Input: But Tai Kuo-hui never shied from controversy.

Tai Kuo-hui


Input: Otherwise, he would not have chosen to study Taiwanese history to begin with.

Taiwanese


Input: Throughout his life, he maintained his tough Hakka spirit and academic independence, holding fast to his opinions and never compromising.

Hakka


Input: He was greatly admired for his intellectual integrity.


Input: These great masters' deaths have come at a time when the field of education has been in the spotlight for other reasons.


Input: The Ministry of Education has just formally apologized - 50 years after the fact - for the April 6 Incident, and a university president has been found guilty of plagiarizing a research paper.

The Ministry of Education

50 years

the April 6 Incident


Input: The former shows that intellectuals in Taiwan need no longer fear torture and imprisonment for their beliefs.

Taiwan


Input: The latter suggests that some people have allowed blind ambition to sully the pure ideal of scholarship.


Input: Apart from causing us to mourn, the deaths of these great men have left us with a lot to think about.


Input: p. 62


Input: Hsu Tsang-houei introduced modern Western classical music to Taiwan before making pioneering collections of traditional Taiwanese music.

Hsu Tsang-houei

Western

Taiwanese

Taiwan


Input: His major opera on Zheng Chenggong -LRB- Koxinga -RRB- debuted just last year.

Zheng Chenggong

Koxinga

last year


Input: The most important Taiwanese musical master of the last half century, he was a beloved teacher to many.

Taiwanese

the last half century


Input: His legacy will live on through his students.


Input: -LRB- photo by Diago Chiu -RRB-

Diago Chiu


Input: p. 62


Input: Chang Kwang-chih taught for decades at Harvard and Yale but never forgot his homeland Taiwan.

Chang Kwang-chih

decades

Harvard

Yale

Taiwan


Input: Though afflicted with Parkinson's disease in his later years, he nonetheless served as vice president of the Academia Sinica.

Parkinson

his later years

the Academia Sinica


Input: He made a major contribution toward developing the field of archeology in Taiwan.

Taiwan


Input: -LRB- file photo -RRB-


Input: p. 63


Input: " Only with a true understanding of history can we clearly chart a future path! "


Input: What people respected most about the historian Tai Kuo-hui was his determination to face historical truth and his refusal to heed prevailing dogma and political fashion.

Tai Kuo-hui


Input: The photo shows him at a forum discussing the island's political future in the wake of the last presidential election, which transferred power from one party to another.


Input: -LRB- photo by Pu Hua-chih -RRB-

Pu Hua-chih


Input: Ancient Giants of the Forest -


Input: Taiwan's False Cypresses

Taiwan


Input: -LRB- Chang Chin - ju / photos by Lai Chun - piao / tr. by Robert Taylor -RRB-

Chang Chin - ju

Lai Chun - piao

Robert Taylor


Input: The Bible says: " If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,' Move hence to yonder place,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. "

Bible


Input: For small as the mustard seed is, it grows into a mighty, spreading tree.


Input: Applying these words to Taiwan, they most aptly describe the Taiwan red cypress, whose tiny seeds are the origin of Taiwan's greatest trees.

Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan


Input: From conelets three millimeters in diameter come seeds no larger than sesame seeds, yet they grow into huge trees up to 60 meters tall.

60 meters


Input: The Taiwan red cypress witnessed Taiwan's birth, squeezed up by the collision of two tectonic plates, and its progress from a fragile mass of broken rock to a more stable geology.

Taiwan

Taiwan


Input: It has also witnessed the rise and fall of Taiwan's forestry industry.

Taiwan


Input: Hsiuluan Village, an Atayal community in eastern Hsinchu County, was one of the last places in Taiwan to be reached by modern civilization, and was once famous as the " village without lights. "

Hsiuluan Village

Hsinchu County

Taiwan

Atayal


Input: In the mountain forest above Hsiuluan's outlying hamlet of Chenhsipao, bushes and creepers form a dense undergrowth, and a blanket of damp fallen leaves makes the going slippery underfoot.

Hsiuluan

Chenhsipao


Input: Every ten to 20 meters, a magnificent Taiwan red cypress, thousands of years old and with a trunk three to four meters thick, towers 40 meters into the sky.

