1950
The use of Japanese is prohibited, and the Ministry of Education issues "Outline for the Implementation of Measures to Strengthen National Education during the Period of National Rebellion."
1953
Plan announced to strengthen Mandarin education.
1956
Joint entrance exam for universities and colleges held for the first time.
1957
The magazine Wenxing ("Literary Star"), which introduces Western thinking, begins publication.
1960
The magazine Ziyou Zhongguo ("Free China") is halted. Censorship increases.
1961
Taiwan Television (TTV), the island's first television station, starts broadcasting.
1966
The Cultural Revolution commences on the mainland, and the ROC decides to promote a "Chinese Cultural Renaissance" in Taiwan.
1967
Education through the ninth grade is made compulsory.
1973
Lin Hwai-min founds the Cloud Gate Dance Ensemble.
1977
The "native soil" movement bursts onto the literary scene.
1981
The Executive Yuan establishes the Council for Cultural Planning and Development. Kao Hsi-chun and others found the magazine CommonWealth.
1983
The rise of directors such as Hou Hsiao- hsien and Edward Yang marks the arrival of the "new wave" in Taiwanese cinema.
1985
Lung Ying-tai's Wildfire is published. The magazine Renjian ("humanity") begins publication.
1990
The "wild lily" student movement, which demands faster political reform, takes root at university campuses.
1993
Cable television is legalized, resulting in tremendous growth in the number of stations.
1994
Lee Yuan-tseh becomes president of the Academia Sinica. On April 10 demon- strators march for educational reform, and in response the government establishes the Educational Reform Council. The government announces that copyrights of foreign books must be obtained by June 12. Before that date, publishers and booksellers clear the stocks of illegal translations.
1996
The elementary school textbook market is opened to private-sector publishers.
1998
The registration requirement in the copyright law is scrapped, and the law is changed to ensure complete protection.
From time to time these billboard-lugging lads pause from walking, as one shouts through a megaphone and the other strikes a gong. This 1950s method of advertising movies in the countryside was quite effective at getting people's attention. (photo by Weng Ting-hua)
When the Hong Kong movie star Lin Dai came to Taiwan in 1959, Chang Hsiao-yen, then a child star, greeted him with flowers. Fans back then showed no less ardor than they do today. (Central News Agency)
In the early 1980s, the singing star Hou Teh-chien had a hit song with " Descendants of the Dragon," which gives voice to feelings of exile and abandonment. It captivated the Chinese world. The photo shows Hou visiting overseas Chinese at the Thailand-Bur ma border. (courtesy China Times Information Center)