The preservation of historic places often conflicts with neighborhood renovation and urban development, and in the past it usually lost out. In recent years, people around the world have gradually come to a consensus about the importance of preserving their cultural heritage. In the R.O.C., historic sites have been classified into various categories for protection and maintenance, and in Malaysia, which is home to the largest overseas Chinese population in the world, the government is paying special attention to the preservation of historic Chinese buildings and monuments.
This issue's cover story takes the reader to Malaysia for a look at the tracks of the early Chinese immigrants and the sense of history embodied in their historic monuments.
In Penang, in the north, you can still glimpse how the early Chinese community must have looked through the traditional residences, restaurants and temples. Dragon Mountain Hall and Cheong Fatt-tze's Mansion are two of the most sumptuous and splendid examples.
In Kuala Lumpur, the capital, a plan is being carried out to renovate old buildings in the Chinese section while preserving their traditional facades to maintain the city's architectural diversity.
In the world-class historic city of Malacca, Po Sam Temple, Sam Po Well and the Chinese cemetery on Sam Po Mountain, which are related to the Ming Dynasty admiral Cheng Ho, were spared the fate of being demolished and paved over with roads after an uproar from the Chinese community.
In Johor Bahru, just over the water from Singapore to the south, Johor Old Temple was also caught up in a conflict between historical preservation and urban development. The dust has now settled, and builders and craftsmen from both sides of the Taiwan Strait have joined together to maintain this historic building.
The formal features of overseas Chinese buildings in Malaysia come from southern Fukien, reflecting the deep historical ties that the local immigrants have with China proper.
Jaw Shau-kong, Young Turk Administrator: Not everyone has the chance to participate in making history, but Jaw Shau-kong, a popular legislator who was brought into the cabinet a year and a half ago, has proved himself an able administrator with clout, achieving sterling marks in the R.O.C.'s history of environmental protection.
Backed by his dedication to environmental concerns for over a decade, Jaw has found solutions to a number of thorny problems during his time in office: a system of returnable deposits for plastic bottles will go into effect this March, and firms that don't comply with environmental standards can be shut down by direct order from the central government. . . .
Jaw has always been a darling of the media, and his clean-cut, straightforward image means his political future is limitless.
Likewise political figures in the news, the six women legislators Liang Hsu Chun-chu, Hsu Chang Ai-lien, Wu Der-mei, Hsieh Hei-huey, Tseng Fu-mei and Yeh Chu-lan have been elected to the Legislative Yuan without having to rely on the quota set aside for women and have been bold and forceful in office. Their outstanding performance in "rewriting the political map" is there for all to see.
Confrontation and Coexistence: Scholars and the media have a tangled, complex relationship. As leaders in opinion making, scholars depend on the media for the chance to convey their views, while the media needs scholars for the weight and authority they lend their stance.
But coexistence sometimes turns into confrontation when their views are "distorted" or "misrepresented."
The issue of whether scholars should be paid for their interviews was another topic that came up at a round-table discussion Sinorama hosted between scholars and the media.
Aboriginal Art Comes to the City: The debut of aboriginal culture on the stage of mainstream culture was an important event in Taiwan's art world last year. The Formosan Aboriginal Dance Troupe performed at cultural centers around the province and attracted a sizable audience for its "Night of Folk Culture" at the Ambassador Hotel. Caught in financial straits, it received a grant of NT$2.81 million from the National Endowment for Culture and Arts for field studies and research, giving it a timely shot in the arm.
The Taiwanese Aboriginal Folk Dance and Music Series, produced by Ming Li-kuo, carried on with "Sound of the Mountains" by the Bunun as a follow-up to "Dance of the Ocean" by the Amis and presented a joint performance with world-class violinist Hu Nai-yuan.
A sculpture show by the Puyuma chieftain Hagu, readings of aboriginal poetry, the publishing of aboriginal works of literature and the clay pots of the Paiwan artisan Sakuliu all helped "bring the ancestors back to life."
May works of aboriginal art and culture like these, charged with the force of life, receive broader attention in the future.
Some stirring shots from "professional baseball, year two" are featured in this issue's photo essay.
Finally, we wish all our readers success and happiness in the lunar New Year, the Year of the Monkey.
[Picture Caption]
Staff writer Liu Yung-fang (center) on location in Malaysia. Here she is next to Tiger Well at Johor Old Temple in Johor Bahru.