Every ten to 20 meters

three to four meters

40 meters

Taiwan


Input: Awe - stricken hikers standing below these great trees have the impression of having fallen into a sea of jungle, from which they can barely see the sky.


Input: This remnant of virgin cypress forest runs northward to Taoyuan County's Mt. Lala and to Chilan in Ilan County.

Taoyuan County's

Chilan

Ilan County

Mt. Lala


Input: This great wall of trees acts as a vital " safety valve, " regulating the flow of water into the Shihmen Reservoir, the Tanshui River and the Lanyang River, on which millions of people in northern Taiwan depend for the water they drink.

the Shihmen Reservoir

the Tanshui River

the Lanyang River

Taiwan


Input: The coat of green which clothes the mountains intimately affects water quality and soil stability in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Ilan Counties.

Taoyuan

Hsinchu

Miaoli

Ilan Counties


Input: A land of clouds and mists


Input: Taiwan's " false cypresses " - trees of the genus Chamaecyparis, a subdivision of the cypress family, Cupressaceae - are relics of the ice ages which brought them to our geologically young island.

Taiwan


Input: Thirty million years ago, Chamaecyparis species were distributed all over the world.

Thirty million years ago


Input: But after the ice ages, the high mountains of Taiwan, which were squeezed up from the edges of two tectonic plates a million years ago, became their refuge.

Taiwan


Input: Today, only six false cypress species remain anywhere in the world, scattered far apart in North America, Japan and Taiwan.

six

North America

Japan

Taiwan


Input: Two of them are native to Taiwan: the Taiwan red cypress -LRB- Chamaecyparis formosensis, a.k.a. the Formosan cypress -RRB- and the Taiwan yellow cypress -LRB- Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana, a variety of hinoki cypress -RRB-.

Two

Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan


Input: The home of Taiwan's false cypresses is at medium elevations from 1,300 to 2,600 meters, which is Taiwan's area of greatest precipitation and a major source of water for over 100 rivers.

Taiwan

Taiwan

1,300 to 2,600 meters

over 100


Input: At these elevations there is much rainfall but relatively little wind, and the mountains are shrouded in clouds and mists all year round; hence the forests there are also known as cloud forests.


Input: In this environment of constant humidity, the Taiwan red cypress grew into East Asia's biggest conifer, with average heights from 30 to 40 meters.

Taiwan

East Asia's

30 to 40 meters


Input: The cypress forests also mark the transition between Taiwan's broadleaved and coniferous forests.

Taiwan


Input: False cypresses make up more than 70% of the trees in this zone, but they are accompanied by a rich variety of other plants, including other big trees like Formosan taiwania -LRB- Taiwania cryptomerioides -RRB-, Formosan cunninghamia -LRB- Cunninghamia konishii -RRB- and Chinese yew -LRB- Taxus mairei -RRB-.

more than 70%

Chinese


Input: Hidden in the dark, damp understorey are a third of Taiwan's fern species, and the millennia - old false cypresses are also a paradise for epiphytic plants - as many as 80 species have been found growing on a single tree.


Input: Taiwan's Earth God

Taiwan


Input: The devastating 21 September earthquake of 1999 left Taiwan's landscape covered in scars, but researchers discovered that the places least damaged by the quake were areas of natural forest.

21 September earthquake of 1999

Taiwan


Input: In mountain regions where the rainfall is most abundant, the geology most fragile and erosive forces most powerful, the false cypresses, with their massive trunks and mighty root systems, cling tightly to the frail earth.


Input: Professor Chen Yu - feng of Providence University, who has been studying Taiwan's flora for many years, explains that false cypress forests often grew where river erosion created large areas of debris from rockslides.

Chen Yu - feng

Providence University

Taiwan


Input: As tectonic forces pushed Taiwan continuously upwards and the rivers carved their way downward, such areas of collapse occurred in many places.

Taiwan


Input: Doughty false cypress seeds seized the opportunity to colonize this hostile territory shunned by other plants.


Input: There they gradually grew into gigantic trees, rehabilitating the land and attracting other species.


Input: At the same time they protected downstream areas, making them suitable for settlement and farming.


Input: " The growth of the cypress forests stabilized the rubble brought down by the rushing mountain rivers.


