Taiwan A To Z

On March 17, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) came out with an English-language e-book intended for youngsters living overseas, entitled Taiwan A to Z. Through its wonderful illustrations that show the many faces of Taiwan culture, each accompanied by an English vocabulary term, youngsters abroad can learn all about Taiwan in a fun and simple way, just by turning on their smartphones or tablet computers and downloading the app.

At a press conference to mark the release of the e-book, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih stated that Taiwan A to Z is the first ever product designed by MOFA specifically from the point of view of the younger generation. For a young person in another land who wants to learn something about Taiwan, current introductory materials are rather formal and rigid. Therefore for this e-book, an effort was made to start out from the perspective of younger people, or, put more simply, to inject more merriment into learning about Taiwan’s down-home culture.

The content in Taiwan A to Z includes essays and creative works, selected from among submissions made by 450 students and teachers at 40 high schools around Taiwan, that best express our country’s unique characteristics. The content is organized alphabetically from A to Z, thus forming 26 natural chapters. The themes and drawing styles are diverse, and incorporate a rich variety of cultural phenomena that define Taiwan—from night markets to “fortune teller streets” to the Tai­pei 101 building to Techno Prince Ne­zha performance troupes, and much more.

Shih states that in this, its first ever e-book, MOFA is attempting to stretch a limited budget to achieve the widest possible impact. In addition to the current English edition, in the future MOFA will come out with versions in other languages, such as German, French, Spanish, and the languages of Southeast Asia, building more and more bridges that will help people around the world to better know Taiwan.

Just by downloading the Taiwan A to Z app to a smartphone or tablet computer, foreign friends can learn all about the many faces of Taiwan’s society through a series of entertaining and informative images and essays. (photo by Huang Jun Kai)

The photo shows Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih introducing the English-language e-book Taiwan A to Z, produced by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to young people from overseas. (photo by Chen Mei-ling)

In Taiwan A to Z you will find a wide range of depictions of defining elements of Taiwan’s culture, such as night markets, Taipei 101, and temple celebrations. (courtesy of MOFA)