The call to "return to the international stage" has been clamorous recently as both the public and the government hopes for the R.O.C. to play a more important global role.
While we strive to make new friends and allies, we must not forget the ones we have. After a year of planning, Sinorama's reporters flew to the remote islands of the South Pacific in order to report on four of our allies there--Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Nauru--in addition to Fiji, with which we maintain close substantive relations. This issue's cover story focuses on Tonga and Tuvalu.
If you've ever been to Taipei, you may have exclaimed about how high the prices are. Is that a misperception? The article "Why Do They Say Taipei's Expensive?" examines the question in detail.
Most reports about Premier Yu Kuo-hwa concern government and public affairs; his home life is rarely mentioned. "Premier Yu at Home" looks at the nation's administrative head from a different angle.
Many overseas Chinese say they're puzzled by some of the latest vocabulary appearing in Taiwan's magazines and newspapers. We reported earlier on expressions popular with young people, and in this issue we introduce some foreign words and phrases that entered the Chinese language here. In addition, the film Liang Shan-po and Chu Ying-t'ai, first shown 25 years ago, returned to the screen this year for the fourth time and proved as popular as ever. Ling Po, the woman who played the male lead, talks about her triumph.