Input: The false cypresses are living' spirits' which naturally restore the land, " says Chen Yu - feng.

Chen Yu - feng


Input: For the past million years, clouds rolling in on northeasterly monsoon fronts in winter and southwesterly airflows in summer have carried their moisture into the mountain valleys, to slowly condense onto the slopes where the false cypresses grow.

the past million years


Input: Steeped in this dampness, the flora and fauna of the forest continued an unending cycle of growth and renewal through the changing seasons.


Input: The only humans who entered there were the aboriginal people who came to hunt and to collect wild fruit and berries.


Input: Every few decades the shaking of the earth would ravage this ecosystem, but protected by the vitality of the cypresses the land would gradually recover.


Input: The nemesis of the cypress trees


Input: However, the advent of mechanization, coupled with human greed, heralded a period of rapacious exploitation.


Input: In the 19th century human beings swarmed into Taiwan's dark mountains like busy worker ants.

the 19th century

Taiwan


Input: The false cypresses, which had conversed with the clouds for a million years, were identified as top - grade timber, and were thus condemned to an inexorable fate.

a million years


Input: After Taiwan was ceded to Japan following the Sino - Japanese war of 1894, while the Japanese were still quelling resistance to their rule they also went into the island's mountains to collect botanical specimens.

Taiwan

Japan

the Sino - Japanese war

Japanese


Input: In 1896, a Japanese biologist collected the first specimen of Taiwan red cypress on Yushan, and before long the Taiwan yellow cypress was found there too.

Japanese

Taiwan

Yushan

Taiwan


Input: In 1899, the great cypress forests of Mt. Ali were discovered, and in 1912, the Japanese colonial government began large - scale logging there.

Mt. Ali

Japanese


Input: Everywhere the Alishan Mountain Railway passes at higher elevations was once cypress forest.

the Alishan Mountain Railway


Input: Soon afterwards the forests of Mt. Taiping in modern Ilan County and Mt. Pahsien in Nantou were also opened up for logging.

Mt. Taiping

Mt. Pahsien

Ilan County

Nantou


Input: Endless streams of cypress logs flowed out of the mountains, and were carried across the sea to Japan to become pillars for Shinto shrines.

Japan


Input: Quite apart from the incomparable quality of their timber, in terms of numbers alone the Taiwan red and yellow cypress took second and third place among Taiwan's trees, so they became long - term cash cows for the island's forestry industry.

Taiwan

Taiwan

second

third


Input: After Taiwan's return to Chinese rule, from the 1950s to the 1980s the ROC used forestry income to support its industrial development.

Taiwan

ROC

Chinese


Input: The logging grounds advanced deep into Taiwan's heart, consuming even greater areas than under the Japanese.

Taiwan

Japanese


Input: False cypresses accounted for two - thirds of the 300,000 hectares of commercial forest, and contributed 70 - 80% of forestry income.

two - thirds

the 300,000 hectares

70 - 80%


Input: All of Taiwan's forest recreation areas today are to be found in the former cypress logging grounds.

Taiwan


Input: The Alishan Mountain Railway, and the long forestry roads which wind through Taiwan's four major mountain ranges, were all built for the sole purpose of shifting the huge cypress logs down the slopes.

The Alishan Mountain Railway

Taiwan

four


Input: " You could say that everything connected with Taiwan's forestry industry developed around the false cypresses, " says forest ecologist Yang Kuo - chen, an associate professor at Providence University.

Taiwan

Yang Kuo - chen

Providence University


Input: The history of forestry in Taiwan is a history of false cypress felling, says Yang.

Taiwan

Yang


Input: Hinoki and merihi


Input: If you speak of " hinoki, " the Japanese name of the Taiwan yellow cypress, older Taiwanese will lift their noses as if catching a whiff of its unmistakable fragrance - it has a firm place in their memories as the best of timbers.

Japanese

Taiwanese

Taiwan


Input: The Taiwan yellow and red cypress each have their own different qualities.

Taiwan


Input: The Taiwan yellow cypress grows pencil - straight towards the heavens, and has a higher content of oil, from which a fragrant essence can be refined.

