Good Intentions from Taiwan

The movement to create national parks in Taiwan dates back more than a century. The first, Kenting, was established in January 1984. Since then, eight more have been added: Yushan, Yangmingshan, Taroko, Shei-Pa, Kin­men, Taijiang, Dongsha, and South ­Penghu. In addition, Shoushan National Nature Park was created in 2019 under the National Park Law. Taiwan now has nearly 40 years’ experi­ence in managing national parks.

In this month’s cover story we meet the people who work behind the scenes at national parks, including rangers, guides, and volunteers. From their frontline knowledge we can see the practical problems they face, and learn about the rich abundance of Taiwan’s natural world.

Among Taiwanese who have lived abroad long term, one has become a promin­ent figure in the literary world: Li Kotomi, winner of Japan’s Akutagawa Prize. She observes the world around her with delic­ate and intricate insight, and expresses her thoughts clearly and vividly. She garnered much attention in Japan’s liter­ary com­mun­ity in 2017 with her book Solo Dance, written in Japanese, which earned her the prestigi­ous Gunzo Award for New Writers. Her works are informed by her background of growing up in Taiwan.

Then there is photovoltaics expert Yang Yang, who has led a research team at UCLA to create tandem organic solar cells, the first organic solar cells to surpass 10% power conversion efficiency. In our reports, these outstanding overseas-based compatriots discuss their experiences growing up in Taiwan and the turning points and opportunities they have encountered in their creative work and research, as they enable Taiwan’s potential to continue to shine on the world stage.

If you know how to read the “book” of Taiwan and observe the marks left by time, you can surely gain a deep understanding of this land. Sarah Chung, founder of Like It Formosa, first came across free walking tours overseas, and after returning to Taiwan used her free time to recruit tour guides and work out routes with unique sights that can capture foreign visitors’ interest. From there she launched her walking tour enterprise.

The National Symphony Orchestra—the warm, robust voice of Taiwan—has long been engaging in dialogue with the West through Taiwan’s unique cultural features, and has been widely praised internationally. In the era of the coronavirus pandemic, many aspects of our lives have changed greatly, including healthcare, education, finance, and interpersonal communication. But one thing that hasn’t changed is people’s good intentions: the idea of making a contribution to the world and, in all fields of endeavor, transmitting the “good” in Taiwan to all.