In today's rapidly changing world, each country is striving to define itself and hopes to play a decisive international role.
It's true in politics, in economics, and in other areas as well. As for China, with its 5,000 years of history, just what impression do its people give, no matter which side of the Taiwan Strait they live on? Our upcoming series on "Chinese Trademarks" will report in depth on the behavior and beliefs of the Chinese in their daily lives.
This issue presents a warm-up report--the search for Chinese images. What kind of attire tells people at a glance "this is Chinese-style clothing"? What kinds of forms clearly state "this is something uniquely Chinese" Our articles perhaps can give you some answers.
There are a variety of overseas reports in this issue: from Northern Europe we interview the noted sinologist and Swedish Academy member Goran Malmqvist and take a look at the difficulties faced by the mainland China pro-democracy movement in London, from Japan we report on the "Ryugakusei Shimbun, a newspaper for overseas Chinese students edited by students from both sides of the Taiwan Strait; and from Malaysia we look at the lives of women from Taiwan who have moved there after marrying Malaysian men. Do you know where the name Ivy League came from? Our series on "Famous Universities Around the World" this issue turns to Harvard University, which you'll certainly find interesting.
This issue offers a new feature called "Book Bulletin," which will introduce newly published books on Taiwan in the hope of saving readers at home and abroad time and energy in selecting good books. This time we introduce Ho Fan's Collected Works, reviewed by Ms. Yueh Ch'ai-chun.
Our photo essay is actually open to everyone. As long as you feel yourself up to it, we welcome your sending us your photographs on any fixed subject. If they pass muster, perhaps a new star will appear in the photo firmament.