Taiwan


Input: In 1971, after the Shinto gate at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo was struck by lightning, the Japanese authorities especially came to Taiwan to buy 11 huge, straight Taiwan yellow cypress logs 16 to 24 meters long, cut from trees over 1,500 years old, to create the world's biggest Shinto gate.

over 1,500 years old

the Meiji Shrine

Tokyo

Taiwan

Taiwan

Japanese

16 to 24 meters


Input: As for the Taiwan red cypress - merihi in Japanese - it is even more magnificent in appearance than the Taiwan yellow cypress.

Taiwan

Taiwan

Japanese


Input: But the Taiwan red cypress's trunk is often divided, and because it mostly grows in wet river valleys the heartwood is prone to be eaten away by bacteria, producing strangely tangled hollow trees.

Taiwan


Input: The crown is also broad and difficult to cut.


Input: This is why the gigantic ancient trees that have escaped the loggers' chainsaws, such as those at Mt. Ali and Mt. Lala, are all Taiwan red cypress.

Mt. Ali

Mt. Lala

Taiwan


Input: Human life is fleeting, but cypress is forever.


Input: As the forestry industry gradually declined, the forestry huts built in the Central Range in the Japanese period fell into disrepair, but their cypress - wood washbasins are still as good as new.

the Central Range

Japanese


Input: The close grain of their growth rings reveals their age, and their resilience.


Input: In the early days, the sleepers used for the Alishan Mountain Railway were cut from broadleaved trees such as beech and Michelia compressa.

the Alishan Mountain Railway


Input: But tough as these woods are, the sleepers only stood up to three to five years of logging trains rumbling over them, so there was no choice but to change them all for sleepers made of false cypress wood, which lasted for decades.


Input: And when the railways were finally taken out of service, the Taiwan Forestry Bureau -LRB- TFB -RRB- sold off the old sleepers, and from the proceeds not only was able to recoup the cost of dismantling the railways, but was also left with a tidy sum for its own coffers.

the Taiwan Forestry Bureau -LRB- TFB -RRB-


Input: For the older generation, the excellence of false cypress wood is hard to put into words.


Input: Old folk to this day still rattle on about how the cypress - wood sleeping platforms of Japanese - style houses were long - lasting and hard - wearing, and how the best bathtubs were of course those of made of false cypress wood.


Input: In the eyes of furniture makers, " False cypress wood is light and easy to work; it is flexible, rotproof and termite resistant.


Input: It rarely warps, and hardly shrinks; it planes to a smooth, fine surface.


Input: It's so versatile: boats, bridges, carriages, cabinets or coffins - there's not one it's not suitable for. "


Input: In short, of all Taiwan's commercial timbers, there's not another to match it.

Taiwan


Input: Pining away


Input: However, behind these sweet memories of cypress wood are the regrets of the foresters.


Input: Surveys made before logging began at Mt. Ali, Taiwan's earliest cypress logging area, showed that there were more than 300,000 false cypresses over 1,000 years old, but today all that remains of them is a few lonely - looking old trees scattered among introduced Japanese red cedar -LRB- Cryptomeria japonica -RRB- and flowering cherries.

Mt. Ali

Taiwan

more than 300,000

over 1,000 years

Japanese


Input: Despite its great fame, deprived of the company of its own species the most celebrated of the giant Taiwan red cypresses of Mt. Ali finally succumbed to lightning and fire.

Taiwan

Mt. Ali


Input: The TFB once hoped that if a few false cypresses were left standing in each of the old logging areas, they would seed naturally.

TFB


Input: But they discovered that although the trees were completely uninjured, they died one by one.


Input: Late Taiwanese forestry expert Liu Chin described these few remaining trees as " dying of loneliness. "

Taiwanese

Liu Chin


Input: It seems that when abandoned by the companions they had relied on for millennia, and left to face the rigors of their environment alone, these ancient survivors went into terminal decline.


Input: But an even greater cause for regret is that " 50 years of intensive false cypress logging tore the heart out of Taiwan's life - support system.

50 years

Taiwan


Input: This devastation, coupled with agriculture moving up into the mountains, can only result in landslides, floods and all kinds of' natural' disasters.... "


Input: With ecologists' warnings ringing in their ears, now that floods and mudslides have become a common occurrence, people can only nod in tacit agreement.


Input: Large - scale logging of false cypresses continued right up to 1989.


