Children of the Sea

Taiwan, surrounded by ocean, is intimately connected with the sea in many ways, including climate, environment, bio­logy, and culture. The ocean has sculpted Taiwan’s form over millions of years, and continues to shape its fate and future.

At the center of the Western Pacific island chain, off the eastern edge of the Eurasian landmass, Taiwan’s marine environ­ment is affected by the interaction of the Kuroshio Current, humid airflows from the South China Sea, and the China Coastal Current. With such unique geographic conditions, Taiwan has played a critical role in the course of human civilization and the expansive migrations of the Austronesian peoples. But if you ask ordin­ary citizens to characterize Taiwan’s coastal ­areas or describe the underwater world, few can respond. This month we go down to the sea, to take some first steps toward understanding, valuing, and embracing the ocean.

The Covid-19 pandemic is still underway. Besides causing millions of deaths worldwide, it has devastated many countries’ economies. In these hard times, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Cooperation and Develop­ment Foundation (TaiwanICDF) continue their humanitarian work, assisting developing countries in the fields of public health and medicine, and in stabilizing their social and economic development. In this issue, ­TaiwanICDF deputy secretary-­general Alex Shyy tells us about Taiwan’s overseas aid work.

We also catch up with the Taiwan-­Reyhanli Center for World Citizens, on the Turkey‒­Syria border. Founding dir­ector Chiu Chen-yu and Volkan Huang, Taipei’s representat­ive in Ankara, discuss the challenges facing the Taiwan Center, their hopes for narrowing the digital divide for refugee women and children, and their efforts to bring in resources from inter­national and Taiwan NGOs to keep the center operating sustainably.

We visit some fascinating personalities too, such as metalworker Pan Tzu-tsun, whose steel tongue drums produce heavenly sounds, and luthier Lin Zongfan, whose handmade lutes are but part of his efforts to keep Taiwan’s religious and folk rituals alive. We report on Our Theatre, which is marking its 18th anni­vers­ary with a production of Palaces, based on the “Five Mysterious Cases” in Taiwanese folklore. And the latest in our cycling series comes from Taichung, as we continue to record stories of our island’s people and culture.

The island of Taiwan rose out of the seafloor, and the ocean is close at hand. We believe that if you are willing to get to know the sea, hear its voice, and connect with the joys and sorrows it encompasses, you will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of it. With this, we can live sustainably in the endless circle of life.