Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I am a faithful reader of Sinorama. By reading your magazine I have learnt a great deal about Taiwan's politics, economy, culture and education, and even about local customs and sentiments. In return, I would like to share a few thoughts of my own.

Many decades of separation across the Taiwan Strait have meant that although we are of the same Chinese stock, we do not understand each other, and historically this has led to many regrettable incidents and circumstances. As cross-strait relations have thawed, economic and cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait have been increasing by the day. This has given us the opportunity to understand each other better, and books and magazines are an important medium through which to do so. With its rich text and pictures, Sinorama touches on a wide range of topics. It not only reflects such major facets of modern Taiwanese society as its political debates, social development, economic construction, environmental protection and so on, but also fills in the fine detail of its life and geography, its local culture and traditional customs. One has the feeling of getting a complete picture of Taiwan, and the magazine's simple style makes for absorbing reading. In the past, people did not well understand conditions on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, and with Chinese people's penchant for extreme views, if it was not seen as poor and backward, corrupt and decadent and with declining moral values, then it was seen as a place where everything was better, an earthly paradise where the streets are paved with gold. By reading Sinorama we can get an objective and all-round understanding of Taiwan. Although Taiwan practices democratic politics, bureaucratic corruption also exists; Taiwan's economy is relatively advanced, but suffers the vital weaknesses of scarce resources and over-reliance on others; the people of Taiwan have quite a high standard of living, yet there are still classes which rely on welfare payments to make ends meet; Taiwan has been quite deeply influenced by Western culture, yet still maintains traditional Chinese culture and traditional Confucian thinking, family values and even our ancient culinary culture, all of which spring from a common source.

Recently, the " Potpourri" section in the March and April editions of Sinorama included some excellent articles which were a great pleasure to read and gave plenty of food for thought. Yeh Hsing's "Free Time and Leisure" pointed up the modern malaise of contemporary society: despite its modernity, people today feel that life is a grind and that they have neither free time nor a sense of leisure. Hsing Lin-tsu's " Old Father A-Tan" was tender and touching; I seemed to see my own shadow reflected in it, but regrettably I don't have a Mrs .A-Tan at my side. Huang Chun-ming's "Small Anthology of Children's Poems" in just a few short verses captured perfectly the different lifestyles of three generations in a traditional Chinese household. Other examples are too numerous to mention.

I work in a university library, and this gives me the opportunity to read Sinorama, which I also recommend to other readers. We all share the hope that your magazine will continue to go from strength to strength, enabling all your readers to enjoy even more and better articles.

Hua Yumin, Mainland China

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your report on Taiwan's coal mining magnate Yen Yun-nien. The brief biography was superb, and the photographs left a deep impression. I have long been particularly fond of Chiufen and its little railway station. I once worked for Mr. Yen' s son for six years when he was principal of the Kuanglung Domestic Science and Commercial Middle School in Keelung.

I most enjoyed the photographs which accompanied your article. Where can one find old photographs of Taiwan, especially of Keelung and Juifang? I would also like to enquire about any materials you may have on early miners in northeastern Taiwan.

In the past I have travelled around northeastern Taiwan on a bicycle and taken many hundreds of photographs. Some show some ordinary but relatively unknown villages which are unfamiliar even to friends who have lived in the area for 50 or 60 years. Would there be any chance of publishing these in Sinorama?

Eric, Taipei

Editor's note: Sinorama welcomes reports and pictures with a theme and story of interest to Chinese people generally. Please submit photographs as slides or black-and-white prints. Please contact our Director of Layout Vincent Chang before posting (tel. 02 392-2256, ext. 41).