Input: With forestry earning no profits, and in response to energetic lobbying by civic groups, the Executive Yuan finally banned the cutting of natural forests, at last giving a respite to the giant trees which protect Taiwan's land.

the Executive Yuan

Taiwan


Input: But the great wall of 20 million gigantic false cypress trees which once stretched the length of Taiwan had already been breached.

20 million

Taiwan


Input: Apart from some scattered local stands, the Taiwan red cypress forest of Mt. Hsiukulan in central Taiwan, and the 10,000 - plus hectares of Taiwan yellow cypress at Mt. Chilan in Ilan County in northern Taiwan, are the island's only remaining forests of giant trees.

Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan

Ilan County

Taiwan

Mt. Hsiukulan

Mt. Chilan

the 10,000 - plus hectares


Input: Whose national park?


Input: Humans cut down the million year - old cypress forests in less than a century, but the story of their destruction is not over.

million year - old

less than a century


Input: Amazingly, the ban on logging natural forests has not protected Chilan, the only single - species forest of hinoki cypress surviving in the world today.

Chilan


Input: Before the ban, the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen -LRB- VACRS -RRB-, which manages Chilan, had already cut down almost 6,000 hectares.

the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen -LRB- VACRS -RRB-

Chilan

almost 6,000 hectares


Input: To generate income, VACRS has continued logging there under the pretext of " clearing away dead and fallen trees to make space for young trees to grow. "

VACRS


Input: Ecologists and biologists can only repeat again:


Input: " The trees have been growing by themselves for tens of thousands of years, so why would they need human help for their saplings to grow? "


Input: In response to this situation a popular movement sprang up to push for the establishment of a " cypress forest national park, " in the hope that with national park status, the last remaining virgin Taiwan yellow cypress forest could be saved.

Taiwan


Input: Perhaps the millennium year was a decisive one for the trees, for the Executive Yuan allocated new funds to the VACRS so that it no longer needs to cut down trees to bolster its finances, and also approved a plan to set up a national park.

the millennium year

the Executive Yuan

VACRS


Input: But so - called ecotourism is now emerging as another threat to the trees' survival.


Input: To assure the livelihood of the local Atayal aborigines of Chilan, when the cypress national park is set up consideration will have to be given to how to balance the need to protect the forests with the demand for sustainable tourism.

Atayal

Chilan


Input: How can Taiwan's false cypresses become more than just a tool of human economic activity?

Taiwan


Input: Can the sad history of cypress logging teach the people of Taiwan a lesson in how to truly care for their land?

Taiwan


Input: Perhaps these questions are still more important than the issue of establishing a national park.


Input: A future for the cypresses?


Input: At the Atayal village of Chenhsipao in Hsinchu County, by three in the afternoon the clouds rolling in from afar have quietly slipped over the ridges and covered the whole mountainside where the cypress trees grow.

Atayal

Chenhsipao

Hsinchu County

three in the afternoon


Input: Here, in Taiwan's remote but vitally important heartland, gigantic trees which have survived the long river of time and escaped the ravages of logging stand undaunted, like guardian spirits quietly protecting the Atayal people and Taiwan's land.

Taiwan

Taiwan

Atayal


Input: Only if we can allow the cypress trees a future, will the people of Taiwan also have a lasting future.

Taiwan


Input: p. 31


Input: The virgin Taiwan yellow cypress forest of Chilan dwarfs human visitors.

Taiwan

Chilan


Input: Can today's generation of Taiwanese save our island's last remaining forest of these giant trees, for themselves and later generations?

Taiwanese


Input: p. 33


Input: On the pretext of clearing dead wood, many live Taiwan yellow cypresses have been felled in the forest of Chilan.

Taiwan

Chilan


Input: p. 33


Input: The seeds hidden in the tiny conelets of the Taiwan red cypress seem blessed with a mysterious power.

Taiwan


Input: In the harshest of natural environments, they grow into mighty, towering trees.


Input: -LRB- photo by Jimmy Lin -RRB-

Jimmy Lin


Input: p. 34


Input: This Taiwan red cypress planted by the Japanese at Mt. Ali in 1915 has now reached a girth of 70 centimeters.

Taiwan

Japanese

Mt. Ali

70 centimeters


Input: But the smallest commercial size of Taiwan red cypress is 150 centimeters.

