At the end of December, high school students in Taipei and Kaohsiung enjoyed legal, above-board "laser dance parties," opened by the mayors of the two cities. Following the lifting of "Dance Prohibition," the Education Ministry announced that the question of high school students' hairstyles would in the future be handled by each school on its own, and twenty years of "Hair Prohibition" were ended as well.
The new generation of youth, raised at a time when economic development has reached a peak, is an object of concern almost the world over. On Taiwan, the lifting of rules on what is "above the scalp" has raised concerns about problems "under the scalp": Just what is the new generation of youth thinking? What are they doing? What do they care about? And with what attitude can they be understood, accepted, and helped through the difficult period of adolescence?
This month's cover story, "The Generation of Difference," presents some of our concerns.
For readers of Chinese, this issue also offers some translations of foreign press reports on the recent student demonstrations on the mainland and the resulting crackdown as well as an interview with ROC government spokesman King-yuh Chang for his analysis.