Exploring Values in Taiwan--"Conversations About Books"

Last year, even as Taiwan entered the era of full democracy with its first direct presidential elections, a series of religious scandals and major crimes caused people to pause and reassess: What are the values of our society? When we bring together the different generations that make up our society and they analyze values here (with regard to love, marriage, religion, money, beauty, the work ethic, and so on), can we find a mainstream and an "alternative" for this society? Is one value system better or more important than another? What kind of value system will allow people to achieve personal satisfaction yet also be of benefit to the whole?

Competing with call-in TV programs, with their sarcasm, anger, criticism, and ridicule, one program-which takes a gentler look at social change-is getting a lot of attention. One reason is that it discusses the direction of social values, a subject that everyone is interested in. Another is that its host is the son-in-law of President Lee Teng-hui, senior journalist Lai Kuo-chou. In a marked difference from the hard-nosed attitude he has been portrayed with in the media over his determination to see the Audit Bureau of Circulation verify newspaper circulation claims, on his program-"Conversations About Books"-Lai Kuo-chou is genteel and warm, the classic image of the bookish scholar. His guests are mostly figures from publishing or the arts world.

Given the consensus that social resources should be optimally employed, multi-media cooperation is the trend, especially cooperation between the print media and electronic media, because each has its innate limits. The former is slower, and reaches fewer people. The latter is easily superficial, and cannot afford the time to chew over details. Thus they both need to cooperate. In this issue, we are cooperating with the Taiwan Television enterprise program "Conversations About Books" to produce this special article discussing values in Taiwan.

There have been eight shows. Our report this month discusses the first four shows, on "Reading Values," "Love Values," "Marriage Values," and "Aesthetic Values."

The track of time

One way to look at different eras is simply by the amount and types of books available to young people. This can provide a common thread to link up the memories of people from different eras. The first program did just this, with guests Minister of Economic Affairs Chiang Ping-kun (who was a primary school student in the Japanese occupation era), TTV host Wang Yung-ho, who is part of the middle generation, and Li Shu-chen, who has just entered her freshman year in college. Host Lai Kuo-chou lies between the two generations represented by Chiang and Wang.

Taiwan's society is ever more prosperous. From the guests' comments, we can summarize a few key points. In Taiwan in the 1940s and 1950s, there were great material shortages. Chiang Ping-kun, who studied amidst air raids in WWII, mostly borrowed books from people; he would read all night, because he had to return them the next day. This kind of childhood environment made him cherish books like gold, and treat time as something precious. Many people from his era similarly treasure such objects that today their juniors take for granted.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the period when host Lai grew from childhood to young adulthood, books were still basically limited in availability, and the average child still could not afford books. Lai repeatedly pored over a world map his mother had. The first book he ever bought himself was Stories from Chinese History. Later, when he studied at Chienkuo Boys High School, his happiest moments were browsing the second-hand book stores on Kuling Street with his classmates. This was a very popular place for literary youth of the 1960s and 70s to go. Reading books outside the main curriculum gave many people a rebellious or independent cast of mind, and cultivated many of today's leading intellectuals and social elites.

Wang Yung-ho grew up a decade later than Lai. Society had progressed greatly in this time, and there were improvements in both the quality and quantity of books available in book shops. Children's books like Cinderella and Snow White were already common companions. It's just that things were still far removed from today's situation of so many kinds of books saturating the market. On the program, Wang recalled that when she was small she most loved reading her brother's Mandarin Chinese textbooks. She was surprised herself to find that when the motivation for study is interest, even stodgy school texts can be fascinating.

Li Shu-chen, of the new generation, was the subject of general envy. For her, faced with the flooded book market, the problem is one of selection. While it is true, as most stereotypes hold, that kids today love comic books most of all, Li Shu-chen specially reminded people not to forget peer pressure and the impact of mass culture. For example, anyone who doesn't read popular Japanese comics like "Crayon Hsinchan" would be considered behind the times by classmates. On a different note, Li has found inspirational books like those of Liu Yung to be helpful. Such books transcend generational differences, and are well received by people of all ages.

Of course, once Taiwanese get into the working world, most end up reading books and magazines related to their career specialization. It's common for people to end up gazing at all the choices available and then sighing, annoyed because books can't be read nearly as fast as they can be bought. Well readers, why don't you go home and pick up that good book you bought the last time out!?

Romantic notions

The second program was on the "modern view of love," on which everyone has their own views. The guests were Tseng Chao-hsu, recognized as an authority on love, and well-known romance author Chang Man-chuan. The two mostly talked about the romance, mystery and uncertainty that are in the nature of love. Host Lai Kuo-chou, on the other hand, keeping the focus on books, emphasized that literary works in different eras offer different views of love. He talked about popular wartime romantic novels like The Blue and the Black or The Never-Ending Saga. He also discussed the struggle of the middle generation, caught between traditional social restraints and modern liberation of feelings and desires. He pointed especially to stories of love in society by many women authors, such as Liao Hui-ying's No Way Back. The depiction of love and psychology in such books represents the model of relations between men and women of the middle generation.

