What do people in Taiwan care about? What are they seeking?

Bookshops today contain a dazzling array of books covering finance, computers, lifestyle advice, contemporary thought, the humanities, fiction, and so on. These beautiful volumes can provide modern people with the practical knowledge they seek. They can also tell us what Taiwanese of the current generation care most about.

One of the most interesting phenomena of late is that the number of books on religion and spiritual life has been increasing. Besides books on astrology, which have been popular for a while now and are read mostly by youth, there have been a growing number of books on spiritual topics: the mysteries of life and death, how to separate the soul from the body, and even how to transcend reality and become "immortal."

Just check out these titles: The Transcendence of Life and Death, Techniques of the Immortals, Alchemy of the Path of the Immortals, Miraculous Cures Beyond Medicine for Untreatable Illnesses, Liberating the Spirit from the Body: The Highest Level of Hypnosis, Easy Ways for the Soul to Leave the Body, The Secret of Reincarnation of the Soul. . . . There are hundreds of such books, by Western as well as Chinese authors, all addressing one desire: Is there a path linking or bridging the gap between the known world and the unknown world? And if this path be found, will the troubles of the known world-illness, depression, and frustration-dissolve?

Why is it that modern people-regardless of cultural background and religious affiliation-are, even as we enter the 21st century and are capable of space travel, talking about these spiritual questions? Many of these books draw on the ancient beliefs of China, India, and Egypt, which share much in common. We cannot but ask: In the modern world, dominated by the scientific method, have we overlooked the wisdom of our forebears? There are many questions modern individualism and science have yet to answer, such as spiritual questions, or physical problems like cancer or immunity to disease. So now people are looking back at the crystallization of the observations and experiences of our forebears-including many experiments using their own bodies-to find answers.

Of course, there is much in these "new age" books that looks ridiculous, that is mere wishful thinking, or that is just opinion. But they make apparent the great desire of human beings to seek truth, goodness, and knowledge. People have always been dissatisfied with, dubious about, or willing to challenge actual experience, and have sought a better world.

Virtually every article in this issue highlights this common direction. For example, the article on "math anxiety" describes how teachers are attempting to rescue children from the "nightmare" that mathematics is for many. Our report on local documentary-making in Taiwan ("Shoot on Site") shows how many people of diverse backgrounds are using modern technology to tell the stories of "the little guys," and how the film-makers hope to draw attention to disadvantaged groups and rectify injustices. The story on sightless people draws attention to the fact that, despite the passage of the Law for Protection of the Physically and Mentally Handicapped, blind people still need a great deal of support and encouragement to overcome the many obstacles in their environments. Policy must be improved, and social attitudes must change. . . .

Our cover story, on Chinese conceptions of heaven, even more directly addresses the spiritual mysteries that fascinate us. What did the founders of Chinese civilization think about heaven and earth? Is the Daoist realm of the immortals just wishful thinking, or is it based on experience? Why is it that the land of immortality pursued by ancient kings and sages was just an extension of the mundane world? What is the origin of the view that life is harsh and that ultimate bliss is only to be found by transcending life and death? From what generation's collective memory can we date the euphemisms for death commonly used at funerals-featuring immortal cranes and the Jade Pool?

This issue of Sinorama may provide some answers, but we hope even more that it provides food for thought that will contribute to closing the gap between mankind and paradise.