What qualifications does Taiwan possess to become a center of sinology?

"The sinological materials kept on Taiwan can well be called the richest and most precious in the Free World," says Liu Chao-yu, a professor of Chinese literature at Soochow University. The chief repositories are Academia Sinica, the National Palace Museum, the National Central Library, and the libraries of National Taiwan University and National Taiwan Normal University.

The materials can be divided into several major categories: chia-ku wen remains (oracular bone inscriptions), ancient artifacts, original editions, government documents from the Ming and Ching dynasties, local records, and modern historical documents.

As for chia-ku wen, the Institute of History and Philology in Academia Sinica holds around 25,000 oracle bone fragments excavated between 1928 and 1937 from the site of the ancient capital of the Shang dynasty in Anyang, Honan Province. Some 600 pieces are fairly complete and possess immense historical value.

The National Palace Museum is a vast treasure house of ancient Chinese paintings, calligraphic scrolls, and artistic works in bronze, ceramic, jade, lacquer, enamel, and other mediums. For serious scholars of Chinese art history, a three- to five-year stint at the museum is practically considered a must.

Among the nearly 300,000 rare and original editions of ancient Chinese books preserved on Taiwan, the greatest quantity and the most valuable date from the Sung and Ming dynasties. An extremely useful reference tool is the United Catalog of Chinese Original Editions, compiled by the National Central Library.

First priority during the government's move to Taiwan was naturally given to the oldest items, so the comparative lack of works from the Ching dynasty and the modern era is a regrettable fact of life. However, the National Palace Museum holds a fairly substantial collection of government documents from the Ching dynasty, which have been cataloged and opened to the public.

In addition, the more than 300,000 Ching government documents held by the Institute of History and Philology are being collated, abstracted, and microfilmed, a task that will prove to be of immense assistance to researchers of Ming and Ching history.

Documents related to modern history, including official papers, correspondence, and news reports, are stored in the Kuomintang Historical Commission, which each year attracts many international scholars in search of prize finds.

Abundant documents are one of the prime qualifications for Taiwan becoming a strong-hold of sinology. And with modern information exchange becoming ever more rapid and convenient, Western and Japanese collections are also within easy access. Most overseas holdings have been compiled in library catalogs, and, given the country's strong financial position, microfilm and photocopies have been fairly easy to obtain. The establishment of a comprehensive catalog of worldwide sinological materials with service to scholars of all countries would earn us even more friendship and attention.

"Taiwan is already a stronghold of sinology," says Chu Hung-yuan, a scholar at Academia Sinica's Institute of Modern History. "The fact that first-rate Western sinologists are delighted to be invited here proves it." But it still has a way to go from being a stronghold of sinology to the world's center.

"Cultivating outstanding scholars, compiling catalogs, providing services to Western sinologists, and holding international seminars are all practicable steps," Chu says, but making Taiwan itself become an important focus of research, he adds, would be even more meaningful.

"There are really quite a number of things we should do and can do," says a professor of foreign languages at National Taiwan University. If we in Taiwan want to cultivate self-knowledge, historical perspective, and a broader world view, then starting right at home is imperative.

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Rare and original editions at the National Central Library have, by mean s ot modern methods, been rebound and carefully stored.