Taiwan

150 centimeters


Input: This means that artificially planted trees are not ready for harvest until they are 300 years old.

300 years old


Input: Hence since the false cypress forests were cleared, Taiwanese - preferring quick profits - have generally planted Japanese red cedar, which is ready to be felled after only 20 years.

Taiwanese

Japanese

20 years


Input: Innocents Abroad


Input: Educating Taiwanese Kids in the PRC

Taiwanese

PRC


Input: -LRB- Jackie Chen / photos by Diago Chiu / tr. by David Mayer -RRB-

Jackie Chen

Diago Chiu

David Mayer


Input: When Taiwanese business people take up an expatriate lifestyle, the thing they worry about most is family matters, especially the education of their growing children.

Taiwanese


Input: For Taiwanese expatriates in mainland China, incompatibility between the Taiwanese and mainland education systems is the main reason why most of them do not move their families across with them.

Taiwanese

Taiwanese

China


Input: In the city of Dongguan, located just over 40 kilometers east of Guangzhou, the ground has already been broken on a project to build the first school for Taiwanese children in mainland China.

Dongguan

Guangzhou

China

40 kilometers

first

Taiwanese


Input: There is an especially large Taiwanese expatriate community in the Dongguan area, and there are high hopes that the new school, scheduled to begin officially enrolling students in September, will go a long way toward solving the nettlesome problem of education.

Taiwanese

Dongguan

September


Input: " Sometimes I get to thinking that I've achieved absolutely everything I set out to do in life, " says H. D. Ye, " then I take a look at my family's situation and it seems as though I haven't really done anything at all. "

H. D. Ye


Input: As chairman of the board at Dongguan Primax Electronics Products, Ye has nine factories and over 4,000 employees under him.

Dongguan Primax Electronics Products

Ye

nine


Input: Why would someone so successful be so down about his situation?


Input: Says Ye with a worried frown, " Recently my wife has been calling me a lot from Canada to talk about her problems trying to maintain discipline with our kids.

Ye

Canada


Input: They're getting out of control, and we're afraid they might get into trouble.


Input: They say it's tough to try and raise children as an expatriate, and I can sure attest to that. "


Input: I'm doing this for you


Input: Ye has worked hard for many years for the Taiwanese community in Dongguan, a subject he cares deeply about.

Ye

many years

Taiwanese

Dongguan


Input: " I don't care if it's nothing more than a thatched - roof cottage; I want to get a school for Taiwanese children up and running. "

Taiwanese


Input: After stepping down from his former position as chairman of the Taiwan Businessmen Association of Dongguan -LRB- TBAD -RRB-, Ye took over as director of the Dongguan Taiwanese School Preparatory Committee.

the Taiwan Businessmen Association of Dongguan

TBAD

the Dongguan Taiwanese School Preparatory Committee

Ye


Input: Says Ye, " I'm even busier now than I was before. "

Ye


Input: Of the more than 3,000 Taiwanese business people in Dongguan, less than 5% have been joined by their families.

more than 3,000

Taiwanese

Dongguan

less than 5%


Input: With the extended absence of these people from Taiwan, undisciplined children and lonely spouses " cause a lot of problems for families and society as a whole, " says Ye.

Taiwan

Ye


Input: There are a number of reasons why family members are unwilling to move to the mainland -


Input: some spouses have jobs in Taiwan, crime is a concern on the mainland, and the quality of medical care is not so good there.

Taiwan


Input: For people with families, however, the key stumbling block is the quality of education.


Input: Asks Sylvia Yang, deputy chairperson of the TBAD Women's Division, " What are we working to achieve, anyway?

Sylvia Yang

TBAD

Women's Division


Input: We want a better life for our children, of course. "


Input: She adds that while the education system on the mainland is not so bad, Taiwanese people have a hard time getting used to the way of life there.

Taiwanese


Input: " How would you feel if your child learned from his classmates to cough up phlegm all over the place?


Input: Sorry, but that's not something you can get used to. "


Input: Grumbles one businessman, " My kids have come home singing the national anthem of the PRC, and calling Chiang Kai - shek a thug and Lee Teng - hui a public enemy.