For the new generation, romance is more direct, and less subject to social taboos and restrictions. Young people often pursue "short-term gratification," and are very pragmatic. On the program, Chang Man-chuan called these "urban" romantic values. "You can't see any light that shines for a long time, just fireworks." But ultimately this cannot satisfy the passionate hopes human beings have for love.

The place where the two experts on love agreed was in Chang's optimism and idealistic hopes for modern romance. "People in love can be lovers, or husband and wife, and they can also be like sister and brother, like family, even like business partners, cooperating to manage their love and their married life."

She went a step further to define her ideal of modern romance: "Love includes all relationships and feelings among people. A good romance will give one a warm feeling; there will be feelings similar to those between teachers and students, and also of mutual reliance, and sharing, like among friends; love also includes passion and wild dreams." Only after learning through various types of relationships can one successfully manage one's own love life.

As the guests were drifting in this romantic realm, host Lai Kuo-chou pulled everyone back to reality. He reminded those who love to read romance novels that besides reading such books, it is necessary to "integrate romance into practical life, and through reading, bring sentiment ever closer to our daily lives."

Beneath the eaves of love

What is the finish line of the long race of love? Remember that people have long said: "Marriage is the graveyard of love." How could this be, as it seems, the wisdom of the ancients?

Good news! Although Taiwan's divorce rate is climbing, at least in theory we have already escaped from the way of thinking in which marriage is the "graveyard of love." This is testified to by the availability of such books as Exploring Marriage and Managing Your Marriage.

In the program entitled "Love Under the Eaves," exploring modern marriage, Lai Kuo-chou noted that, in a number of books recently published on family and marriage, "all of them adopt the family system as their focus." Guests You Hsia, a cartoonist, and Liao Yu-hui, a well-known author, discussed how they explore the roles of marriage partners through, respectively, images and words.

Traditional values are still with us. Liao noted that in many books, like Li Chiao's Trilogy on a Cold Night, or Liao Hui-ying's Rapeseed, the women are portrayed in a very traditional way as wives and mothers. Although from early periods of hardship they progress to determination and courage, they end up without individual identities, stripped of the feminine characteristics of vigor, joy, and delicacy that they had before marriage. Commenting on the recent popularity in Taiwan of the Japanese period soap opera Ah Hsin, which is also based on a traditional Asian cultural view of marriage (it extols the traditional spirit of the wife and mother enduring through hardship), Liao made a plea: Can we please no longer only have this model of a mother, so that modern mothers can still explore the joys of womanhood, and not live so bitterly?

A cartoonist, through images, expresses ideas in the most direct manner possible. You Hsia explained to the audience that most cartoons start with the relatively negative aspects of their subject matter. A four-frame comic strip portrays negative things in a simplified and exaggerated way. But, besides laughing, people can't help but think: I hope I don't act as ridiculously as the character in the comic strip! Therefore there is a salutary effect on values.

Liao Yu-hui also noted the changing role of the father. She really loved reading the biography of Feng Zikai. In one part, Feng's small child went into the study, and made a mess out of everything. Furious, Feng was about to strike his child, then stopped his hand in midair, suddenly thinking: "Aren't I judging him by the standards of an adult?" He slowly put his hand down and his heart softened. Liao was deeply moved by Feng's ability to see things from a child's point of view, and happily discovered that today this kind of "New Mr. Nice Guy" can be found everywhere. Indeed, authors like Hsiao Yeh and Liu Ke-hsiang often write on this subject. The image of the contemporary father is new creative material for male writers today.

Of course, with the changing era, demands for personal space have increased. What about the space for one's partner? Few modern couples aspire to the old lyric that "You are part of me, I am part of you." Liao Yu-hui suggested that the feelings of being married are something that single people cannot really understand. She really loves that feeling of having to think of the other person before doing anything. You Hsia, on the other hand, averred that intimate relations between married couples today ought to be similar to a black-and-white yin-yang circle; they make up a single, coherent picture, but with the black and white very clearly distinguished, each keeping their own character, and not mixing together into one gray field. Naturally a cartoonist can better graphically express things better than others, and his metaphor spelling out the character of the ideal modern marriage immediately won agreement from the other program participants.

Since these programs always start from books, the publication in recent years of a huge number of books exploring marriage suggests that family problems are no longer "private matters." They directly or indirectly affect all of society. Family problems are also no longer "scandalous," but can be deeply explored. Books offer expert advice, and can be of great practical help.

"Everybody needs real love, real faith, to build their marriage and family. Through books, we can see new thinking that transcends tradition, and provide a new window on life. Families need love, but they need management even more." Thus did the host genteely remind listeners as the program "Love Under The Eaves" came to a close.

