The 10 major construction projects currently under way in Taiwan have not only changed the landscape--they also changed the lives of many men. The case of Huang Yu-yang is typical. Huang's mother operates a restaurant in the United States. As a young man, he was pampered. Because he did not have to worry about money, he neglected his studies and spent too much of his time chasing girls. Even so, he managed to graduate from a Taiwan junior college of journalism. In the natural order of things, he expected his mother to pay his way to the U.S.A. for advanced studies. But a shock was in store. He waited and waited, but his mother never brought up the idea. When finally he asked her, she replied: "If you want to pursue advanced studies, you must first show your English is up to standard by passing the language test. I would rather you didn't come here if you are going to be just a waiter." Surprised, the young Huang undertook an agonizing reappraisal of his life. He decided to learn a trade, change his extravagant ways and earn his own living. He read the employment ads everyday, but each time he applied, he was rejected because he looked like a playboy. These early setbacks only strengthened his resolve. When he learned that the government was recruiting workers for the railway electrification project, he went for an interview. His youth and strength and rudimentary knowledge of English impressed the interviewer, who assigned him to work with a foreign engineer. But he didn't want to start so high. He rejected the offer, and asked to be employed as a laborer. A few days later he was digging post holes and doing other manual labor, installing braces and insulating plates on railway cable. Contact with his fellow workers led him to appreciate their simple way of life and comradeship. The money he earned was more important to him than that he received from his mother. Because he came to understand the importance of responsibility. He was proud of his role in national construction. Although he was only a cog in a big wheel, he felt he was a vital part of the whole machine. As a college student, he ate in expensive restaurants with his girl friends. Now, he found the food in his lunchbox tasted better. When the first test run of an electric train was conducted on Oct. 20, 1977, a full ten months ahead of schedule, Huang was among the proudest of the workers. He did not attend the ceremony but told his fellow workers: "It is useless merely to talk about saving the country. We must all work harder." Now the diligent foreman has been promoted to assistant engineer. But Huang's more important promotion is that to a higher level of awareness that everyone has a role in helping society and the nation.
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