PRC

Chiang Kai - shek

Lee Teng - hui


Input: Now how do I handle something like that? "


Input: In the opinion of Norman Hsu, vice president of a foods company whose family of four had spent a few years in New Zealand before moving to Dongguan, " The first thing to do is ask the children their reason for saying such things.

Norman Hsu

four

New Zealand

Dongguan

first


Input: Ask what their teachers say, and what they themselves think.


Input: Then go on to give them your own views. "


Input: While many consider Hsu's approach a very enlightened one, there is no denying that at the gut level the influence of mainland Chinese culture rubs the wrong way.

Hsu

Chinese


Input: Comments one Taiwanese businessman, " You worry that your kid is going to become a communist. "

Taiwanese


Input: Taiwanese people in the mainland invariably wish to maintain their ties with Taiwan, and are particularly anxious to ensure that their children can integrate quickly into the school system back home once they return.

Taiwanese

Taiwan


Input: With the number of Taiwanese in Dongguan increasing in recent years, it was just a matter of time before a Taiwanese school was established.

Taiwanese

Taiwanese

Dongguan

recent years


Input: Thanks to the vigorous advocacy of H. D. Ye, the TBAD began working seriously in 1994 to establish a school, but the difficulties were considerable.

H. D. Ye

TBAD


Input: They had to find land, funds, teachers, and much more.


Input: With Taiwanese and mainland authorities at political loggerheads, the school's promoters had to jump through hoops every step of the way in seeking to hire teachers from Taiwan, use Taiwanese teaching materials, and appoint a Taiwanese person to the post of principal.

Taiwanese

Taiwanese

Taiwanese

Taiwan


Input: They also had to obtain the cooperation of the authorities in Taiwan.

Taiwan


Input: Since the people in Dongguan were paying taxes in Taiwan and planning to run the school according to the Taiwanese system, they asked whether the Ministry of Education might not treat the school the same as any private school in Taiwan, and subsidize it accordingly.

Dongguan

Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwanese

the Ministry of Education


Input: Teacher seniority was also a major issue in the effort to get the school established; if teachers from public schools were to teach in Dongguan, would they retain the seniority that they had built up in Taiwan?

Dongguan

Taiwan


Input: " If we hadn't been able to hire experienced teachers, " notes Ye, " it would have seriously impaired the quality of our faculty. "

Ye


Input: Ye continually stressed to authorities in both Taiwan and the mainland, " Politics is for the politicians.

Ye

Taiwan


Input: In the meantime, our children need an education.


Input: That's all we're asking. "


Input: The main obstacles were finally overcome by the end of 1999.

the end of 1999


Input: The mainland Chinese authorities have agreed to allow the use of Taiwanese teaching materials and faculty.

Chinese

Taiwanese


Input: As for the appointment of a principal, TBAD vice chairman Andrew Yeh states, " I think the mainland authorities will handle the situation flexibly.

TBAD

Andrew Yeh


Input: They'll probably let us hire who we want as long as we agree to refer to the person as a director or something like that. "


Input: The Dongguan city government has leased an 86,000 - square - meter site to the association at an extremely low price, and the school's cornerstone was laid last year in a ceremony held on 3 November.

Dongguan

86,000 - square - meter

last year

3 November


Input: The school will begin admitting students this coming September and start classes in October.

this coming September

October


Input: The school will accept elementary and junior high school students at first.

first


Input: The decision about whether to open senior high school classes will be made later depending on demand.


Input: Where to send the kids?


Input: H. D. Ye notes that there are now about 400 children of Taiwanese expatriates in Dongguan who attend school in the mainland.

H. D. Ye

Taiwanese

Dongguan


Input: Greater than half attend mainland China's regular elementary and secondary schools, while the more affluent Taiwanese send their children to private schools for expatriate children.

Greater than half

China

Taiwanese


Input: Chang Mei - liang, chairperson of the TBAD Women's Division, is among the latter group.

Chang Mei - liang

TBAD

Women's Division


Input: After her elder son and daughter finished elementary school in Taiwan she sent them to a boarding school in Britain.

Taiwan

Britain


Input: Her ten - year - old child is too young for that though, so she sends him to a school in Shenzhen for the children of Hong Kong expats.

ten - year

Shenzhen

Hong Kong