Dear Editor:
I read Sinorama here in Thailand. Your magazine's unique format and quality of design and the arrangement of columns are impressive and I wish to express my congratulations to the editor and the staff of Sinorama for producing a Chinese publication which applies aesthetic principles in a media forum.
Your September 1994 issue article "From Bruce Lee to Huang Fei-hong" by Jenny Hu (trans. by Robert Taylor) was noteworthy. The Bruce Lee side of it relates to off-camera issues as well. Your article indirectly reminds me of the book Children of the Yellow Emperor (on expatriate Chinese) in which its author's mention of Lee is a portrayal from an angle outside the context of Lee's image in the "Occidental world." Bruce Lee's image and appeal in the West since before his movie fame derived from his skills in the martial arts. In books by Jabbar and Inosanto, we are introduced to Lee as a "sensei," who had awakened in his pupils, a group of people from outside Chinese culture belonging to various creeds and races and religions, an inspiration and motivational will to pursue "spiritual liberation" and a wholehearted desire to go beyond the cultural barriers.
It seems to me that since Bruce Lee passed away, the next generation of Chinese yuppies in the 1980s reacted to Lee as a distant vision or hero from afar. His presence and/or significance in the context of Chinese and world history was misunderstood. But in Sinorama, Bruce Lee's spirit still exists in people's memory. In the world of cinema and even off the screen, Bruce Lee lives on. The movie world still needs heroes and box office hits, for these too are aspects of the arts.
Shahab. Setudeh-Nejad, Bangkok
Dear Editor:
As a senior studying foreign relations at Chengchi University, I am anxious and indecisive about the choices confronting me upon graduation. Most of my classmates plan either to take the civil service exams or pursue graduate studies in Taiwan or abroad. It may seem that we all have bright futures, but from my perspective as an insider, "though we have great opportunities, it is not certain we will grab hold of them"--because while today's university students are full of ability, they are empty of ambition... myself included. For all but a minority of my classmates, pursuing advanced studies is just a way of finding a safe haven. One result of this lack of ambition is our swarming to take the civil service exams, success in which promises financial security. I'm not finding fault with others, for I'm just the same....
In the midst of this indecision, I happened to read the "Communication Channels" column entitled "Supply Station for Students Going Abroad" in the November issue of Sinorama. Focusing on the future professionals that will be needed in Taiwan in the fields of computer graphics and art administration, the column made a detailed explanation of the room for growth in these fields and the directions that those with ambitions in them should be taking. I benefitted greatly from the column. Though it wasn't very long, it provided the information I most urgently needed. But perhaps because of space limitations, it didn't broaden its scope to discuss the professionals that will be most needed in other fields, and this I thought was unfortunate. Would it be possible for Sinorama to discuss professionals in demand in Taiwan and abroad in a more comprehensive and in-depth article or special column? I think that this would greatly benefit young people like myself who are hesitating at the crossroads, uncertain as whether to pursue further study or embark on our careers.
Jao Chin-yu, Taipei
Editor's note: Our regular column "Communication Channels" will continue to present information relating to study abroad, and we welcome readers to write us with questions. These we will organize and forward to relevant experts and authorities, whose advice we will then publish.
For students who are graduating and unable to find work, Sinorama is preparing a comprehensive report about career trends and study choices: "A Weather Vane for Overseas Students," to be published soon.
