Our visit to Tuvalu was a big event both for us and for the local people.
As for us, the Republic of China hasn't set up an embassy in Tuvalu since it established diplomatic relations with the country in 1979, (our ambassador to Tonga, Mr. Clement A.K. Tsien, serves jointly as ambassador to Tuvalu), and no Chinese have resided in Tuvalu for an extended period, so going there was like stepping onto the soil of our most remote ally.
For Tuvalu, our visit was the first by an R.O.C. reporter, and a friend from afar is especially welcome, as the proverb says. The national radio station reported the news of our visit to whole country.
Tuvalu is situated in the southwest Pacific Ocean, to the northeast of Fiji, some five to ten degrees of latitude below the equator. The nation consists of nine islands scattered over 560 square kilometers of ocean, but the actual land area is only 26 square kilometers, less than that of the Neihu district of Taipei.
In fact, Tuvalu isn't the smallest island nation in the South Pacific. It's actually five square kilometers bigger than Nauru, but because its territory is spread out and each island occupies less than three square kilometers of area, it feels especially small.
Funafuti, the largest island and the site of the capital, has only one road, which runs around the island. The road is paved with stone and lined with coconut and banana trees, whose broad, close leaves, brimming with a rich, tropical exuberance, obscure the view of the traditional grass huts behind. The rather neat and orderly adobe buildings belong mostly to government agencies. There's only one motor vehicle, a bus, on the entire island and besides walking, people get around mostly by bicycle. The whole island can be cycled around in less than forty minutes. And from wherever you are you can see the ocean.
The seashore is a paradise for the children of Tuvalu. The temperature hovers year round at about thirty degrees Celsius, and the heat is relieved slightly only by the ocean breezes. Fishing is one of the main economic activities. Most of the women make a living by weaving.
Only a person who has been to Tuvalu can appreciate just how beautiful its renowned baskets and fans actually are. Tuvalu's handicraft items stand out among those of all the islands of the South Pacific for their rich forms and designs, and they are a popular commodity in gift shops in Australia and New Zealand.
Tuvalu's airport is also rather special. Due to a lack of funds, it still has primitive grass runways, which are cleared at the sound of a whistle whenever an airplane approaches, and customs is housed in a simple little building nearby. The three flights a week that Tuvalu maintains with Fiji and Kiribati are its most important transportation links with the outside world.
The airport is also Tuvalu's main recreation spot. When no planes are due to arrive, the airport is full of life: some people lie on the ground and chat, some girls brush each other's hair, some people wait for friends . . . and even a pig--a beautiful local pig with a spotted coat--hurries by to join in the fun.
The airport is probably also the place in Tuvalu where you can see the most people. The entire country has a population of only about 9,000. And because 6,000 or 7,000 of its citizens work overseas, mostly in Nauru and Fiji, and the people remaining are spread out over the nation's nine islands, the population on each island is quite scanty. Also, it's easy to meet people who have lived overseas. The patterned cloth which the man in the picture has wrapped around his waist is called a sulu and belongs to the Tuvaluans' traditional costume, but on top he's wearing a modern T-shirt from Nauru.
Money sent back from Tuvaluans overseas is the most important source of income for the local people, and the government relies mainly on aid from Australia and New Zealand.
In recent years, the Tuvalu government has actively promoted a number of development plans. For example, to develop its handicraft industry, it has formed an investment and training department to train women systematically and ship their products to New Zealand and Australia for resale to Western tourists, thereby maintaining the traditional culture while at the same time increasing financial resources. The sale of postage stamps is a venture of a similar nature. The only enterprise in Tuvalu with an internationally renowned business is the post office. Tuvalu's postage stamps, which have a strong national coloring, are prized by stamp collectors, so the business has in fact become one of the government's main sources of income.
The Tuvalu government uses its income to further development, laying particular stress on education. Tuvalu has eleven primary schools in all, (each island has at least one) and a middle school on the island of Vaitupu. Over 99 percent of the people have received a primary school education.
The people of Tuvalu believe that an educated citizenry, especially in the latest generation, represents the nation's greatest asset for future development. Without a doubt, they are the ones who will carry the baton in Tuvalu's march from tradition to modernization.
[Picture Caption]
A gentle breeze, the broad ocean, and an innocent pair of smiling children present a typical Tuvaluan scene.
Weaving is the major occupation of Tuvaluan women. The material comes from the coconut trees readily at hand.
Traditional Tuvaluan hand baskets are currently a hot item in the gift shops of Australia and New Zealand.
Despite its tiny size, Tuvalu's international airport can be a lively place. Brushing hair, meeting for a date, a pig on a stroll . . . it all happens here. Only the Chinese couple in the picture on the facing page, lower right, are here for "real business"--they're seeing off a friend.
This is Funafati's only post office. Tuvalu's stamps are quite distinctive and popular with collectors.
The bicycle is the Tuvaluan's main tool of transportation.
Because of insufficient space, primary school students on Funafuti go to class outdoors.
Motor in arms, a Tuvaluan prepares to venture out on the ocean.
A gentle breeze, the broad ocean, and an innocent pair of smiling children present a typical Tuvaluan scene.
Weaving is the major occupation of Tuvaluan women. The material comes from the coconut trees readily at hand.
Traditional Tuvaluan hand baskets are currently a hot item in the gift shops of Australia and New Zealand.
Despite its tiny size, Tuvalu's international airport can be a lively place.
Only the Chinese couple in the picture on the facing page, lower right, are here for "real business"--they're seeing off a friend.
This is Funafati's only post office. Tuvalu's stamps are quite distinctive and popular with collectors.
The bicycle is the Tuvaluan's main tool of transportation.
Because of insufficient space, primary school students on Funafuti go to class outdoors.
Motor in arms, a Tuvaluan prepares to venture out on the ocean.
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