Sinorama was founded 10 years ago. In looking back over the years 1976 to 1985, let's first recall some of the major events recorded by the magazine to help you remember what it was like at the time.
In our December 1976 issue, we reported on the ROC's first nuclear power plant, a symbol of the arrival of a new era.
Our August 1977 issue featured the triple victories of the ROC baseball teams in the world championships that year.
The reaction of the Chinese people to the U.S. announcement on December 26, 1978, that it would sever diplomatic relations with the ROC was covered in a pictorial essay.
The "Formosa" magazine incident took place in 1979. The same year, the television program "Face-to-Face" opened up a new channel of communication between the government and the people.
Our April 1980 issue reported on the fresh current brought to popular music by folk songs on campus. Three of the singers featured in that article have since gone on to successful careers in entertainment.
A December 1983 report on the domestic counterfeiting problem opened up a storm of reaction. A followup report in March 1985 quoted an international business organization which cited the ROC as "a model among developing countries in combatting counterfeiting."
Our March 1984 issue reported the nomination by the Kuomintang of Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui as the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates. They were overwhelmingly elected by the National Assembly and sworn into office on May 20.
Flipping through bound volumes of past issues, we can see that Sinorama's reporting has moved from an emphasis on our country's reconstruction and development to a more penetrating exploration of its special products, customs, and cultural achievements.
Four reports on computers, beginning in October 1979, witnessed the takeoff of the Chinese information industry, while reports on toys, textiles, electronics, and many other industries have displayed the fruits of our people's hard work and diligence.
Articles on Meinung and its paper umbrellas, Tamsui's Fort San Domingo, the Ghost Festival, and other locales and customs have brought pleasure to many readers and led them to share their memories with us.
Our series on national parks and rare animals and our reports on the consumer movement testify to the growth of the concepts of conservation and consumerism on Taiwan.
Articles on the Eden Foundation and the Chinese Children's Fund's Family Helper Center have illustrated another aspect of social concern.
Finally, Sinorama's reports on art festivals, folk opera, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and other cultural endeavors have focused on some of the spiritual and intellectual life of contemporary China.
We look back on the accomplishments of the past ten years with gratitude for your support and interest. And given that same interest and support, we look forward to even greater accomplishments in the ten years to come.
[Picture Caption]
Construction of Taiwan's first nuclear power plant began in 1970. The atomic reactor, shown here, went into operation in 1978.
Sinorama has reported four times on Chinese computers. Previously, Chinese characters were considered a burden. Now, ROC-produced Chinese-language computers operate as quickly as their English-language counterparts.
On "Face-to-Face," which began broadcasting on November 19, 1979, government officials were questioned by the press and members of the public on issues of popular concern.
Su Nan-ch'eng, reelected mayor of Tainan by a wide margin and noted for his no-holds-barred approach to reform, was the object of a Sinorama special interview. Su is now the mayor of Kao-hsiung.
Nobel-prize winner Alexandr Solzhenitsyn visited the ROC in October 1982. His lecture "For Free China" left not an audience member unmoved.
The rise of campus folk music gave Chinese youth songs of their own to sing. Two of the young men shown here are now television emcees; the young lady, a popular songwriter.
Our August 1982 issue reported on Lai Yao-san, a photographer who specializes in artistic photos of insects, which are a personal interestof his.
The August 1982 staging of "Wandering in the Garden, Waking From a Dream," a play combining the arts of literature, drama, music, and calligraphy, was an important event in the development of modern Chinese theater.
The 1982 Arts Festival, the first large-scale event sponsored by the Council for Cultural Planning and Development, was covered in our November 1982 issue. Shown here is Lin Li-chen's dance "Who Am I?"
Our October 1982 article on the Presidential Palace took readers up the steps and into the rooms of a building we all know of but seldom see from inside.
With historical preservation a topic of great concern, Sinorama has visited many unique old buildings on the island, like The Chai Hsing Mountain Villa near Taichung, reported on in August 1983 and considered one of the island's purest and least-changed old residences.
The Taipei Fine Arts Museum opened at the end of 1983. Our February 1984 issue took readers on a tour of the museum and touched on some of the problems in getting it started.
Gifts are a way of expressing courtesy and feelings. Exported, they are also a considerable source of foreign exchange earnings. We reported on them in June 1984.
Lee Teng-hui (right) is the first vice president of the ROC to have a Ph.D.. Previously mayor of Taipei and governor of Taiwan Province, Lee has been interviewed twice by our magazine.
With the government's strenuous backing, Free China on Taiwan has opened a vigorous campaign against commercial counterfeiting. We made a detailed report in March 1985.
Sinorama has reported four times on Chinese computers. Previously, Chinese characters were considered a burden. Now, ROC-produced Chinese-language computers operate as quickly as their English-language counterparts.
On "Face-to-Face," which began broadcasting on November 19, 1979, government officials were questioned by the press and members of the public on issues of popular concern.
Su Nan-ch'eng, reelected mayor of Tainan by a wide margin and noted for his no-holds-barred approach to reform, was the object of a Sinorama special interview. Su is now the mayor of Kao-hsiung.
Nobel-prize winner Alexandr Solzhenitsyn visited the ROC in October 1982. His lecture "For Free China" left not an audience member unmoved.
The rise of campus folk music gave Chinese youth songs of their own to sing. Two of the young men shown here are now television emcees; the young lady, a popular songwriter.
Our August 1982 issue reported on Lai Yao-san, a photographer who specializes in artistic photos of insects, which are a personal interest of his.
The August 1982 staging of "Wandering in the Garden, Waking From a Dream," a play combining the arts of literature, drama, music, and calligraphy, was an important event in the development of modern Chinese theater.
The 1982 Arts Festival, the first large-scale event sponsored by the Council for Cultural Planning and Development, was covered in our November 1982 issue. Shown here is Lin Li-chen's dance "Who Am I?".
Our October 1982 article on the Presidential Palace took readers up the steps and into the rooms of a building we all know of but seldom see from inside.
With historical preservation a topic of great concern, Sinorama has visited many unique old buildings on the island, like The Chai Hsing Mountain Villa near Taichung, reported on in August 1983 and considered one of the island's purest and least-changed old residences.
The Taipei Fine Arts Museum opened at the end of 1983. Our February 1984 issue took readers on a tour of the museum and touched on some of the problems in getting it started.
Gifts are a way of expressing courtesy and feelings. Exported, they are also a considerable source of foreign exchange earnings. We reported on them in June 1984.
Lee Teng-hui (right) is the first vice president of the ROC to have a Ph.D.. Previously mayor of Taipei and governor of Taiwan Province, Lee has been interviewed twice by our magazine.
With the government's strenuous backing, Free China on Taiwan has opened a vigorous campaign against commercial counterfeiting. We made a detailed report in March 1985.