Fifteen years old is a turning point on the road from adolescence to adulthood. Sinorama has passed exactly 15 new years since its initial issue in 1976. It has gradually evolved a new style and face. If you want to understand today's Sinorama, then there's no harm in going back over the process of change.

The earliest Sinorama gave free copies to overseas Chinese as its main readership, and was a slim 36 pages. Content focused on major events and construction in the Taiwan area. In 1980 and 1981, Sinorama took an important next step: It greatly expanded to over 100 pages. Moreover, besides the English-Chinese edition, it added Chinese-Spanish and Chinese-Japanese editions. At the same time its management became more commercialized, and it greatly expanded domestic and overseas subscriptions.

In 1982, with the support of the publisher James Soong, former editor-in-chief Lisa Kuan and photographer Yang Yung-shan traveled to Central America, and reported on the situation of local diplomats and agricultural technical teams. This was quite an expense for those days, but reader response was very enthusiastic. Until today, reports from abroad are still a special feature of Sinorama. The areas explored have been broadened, the level of reportage deepened. Wherever there have been things or events of relevance to Chinese people, whether it be overseas Chinese communities, emigration fever, overseas investment, outstanding persons of Chinese descent, international sinologists, European chinoiserie, or renowned universities coveted by study abroad students, we have done a series of reports. Starting in 1988, each issue of Sinorama has had four or five overseas reports, and the fixed experience of about one month abroad per year for each Sinorama editor has deepened their global perspective and sense of mission.

In 1984, Sinorama published its first book--Face to Face with Today's Leaders--a series of in-depth interviews with famous people of the day, such as Wang Yung-ch'ing, Wang An, Frederick Chien, and so on. The response was very enthusiastic, and it went through six printings and was a leader in the trend of domestic magazines collecting reports together and publishing them in book form. Since then there have been 15 Sinorama books. For overseas friends who want to understand Chinese customs and traditions, Chinese idioms, regional cuisines, as well as Taiwan's milestones in development, local color, holiday and festival customs, or rare plants and animals, these books are an excellent choice.

In 1986, "mainland China" was a very sensitive subject. But Sinorama boldly broke through, under the direction of then publisher King-yuh Chang, and under the planning of editors Wang Chi and Gypsy Chang, produced the "Greater China" special report. This expressed our concern about mainland China by reporting on the evaporation of Tungting Lake and the desertification of the Huangtu Plateau. This report, which was carried by Reader's Digest, won the most votes in that year's readers' poll, and anticipated today's "mainland fever."

In order to strengthen service to the nearly 10,000 fixed subscribers in the US, in 1986 Kwang Hwa Publishing (USA) was established in Houston. Also, because the needs of readers in each area differ, separate US and Southeast Asia editions appeared in September 1986 and February 1989 respectively, which are somewhat different from the domestic edition. Further, in order to strengthen the accuracy of reports, we established a reference department which has the special responsibility of rechecking and confirming all the information in the articles.

After current publisher Shaw Yu-ming assumed office, in 1987 Sinorama's global vision was broadened and coverage of Chinese cultural traditions was strengthened. Series of reports on world sinology and sinologists, on famous universities, and other subjects appeared, and have already been collected and published in book form. Currently, the editors at Sinorama have set their three main directions as "the domestic pulse," "traditional culture," and "overseas reports," in order to serve as a link for the aspirations of Chinese home and abroad and to truly become a comprehensive and international publication which "has its footing in Taiwan, is concerned about the mainland, and has its eyes open to the world."

In terms of publishing, there are currently six different editions sent to 165 countries and areas around the globe. Almost all well-known universities and libraries keep Sinorama. Moreover, China Airlines takes almost 2,000 copies every month to provide to passengers on international flights. The Department of International Service of the Broadcasting Corporation of China also gets 1,300 copies a month to attract overseas listeners. These features have made Sinorama the fastest way for friends overseas to understand Taiwan, spiritual sustenance for personnel and overseas Chinese far from home, and a much fought-over magazine for overseas students from mainland China. It's also the best teaching material for young overseas Chinese to learn Chinese characters and find out about Chinese culture.

"Wherever you find Chinese people you'll find Sinorama" is not just a slogan, it's a fact: Global cyclist Hu Jung-hwa once met an old overseas Chinese deep in the Andes mountains in Southern Peru. The old man then pulled out a copy of Sinorama as something in common with the traveler far from home. When mainland singer Teng-ge-er was interviewed by TV host Ling Feng, the magazine his wife kept flipping through was none other than the Sinorama issue with the reports about the diaspora of Mongolian people.

If foreigners want to understand Taiwan, Sinorama is the best choice. After seeing a report about pottery artist Sun Chao in Sinorama, England's Victoria Museum sent a special representative to Taiwan to collect some of his work. High-level managers at Philips Taiwan have to read it every month because the top man in the Dutch company is a loyal reader, and often asks about current events in Taiwan that Sinorama has reported on. There are just too many examples to name them all. And for reports republished in the foreign media, Sinorama ranks at the top of domestic publications.

Fifteen-year-old Sinorama has some memories worth being proud of. Yet it has a goal that is still farther away, and which requires still greater efforts: How to serve as a bridge of friendship between Chinese home and abroad, how to get the true picture of Taiwan in front of the international audience, and how to make foreigners treat Taiwan better through a better understanding of Taiwan . . . these are objectives we tirelessly pursue. We invite you to celebrate Sinorama's fifteenth birthday with us, and hope that you will spend the next fifteen with us.

[Picture Caption]

Print quality is exquisite. June 1988

The edition is "on the wall"--another issue nearly done. November 1987

We'll go to any lengths-- and any place--to get a story. November 1988

Every picture is hard to come by. September 1988

Interviewing government officials. June 1990

The edition is "on the wall"--another issue nearly done. November 1987.

We'll go to any lengths-- and any place--to get a story. November 1988.

Every picture is hard to come by. September 1988.

Interviewing government officials. June 1990.