A journey with beauty

What is it Taiwanese have the most of? What do they lack? Many people might say that Taiwanese have lots of cash, but lack class. Over the past 50 years, Taiwan has gone from hardship to wealth. But prosperity has not automatically translated into quality of life. The fourth program in the "Conversations About Books" program was "A Journey With Beauty." In that show, Lai Kuo-chou invited glass artist Wang Hsia-chun and senior advertising professional Su Hsiung to talk about the extremely abstract concept of "aesthetics."

What is beauty? Do aesthetics change with time? How can a sense of aesthetics be established? Can we learn about aesthetics from a discussion of books about art? The questions of the host reflect what many people in society wonder themselves.

Although their careers are far removed from what they studied in school, both guests agreed that the sense of beauty comes from within. It is "harmonization," "learning of the soul." Even more, it comes from the respect one has for oneself and for others. This is something that Taiwanese, despite their wealth, lack. So they leave their shoes in apartment stairwells, they leave public spaces covered in garbage, society is in disorder, the cities are being constantly torn down and rebuilt, Taiwanese tourists buy anything they can get their hands on, and people assume that beauty lies in possession. In this environment, how can a sense of beauty be built in daily life?

Wang Hsia-chun, who runs a glass art studio, says that when tour groups from the US, Europe, or Japan come to his studio, they are quiet and polite, take their time admiring the pieces, and make the artists feel respected and accepted. In contrast, Taiwanese groups are noisy, they don't listen to the guides' explanations, and they run all over the place. Unable to remain calm for a moment, how can they appreciate the beauty? How can they understand life and vitality?

The host asked Wang to recommend a book that could raise the attention to beauty in daily life. He commended Words for Quiet Thinking by Buddhist Master Cheng Yen. He did so because it is necessary to start with a tranquil mind and with respect for others in order to build an understanding of beauty. Su Hsiung, on the other hand, suggested two books: Think Out of the Box, and Simplify Your Life. These suggest escaping from one's frame of thought to pursue creativity, and getting back to basics in life.

Its also worth reflecting on Wang's comment that Taiwan's cities lack history, culture, stories, and human feeling. This is a very powerful impression Taiwan's cities give. One foreigner here for the first time asked: "Is Taipei a new city? How come everything here is new?" Lai Kuo-chou noted that when he went to Norway, he found that although Norway is a very wealthy country thanks to North Sea oil, it does not flaunt wealth or fashion, but rather emphasizes history and humanism. Lai noticed that the shops there were mostly book shops, antique stores, or art galleries, quietly reminding tourists that this was a country whose people understand the importance of aesthetics.

Can Taiwanese pay more attention to aesthetics? It seems that this goal is still very remote. But the fact that people ask this type of question, that there are programs like this, is a step in the right direction. They reflect at least a widespread desire to have beauty. Lai Kuo-chou is very hopeful about Taiwan, this place with so much vitality. Many people are struggling to find the answers, and he will continue to explore the values of this society. Let us hope that more people will join in this effort. See you next program.

(The show's website: http://www. kcstudio.com.tw)

p.134

A cup of tea and books-this is how the TTV program "Conversations About Books" begins. This program was about modern views on marriage. Host Lai Kuo-chou (left) sits with author Liao Yu-hui (middle) and cartoonist You Hsia. All come from the generation caught between tradition and modernity. What are their views on marriage? (photo courtesy of Lai Kuo-chou)

p.137

"Is Taipei a new city?" visitors wonder. The constant demolition of old buildings, to be replaced by new construction, means visitors can't see much of Taipei's history and culture on the surface. How to build an appreciation for beauty is a hot topic these days in Taiwan. (photo by Pu Hua-chih)

p.138

The "New Mr. Nice Guy" isn't just a creature of advertising. Dads are more warm and affectionate these days, and with the rise of the middle class, the era of equality between the sexes is coming. (photo by Lily Huang)

p.139

Short and sweet-is that really what the "new new youth" look for in love? Lots of people would disagree! The Book of Odes, written 2000 years ago, says "One day not seeing you is like three months." But this may just be a romantic notion of the ancients. In fact, love is the oldest issue for human beings. What is ideal romance? Let's talk love. (photo by Diago Chiu)

The "New Mr. Nice Guy" isn't just a creature of advertising. Dads are more warm and affectionate these days, and with the rise of the middle class, the era of equality between the sexes is coming. （photo by Lily Huang）

Short and sweet--is that really what the "new new youth" look for in love? Lots of people would disagree! The Book of Odes, written 2000 years ago, says "One day not seeing you is like three months." But this may just be a romantic notion of the ancients. In fact, love is the oldest issue for human beings. What is ideal romance? Let's talk love.... （photo by Diago Chiu）